MS in Finance

MS in Finance Program Overview

Training Future Executives in Financial Management


What do most Fortune 500 company executives have in common? Backgrounds in finance. As the only discipline tying all actions of an organization to its profitability and growth, finance is an essential area to master if you aspire to an executive-level business position. UT Permian Basin’s online Master of Science in Finance immerses you in the world of managerial finance, giving you the comprehensive perspective you need to become an effective executive or excel in any finance-related career. Our MS in finance offers more focused attention to the unique circumstances of financial management than a broader MBA program and builds the executive decision-making skills you’ll need to thrive in the constantly evolving corporate world and the finance industry in general.

An Accredited, Accessible, Affordable Program

Our MS in finance is one of only a handful of Texas university programs of its kind to hold STEM certification, a designation to which employers pay specific attention. Offered 100% online through our AACSB-accredited College of Business, our program enables you to complete your studies on your own schedule from virtually any location in the world. Each online course is taught by the same PhD business professionals who teach on campus. There’s no better way to maintain your professional and personal commitments while earning a career-enhancing master’s degree. We also make it easy to afford your online degree program, with some of the most competitive tuition rates in the country.

Enhanced Career Potential

Earning a master’s degree can deliver real professional perks. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, master’s degree holders garner about 18% higher earnings than those who’ve earned a bachelor’s degree alone. In addition, master’s degree holders enjoy higher employment rates than those with an undergraduate degree. Considered to be one of the most valuable business-related master degrees, an MS in finance will prepare you for all executive positions in addition to a variety of other rewarding professional roles, including:

Preparation Courses

Required leveling course unless a student comes into the program with sufficient statistical proficiency 3 credit hours.

Courses
Duration
Credits
BUSI 2342 - Principles of Statistics
8 weeks
3
The course is an introduction to the principles of statistics and their application to problems in business and economics. Topics include the basics of probability theory, descriptive statistics, sampling methods, statistical estimation, hypothesis testing, and the basics of linear regression. Prerequisite(s): MATH 1324
Prerequisites: MATH 1324 - Applications of Discrete Mathematics
Semesters Offered: Spring B 2024 Summer A 2024 Summer B 2024
Core Courses

Required 6 credit hours.

Courses
Duration
Credits
ACCT 6301 - Accounting Analysis
8 weeks
3
A foundation in the fundamentals of financial and managerial accounting information designed for the planning, assessment, and control of business entities. Emphasizes the use of information for decision-making. May not be taken for MPA core or elective credit.
Prerequisites: FINA 6320 - Financial Management
Semesters Offered: Summer A 2024 Fall A 2024 Spring A 2025 Summer A 2025
FINA 6320 - Financial Management
8 weeks
3
Survey of foundational concepts in financial management; in particular, introduction to capital budgeting and financing concepts that include discounted cash flow analysis and its applications to valuation of bonds, stocks, and corporate capital assets. Prerequisite(s): ACCT 6301 or equivalent.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Spring B 2024 Fall A 2024 Fall B 2024
Courses Beyond Core

Required 6 credit hours.

Courses
Duration
Credits
BUSI 6302 - Business Analytics
8 weeks
3
This course introduces the practical and advanced data analytics for all business majors. The course covers topics of script programming, data/statistical analysis, and data visualization. Students will practice data analytic methods and use related software to solve real-world business questions.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: N/A
FINA 6321 - Corporate Finance & Strategy
8 weeks
3
Intermediate-level course covering modern corporate finance concepts. Course topics include advance capital budgeting and financing techniques as well as financial risk management and various asset valuation techniques including concepts related to Mergers and Acquisitions. Prerequisite(s): FINA 6320 or the equivalent
Prerequisites: FINA 6320 - Financial Management
Semesters Offered: Spring B 2024 Summer A 2024 Summer B 2024
Finance Business Core

Required 12 credit hours.

