Program Overview

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Finance, Professional Certificate

The professional Certificate in Finance requires 12 s.h. of credit. Students must earn a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.75 in certificate coursework.

Program Overview

The certificate is open to individuals with a desire to build their financial knowledge and skills. It is also open to current Iowa MBA Program students. Students in the Iowa MBA Program may complete the certificate as they work toward their degree; the certificate is designed to fit into the MBA curriculum allowing students to earn the MBA and the certificate without additional coursework.

This certificate is ideal for students who wish to gain specialized knowledge of financial concepts. Students can select courses to focus their study in specific areas of finance such as corporate finance, investments, portfolio management, and wealth management.

Course Offerings

Certificate courses are offered online and select courses may occasionally be offered in Des Moines at the John and Mary Pappajohn Education Center (JMPEC).

Course Requirements

The Certificate in Finance requires the following coursework.

• All of these:
  • MBA:8180 Managerial Finance (3 hours)
  • FIN:9200 Portfolio Management (3 hours)
  • FIN:9300 Corporate Finance (3 hours)
• One of these:
  • BAIS:6150 Financial Analytics (3 hours)
  • ENTR:9200 Entrepreneurial Finance (3 hours)
  • FIN:9010 Contemporary Topics in Finance (3 hours)
  • FIN:9130 Corporate Risk Management and Insurance (3 hours)
  • FIN:9140 Enterprise Risk Management (3 hours)
  • FIN:9150 Financial Modeling and Firm Valuation (3 hours)
  • FIN:9160 Quantitative Finance and Machine Learning (3 hours)
  • FIN:9210 Derivatives (3 hours)
  • FIN:9220 Fixed Income Securities (3 hours)
  • FIN:9230 Real Estate Finance and Investments (3 hours)
  • FIN:9240 International Finance (3 hours)
  • FIN:9270 Security Analysis (3 hours)
  • FIN:9290 Alternative Investments and Portfolio Strategies (3 hours)
  • FIN:9310 Corporate Financial Strategy (3 hours)
  • FIN:9350 Wealth Management (3 hours)

If MBA:8180 Managerial Finance is waived, it must be replaced with an approved course from the preceding list.

Certificate/Graduate Degrees

Students can pursue a professional Certificate in Finance concurrently with their graduate degree. A separate application to each degree program is required. Applicants must be admitted to both programs before they may be admitted to the combined degree program.

With graduate program approval, students may count up to 9 s.h. from the professional certificate toward their graduate degree.

With approval from the professional certificate program, students may count up to 3 s.h. from any graduate degree program toward their certificate.

Admission Criteria

Admission decisions are based upon completed application materials, including academic performance along with quality and quantity of work experience.

Applicants whose first language is not English must score at least 100 (internet-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or must have a successful admission interview. In place of the TOEFL, the certificate program accepts satisfactory International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores or a Duolingo score of 120 or higher.

Applications are accepted throughout the year; admission is for summer, fall, or spring entry.