Master's of Finance Degree Programs in Iowa

Iowa is known for its excellence in primary and secondary school education, but it is the outstanding accredited finance degree programs in Iowa that directly prepare students to compete in the global financial marketplace. The state’s name Iowa was derived from a Native American term meaning “beautiful land,” and it lives up to its name through its sparkling lakes, verdant rolling hills, and other scenic views. Agriculture, healthcare, financial service, and education are some of the popular industries represented in the state. Below are some schools that offer comprehensive instruction in the finance career field as well as details about their program offerings.

Drake University

College of Business and Public Administration

Drake University’s College of Business and Public Administration promises students rigorous coursework that encourages critical thinking skills, knowledgeable faculty who readily engage students using their industry experiences, and a career center that helps students get head starts in the workforce. The college has cultivated relationships with industry businesses at home and abroad so students look forward to challenging, paid internships and rewarding study-abroad opportunities. Drake University’s College of Business has undergraduate degree programs in concentration areas like accounting, management, international business, and entrepreneurial management. Some of the graduate programs offered by the college include master’s degrees in business administration, finance, accounting, and public administration.

Master of Business Administration, Financial Resources Specialization

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Drake University is a 39 credit hour program that combines core and specialization coursework along with required communications and ethics training. Some of the core courses include ones on generating customer value, promoting shareholder value in corporations, and data analysis for improved operations. Requirements to enter the program include the submission of official transcripts, with successful applicants having at least a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average, and the submission of GMAT scores, with successful applicants having at least a 500 score. Additionally, applicants have to submit letters of recommendation, professional resumes, and personal essays outlining career goals and accomplishments. According to Drake University, the keys to the success of this program are the flexible class schedules available that are necessary for students who are working while taking classes part time.

Accreditation

The Higher Learning Commission North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC-NCA)

Contact

2507 University Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50311
Phone: (800) 443-7253
Email: sonya.collier@drake.edu
Website: http://www.drake.edu/catalog/graduatecatalog/masterofbusinessadministrationmba/

Master of Financial Management

Drake University’s Master of Financial Management (MFM) provides students with a unique curriculum that combines both strategic and tactical business principles and financial concepts which lay a solid foundation for careers in the financial sector. The 36 credit hour degree program consists of general business and financial management core courses, specialized financial management courses, and electives designed to prepare students to sit for the prestigious certified financial analyst (CFA) examination. Examples of general business and financial management courses associated with the MFM degree program are decision-making using data analysis, investment analysis and portfolio management, and promoting firm value. Experienced faculty advisors encourage students who plan to pursue the CFA designation to take electives like multinational financial management, risk management for financial institutions, and equity valuation. The curriculum for the MFM is designed to impart financial knowledge that is immediately applicable in real world settings.

Accreditation

The Higher Learning Commission North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC-NCA)

Contact

2507 University Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50311
Phone: (515)271-2188
Email: dianna.gray@drake.edu
Website: http://www.drake.edu/media/collegesschools/cbpa/documents/graduate/programdescriptionsheets/MFM%20Program%20Review.pdf

Iowa State University

College of Business

Iowa State University’s College of Business offers students comprehensive, research-based degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. The school’s accomplished faculty brings rigorous business coursework to life through their extensive experience and teaching talent. Students also benefit from cutting-edge facilities and high-tech laboratories that help them accomplish their projects in a professional business environment. Upon completion of this degree program, students are prepared to make valuable contributions within a business environment that continues to require a multidisciplinary, global approach.

Master of Finance

Iowa State University’s Master of Finance degree program focuses on the development of quantitative problem solving skills. While the school acknowledges that successful financial professionals possess more than just mathematical prowess, the graduate degree program faculty assume that students enrolled in the Master of Finance program have developed those highly necessary interpersonal skills during their undergraduate tenure. This graduate level finance degree program positively responds to the financial industry’s demand for business professionals who are quantitatively astute and understand how to apply their computational skills to common financial industry challenges. Students participating in this program are exposed to the latest industry tools, databases, and research results that get them ready to become leaders in a variety of finance careers. After intensive training, the school uses its extensive partnerships with industry businesses to help place graduates into challenging jobs through its highly ranked career center.

