Finance and Economics: Curriculum
Columbia Business School offers an array of finance and economics courses ranging from the very broad to the highly specific.
Five courses are considered foundational. The core finance course, Corporate Finance (B6301), is the starting point for all work in finance, even for those who have had substantial Wall Street experience. It is usually taken in the first term. Capital Markets and Investments (B6302) is a continuation, establishing the foundations of asset pricing and portfolio theory. It should precede or be taken concurrently with most of the mainstream second-year finance courses . Other foundation courses include The Global Economic Environment (B6005), Managerial Economics (B6006) and International Business (B6501).
One must also distinguish between mainstream second-year courses (B8000 series) and practitioner second-year courses (B9000 series). The mainstream courses are central to a clear understanding of such fundamental concepts as the measurement of risk and the pricing of uncertain cash flows. They are not how-to courses but provide conceptual underpinnings to a wide variety of financial problems, and we urge students to take a substantial number of them to build a strong foundation in financial and economic theory and its applications.
The practitioner courses are most often taught by adjunct faculty members with current careers on Wall Street. Frequently they are offered by just one professor, and their subjects tend to reflect that professor's direct interest and experience. The list of practitioner courses and seminars changes constantly and is subject to the availability of the individuals involved.
Finance and Economics: Curriculum - MBA
Core Courses
The Global Economic Environment (B6005)
Managerial Economics (B6006)
Corporate Finance (B6301)
Electives
Please note that Capital Markets & Investments (B6302) is a prerequisite for all upper-level finance courses. It may be taken as a corequisite at the discretion of the professor.
The electives are arranged according to career paths:
1. Capital Markets
B8299-007 Globalization and markets: reforming international economic architecture
B8301 Advanced corporate finance
B8308 Debt markets
B8311 Options markets
B8312 Advanced derivatives
B8314 Real estate finance
B8317 Investment banking
B8351 Financial markets and the economy
B8357 Money markets: domestic and international
B8358 International banking: value and risk
International Business
B6501 International business
B8509 International financial management
2. Consulting
B8201 Economics of strategic behavior
B8299-002 Economics of health care and pharmaceuticals
B8299-006 Business strategies for emerging markets
B8299-007 Globalization and markets: reforming international economic architecture
B8301 Advanced corporate finance
B8308 Debt markets
B8317 Investment banking
B8399-006 Entrepreneurial finance
B8351 Financial markets and the economy
B8357 Money markets: domestic and international
B8358 International banking: value and risk
International Business
B6501 International business
B8509 International financial management
B8599-001 International financial decisions
B8599-004 Business and financial markets in East Asia
Human Resource Management
B8412 Managerial negotiations
3. Corporate Finance
B8201 Economics of strategic behavior
B8299-006 Business strategies for emerging markets
B8301 Advanced corporate finance
B8308 Debt markets
B8311 Options markets
B8312 Advanced derivatives
B8313 Security analysis
B8314 Real estate finance
B8317 Investment banking
B8351 Financial markets and the economy
B8357 Money markets: domestic and international
B8358 International banking: value and risk
B8399-006 Entrepreneurial finance
International Business
B6501 International business
B8509 International financial management
B8599-001 International financial decisions
B8599-004 Business and financial markets in East Asia
Human Resource Management
B8412 Managerial negotiations
4. Investment Management
B8201 Economics of strategic behavior
B8301 Advanced corporate finance
B8308 Debt markets
B8311 Options markets
B8312 Advanced derivatives
B8313 Security analysis
B8314 Real estate finance
B8351 Financial markets and the economy
B8358 International banking: value and risk
B8399-001 Seminar in value investing
B8399-006 Entrepreneurial finance
International Business
B6501 International business
B8509 International financial management
B8599-004 Business and financial markets in East Asia
5. Private Equity
B8299-002 Economics of health care and pharmaceuticals
B8301 Advanced corporate finance
B8308 Debt markets
B8311 Options markets
B8312 Advanced derivatives
B8313 Security analysis
B8314 Real estate finance
B8317 Investment banking
B8351 Financial markets and the economy
B8399-001 Seminar in value investing
B8399-006 Entrepreneurial finance
International Business
B6501 International business
B8599-001 International financial decisions
B8599-004 Business and financial markets in East Asia
Human Resource Management
B8412 Managerial negotiations
6. Sales and Trading
B8308 Debt markets
B8311 Options markets
B8312 Advanced derivatives
B8313 Security analysis
B8314 Real estate finance
B8351 Financial markets and the economy
B8357 Money markets: domestic and international
B8358 International banking: value and risk
B8399-001 Seminar in value investing
B8399-006 Entrepreneurial finance
Practitioner Seminars
B9301-001 - Finance and sustainability
B9301-002 - Role of private equity in corporate finance
B9301-003 - Applied equity analysis
B9301-004 - Arbitrage in debt and equity markets
B9301-005 - Advanced applications of credit derivatives
B9301-010 - The business of sports
B9301-015 - Seminar in advanced security analysis
B9301-019 - Alternative investments: Investing in hedge funds and nontraditional assets
B9301-021 - Innovation in financial services
B9301-022 - Applied security analysis
B9301-031 - Equity derivatives
B9301-039 - Mergers and acquisitions in media
B9301-043 - Mergers and acquisitions
B9301-051 - Seminar in advanced investment research: the analyst’s edge
B9301-053 - Mergers and acquisitions
B9301-057 - Venture capital: risk and opportunity
B9301-058 - Theory and policy of modern finance
B9301-059 - Extracting value from intellectual assets
B9301-063 - Investment banking tax factors
B9301-064 - Championship strategy: the financial services example for long-term outperformance
B9301-066 - Value and special situation investing
B9301-067 - Seminar in private equity
B9301-069 - Issues in applied portfolio management
B9301-075 - Venture capital seminar
B9301-077 - Seminar in applied value investing
B9301-078 - Corporate restructuring for shareholder value
B9301-087 - Seminar in applied value investing
B9301-088 - Project finance in emerging markets
B9301-089 - Seminar in corporate finance
B9301-097 - Seminar in applied value investing
B9301-099 - Money management