Courses
Duration
Credits
FINA 6322 - Management of Financial Institutions
8 weeks
3
This course is a study of management of financial institutions in a global financial services environment. The course covers risk identification, measurement, and management; regulatory compliance; capital adequacy; liquidity; and profitability from the perspective of an executive financial manager.
Prerequisites: FINA 6320 - Financial Management
Semesters Offered: Spring B 2024 Spring B 2025
FINA 6325 - Financial Derivatives
16 weeks
3
Introduction to derivative assets including futures, forward contracts, options and their markets, including how these derivatives are created and traded. The course covers how businesses can use these contracts to hedge corporate and investment portfolio risk. Students are introduced to the principles of valuation and pricing for these securities and the mathematical models that apply. Prerequisite(s): FINA 6320
Prerequisites: FINA 6320 - Financial Management
Semesters Offered: Spring B 2024 Whole Fall 2024
FINA 6327 - Investments
16 weeks
3
This course conveys comprehensive investigation of modern investments and portfolio theory. Concepts include different trading techniques, portfolio construction, asset valuation using a variety of pricing models, market timing, fundamental security analysis, technical security analysis and behavioral finance concepts.
Prerequisites: FINA 6320 - Financial Management
Semesters Offered: Whole Spring 2024
FINA 6330 - International Finance
8 weeks
3
This course is a comprehensive study of the management of multinational firms and international financial markets. Some of the topics include global risk management, currency exchange rate mechanisms, corporate exchange rate exposure measurement & management, exchange-rate arbitrage, and hedging using a variety of currency-based derivatives.
Prerequisites: FINA 6320 - Financial Management
Semesters Offered: Summer B 2024 Summer B 2025
Finance Electives

Required 6 credit hours at FINA 6000 level.

Courses
Duration
Credits
FINA 6336 - Real Estate
8 weeks
3
There is no course description available at this time.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Summer A 2024
FINA 6337 - Financial Planning
8 weeks
3
There is no course description available at this time.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered: Summer B 2024
FINA 6331 - Energy Finance
8 weeks
3
This course introduces students to the principal concepts and application in energy finance. Topics include: fundamentals of petroleum and value chain, oil and gas financial statement analysis, financing energy companies and projects, O&G database application, and energy risk management using derivative instruments. Students will complete an energy project incorporating major components of the course to tackle real-world problems. Prerequisite(s): FINA 6320 or equivalent.
Prerequisites: FINA 6320 - Financial Management
Semesters Offered: Summer A 2024
FINA 6335 - Energy Investments
8 weeks
3
This course is designed as an introduction to the Energy Commodity, Equity, Bond, and Derivatives markets. Students will learn the unique nature of energy-related assets as hedging and speculative tools while understanding the volatility and dependence interactions between energy commodities and other conventional markets.
Prerequisites: FINA 6320 - Financial Management
Semesters Offered: Summer A 2024
FINA 6389 - Selected Topics in Finance
8 weeks
3
Graduate courses that will be offered only once, will be offered infrequently or are being developed before a regular listing in the catalog.
Prerequisites: N/A
Semesters Offered:

Admission Requirements

Regular Admission Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
  • GPA of 3.00 or better in the last 60 credit hours

Conditional Admission

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
  • GPA between 2.99 and 2.5 in the last 60 credit hours of coursework leading to the baccalaureate degree
  • 2 letters of recommendation or professional email references
  • Allowed to take up to 12 credit hours as advised and must earn a B or better
    • If student earns below a B, the GMAT is required for readmission
  • No elective course may be taken by a student in conditional status

Conditional Admission With Dean’s Approval

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
  • GPA between 2.49 and 2.25 in the last 60 credit hours of coursework leading to the baccalaureate degree
  • GMAT with minimum score of 500 (based on GPA)
  • Essay expressing interest may be requested
  • 2 letters of recommendation or professional email references
  • Allowed to take up to 12 credit hours and must earn a B or better
  • No elective course may be taken by a student in conditional status

Students granted conditional status will be changed to regular status upon successful completion of a minimum of 12 semester credit hours of MS in finance coursework with a grade of B or better in each course taken.

Official Transcripts

Copies of official transcripts must come directly from the school in a sealed envelope and can be mailed to: 

UT Permian Basin
Graduate Studies Office
4901 E. University Blvd.
Odessa, TX 79762

Official transcripts in electronic format can be sent to gradstudies@utpb.edu

Supporting Documents

All supporting documents related to a graduate program, such as letters of recommendation, essays, statements of interest, resumes, professional work experience, and awards should be sent to the Graduate Studies Office:

UT Permian Basin
Graduate Studies
4901 E. University Blvd.
Odessa, TX 79762-0001

Electronic versions of supporting documents may be emailed to gradstudies@utpb.edu. 

Application Fee

The application fee is $40.
Veterans and Active Duty Military: Your application fee is waived for this program. Get details now.

