A new master’s degree from IU’s Kelley School of Business is designed to meet the needs of many young professionals with backgrounds in the liberal arts, engineering, informatics, the sciences and other careers featuring technical analysis and critical thinking skills.
Kelley’s new Master of Science in Finance degree builds on a strong foundation laid by their undergraduate studies in these and other disciplines and provides a unique focus that will be applicable to their chosen profession.
“Top employers recognize that students who have learned to think critically to address problems in mathematics, economics and the sciences can also think critically about business strategy, once they’ve gained the skills imparted through our specialized program,” said Bipin Prabhakar, program chair for the +Kelley program, which creates pathways into the full-time Master of Science in Finance and the Master of Science in Information Systems degree programs.
“These students need proper preparation, however, to translate a technical and liberal arts education into a knowledge base and skill set that can be applied immediately in business contexts,” added Prabhakar, also a clinical professor of operations and decision technologies. “This is especially true in finance, where the Master of Science in Finance degree provides the kind of advanced financial analysis in great demand across business enterprises, not just in financial institutions.”
Students with an undergraduate business degree complete the 30-credit-hour degree at IU Bloomington over 11 months, beginning in July. Those without a business degree are required to also take a six-credit-hour course, Kelley Business Foundations Boot Camp, and begin their coursework in June. Electives include courses on corporate finance, financial markets, and financial modeling.
Like those earning other Kelley degrees, students earning a Master of Science in Finance will be able to take advantage of support and resources offered at the school’s new $14 million Conrad Prebys Career Services Center. Kelley has seen a strong demand from corporate recruiters for graduates of similar master’s programs and believes its career coaching placement team differentiates it from other schools.
Last year, more than 175 companies visited the Kelley School of Business to hire talent, and hundreds more recruited virtually. Students in the program will have access to these strong connections and have opportunities to meet with top employers from all over the world.
“Employers will view this as an attractive pool of talent that adds creative and diverse perspectives into their management ranks,” said Michael Oakes, a senior lecturer of finance teaching in the program.
The application deadline for the inaugural class is March 1.