Accreditation

The Higher Learning Commission North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC-NCA)
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International

Contact

1360 Gerdin Business Building
Ames, IA 50011
Phone: (515) 294-8118
Email: busgrad@iastate.edu
Website: http://www.business.iastate.edu/masters/mfin/

Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance

Iowa State University’s MBA with a specialization in Finance is designed to develop business leaders equipped with broad-based industry knowledge and corporate social responsibility practices. This program consists of 48 credit hours of study that combine general business, corporate social responsibility, and finance specialization courses into a challenging academic program for future business managers. Some types of financial specialization courses included in the program are portfolio management, derivative markets, and real estate finance. Besides its accomplished, responsive faculty and comprehensive graduate business curriculum, the school’s award-winning MBA program attracts students by ranking third in the nation for job placement of graduates through its career center, holding a ranking of 33rd for U.S. News & World Reports’ survey of the best public schools in the nation and placing 64th for all national graduate schools surveyed by U.S. News and World Reports.

Accreditation

The Higher Learning Commission North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC-NCA)
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International

Contact

1360 Gerdin Business Building
Ames, IA 50011
Phone: (515) 294-8118
Email: busgrad@iastate.edu
Website: http://www.business.iastate.edu/masters/mba/academics/

University of Iowa

Henry B. Tippie College of Business

The Henry B. Tippie College of Business was founded in 1921 and offers a variety of business degree options at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Business school undergraduates at the Tippie College of Business choose among concentration areas like accounting, finance, economics, management information systems, and marketing. The Tippie College of Business offers a variety of graduate and doctoral level programs that include a Master in Accountancy and several MBA programs with differing curriculum and flexible schedule formats. Students even have the opportunity to choose the International M.B.A. degree program held in Hong Kong.

Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program in Finance

The MBA Program with a concentration in Finance encourages students to strategically plan their careers with its specialized course content taught via their Finance Career Academy. This results oriented center exposes students to an experiential graduate finance degree curriculum that prepares them to solve actual problems within the industry. Depending on a student’s area of interest, they will work on realistic consulting projects with local business professionals, prepare to gain the influential CFA designation, and conduct financial analysis for the management of an actual, funded portfolio. While enrolled in this program, students choose between corporate finance and investment management tracks that help prepare them to become valuable members of company project teams. The investment management track includes courses like portfolio management, fixed income securities and financial models and company valuation while the corporate finance track includes areas of study like strategic business consulting, corporate financial strategy, and financial accounting standards.

Accreditation

The Higher Learning Commission North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC-NCA)
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International

Contact

Henry B. Tippie College of Business
University of Iowa
S252 John Pappajohn Business Building
Iowa City, IA 52242-1994
Phone: (319) 335-0929
Email: susan-licher@uiowa.edu
Website: http://tippie.uiowa.edu/finance/mba/index.cfm

PhD Program in Finance

The highly selective doctorate in Finance offered by the Tippie College of Business is designed to train finance experts for careers in academia. The program’s plan of study is carefully directed by creative faculty that guide students into relatively uncharted financial waters via original research topics. Besides research projects, students gain instruction from coursework like economics, statistics, and financial theory. Program participants also take examinations, write dissertations, and function as teaching assistants to prepare them for future careers as finance instructors. Students who want to enter this program are required to submit all transcripts, the appropriate standard aptitude test scores and multiple letters of recommendation. Recent graduates have the opportunity to teach in schools beyond the nation’s borders.

Accreditation

The Higher Learning Commission North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (HLC-NCA)
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International

Contact

Henry B. Tippie College of Business
University of Iowa
S252 John Pappajohn Business Building
Iowa City, IA 52242-1994
Phone: (319) 335-0929
Email: tippie-phd@uiowa.edu
Website: http://tippie.uiowa.edu/finance/phd/index.cfm

Many people understand the value of a graduate level finance degree which opens career doors for graduates in areas like financial management, portfolio analysis, and investment banking. This is one reason business students seek out accredited finance degree programs in Iowa.