Chair of the Accounting, Finance, and Economics Department
Associate Professor of Finance
PhD, University of Texas at Arlington
MS, Texas Tech University
gormus_a@utpb.edu

Alper Gormus, PhD, is the chair of the accounting, finance, and economics department and an associate professor in finance. He is also a Jack D. Ladd Fellow and the coordinator of energy and finance programs. He has an MS in economics from Texas Tech University and a PhD in finance from The University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to his start at UTPB, he worked as faculty, teaching classes at The University of Texas at Arlington, Texas A&M University, and Texas Tech University. On the corporate side, Dr. Gormus has worked for several high-profile companies in various roles related to investments and financial analytics. His research interests include energy investments and international markets. His work has been published in several global academic journals including Energy Economics, Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Economic Letters, and Global Finance Journal. Dr. Gormus teaches Energy Investments, Investments, and Corporate Finance.

“I strongly believe student success must be the driving factor for all we do in academia. In terms of how I contribute, combining my industry experience with academics has always served me well in the classroom. While I have worked in numerous projects across many areas in finance and economics, a large portion of my research has been in international financial markets and energy investments. I was fortunate enough to publish my research in some of the top academic journals in the field and I try to bring that expertise into the classroom.”

Associate Professor of Finance
PhD, Kent State University
MS, Kent State University
MBA, Kent State University
MComm, Bangalore University
pai_p@utpb.edu

Prakash Pai, PhD, is an associate professor of finance at The University of Texas Permian Basin. He started in the role of assistant professor of finance in 2003. He earned a doctor of philosophy in 2004 from Kent State UniversityDr. Pai has published papers in the Financial Services Review, Insights to a Changing World, Journal of International Finance Studies, Journal of International Finance and Economics, and the International Journal of Business ResearchHe has presented at the Financial Management Association International Annual Meeting, the International Academy of Business and Economics, Financial Management Association, the Academy of Business Research, and the Academy of International Business and Economics. His professional certifications include International Banking Operations Certificate, Banking Diploma, and a Certified Association of the Indian Institution of Bankers.

Assistant Professor of Finance
PhD, The University of Texas at Arlington
vafai_n@utpb.edu

Nima Vafai, PhD, is an assistant professor of finance in the College of Business at The University of Texas Permian Basin. He graduated with a PhD in finance from The University of Texas at Arlington in 2021 and joined UT Permian Basin in the same year. He has two graduate degrees: an MBA and a master's degree in economics. His undergraduate degree is in industrial engineering. Prior to teaching at UT Permian Basin, he served as an adjunct and instructor at The University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Tech University and as a business plan developer and product manager in the industry. His research interests include asset pricing, institutional investment, political finance, analysts' forecasts, and cryptocurrencies.

“I have taught various finance, economics, and statistics courses, including financial derivatives, microeconomics, and business statistics. My research is mainly focused on asset pricing and econometrics techniques associated with that area. I am passionate about teaching, not only because I enjoy teaching but also because I enjoy connecting my industry experience to course materials to give students a better learning experience.”

Assistant Professor of Finance
PhD, Florida International University
MBA, University of Florida
velazquez_m@utpb.edu

Marcos Velazquez, PhD, received his undergraduate degree in economics and MBA from the University of Florida. He also received his PhD in finance from Florida International University. Dr. Velazquez's research interests include corporate finance and governance, and he has received several research awards.

We’re pleased to offer program admission on a rolling basis.

Rolling admission refers to our process of accepting and evaluating applications as we receive them and moving any applications that miss the deadline to the next semester. However, if you want to enroll in courses for a specific semester, you will need to make note of the application deadlines found below. If you don’t complete your application and submit the required materials by the deadline, your application will be rolled over to the next semester. 

LengthApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlinePayment DeadlineCourses BeginCourses End
Whole Spring1/2/241/8/241/12/241/16/245/2/24
Spring A1/2/241/8/241/12/241/16/243/8/24
Spring B3/4/243/11/243/15/243/18/245/10/24
SemesterApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlinePayment DeadlineCourses BeginCourses End
Summer A4/29/245/6/245/10/245/13/246/28/24
Summer B6/17/246/24/246/28/247/1/248/15/24
LengthApplication DeadlineDocument DeadlinePayment DeadlineCourses BeginCourses End
Fall A8/12/248/19/248/23/248/26/2410/18/24
Fall B10/7/2410/14/2410/18/2410/21/2412/13/24
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