Master of Finance Degree Programs in Louisiana

One reason accredited finance degrees in Louisiana are growing in popularity is that a recent survey by the Careercast.com found that one type of position available to finance degree holders, personal financial advisors, were one of the top ten fastest growing jobs in the state. The average salary for a personal financial advisor in Louisiana is $60,334. In addition to personal financial advisors, those who hold a finance degree in finance can also find employment as financial analysts, accountants, auditors and loan officers and company treasurers with salaries that range from $50,000 to $130,000 per year. These accredited finance degrees in Louisiana provide the tools and knowledge necessary for graduates to obtain positions in any number of finance-related profession.

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

E.J. Ourso College of Business

Louisiana State University began as three land grants in 1806, 1811, and 1827, originally known as the Seminary of Learning of the State of Louisiana near Pineville. The institution opened in 1860 with Col. William Tecumseh Sherman as the superintendent. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Col. Sherman was required to accept arms surrendered by State Militia, which he refused to do, and he resigned as the school superintendent in January 1861, returning to the north. After the war, Col Sherman donated two cannons to LSU which had been captured from Confederate forces and used to fire on Fort Sumter. They are on display in front of the LSU Military Science building. During the war, the school closed from June 30, 1861 until April 1, 1863, with some of the buildings used as a hospital for war injured. The school’s reopening in 1863 was brief, however, when the school was invaded during the Red River Campaign, and it closed again on April 23, 1863. The institution reopened in October 1865, only to be burned in 1869. The school moved to Baton Rouge, moving into the Institute for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind, where it has remained. In 1870, the school was officially renamed Louisiana State University.

The E.J. Ourso College of Business is named for LSU benefactor who, along with his wife, Marjory, made a generous donation to the college in 1996. In honor of their gift, LSU renamed the College of Business and Administration after Mr. Ourso. He began his college career at LSU, intending to study journalism, but his education was interrupted when he entered the military during World War II. Shortly after serving in the armed services, his father passed away, forcing Mr. Ourso to take over the family funeral home business, keeping him from finishing his education. However, Mr. Ourso dedicated himself to life-long learning, reading one book each day on subjects that included the struggles of successful businesses. Mr. Ourso received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from LSU in 1996 and is an inductee of the LSU Alumni Hall of Distinction.

Master of Science (MS) Finance

The Master of Science in Finance at LSU’s Ourso College of Business provides students with the tools and skills necessary to obtain positions in many financial professions. Students learn to apply financial theory and quantitative techniques to advise others or to make effective financial decisions. The program is designed to be a full-time, three semester program. Students must complete 18 hours of finance courses that include three required courses, with the remaining 18 hours in 7000 or higher level classes. Students may also choose concentrations in:

Investments
Corporate Finance
Accounting
Statistics
Information Systems & Decision Sciences
Economics

Students may also participate in the LSU Internal Auditing program, an internship program that places students in some of the nation’s most esteemed firms. Students may choose to complete the program on a part-time basis, but because the program is small, not all required courses are offered at times that meet the needs of part-time students.

Accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS COC)
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Contact

Department of Finance
Business Education Complex
Room 2900
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Phone: (225) 578-6291
Email: finance@lsu.edu
Website: http://business.lsu.edu/finance/MS/pages/MS-Finance.aspx

Louisiana Tech University

College of Business

When Reconstruction ended in the South after the Civil War, only two major public universities existed – Tulane and Louisiana State – with just a few small colleges in rural Northern Louisiana, including Mount Lebanon, Keatchie Female College and Ruston College. In an effort to bring higher education to the state, legislators created Southern University in 1880 and the Louisiana State Normal School in 1884. In 1894, fire destroyed Ruston College, and local legislators petitioned state lawmakers to consider establishing another institute of higher education in the city. In July 1894, Act 68 passed the General Assembly of Louisiana, establishing the Industrial Institute and College of Louisiana, which was to be located in Ruston, and was to educate “white children of the State of Louisiana in the arts and sciences.” Initially, classes offered included telegraphy, stenography, drawing, industrial applications of designing and engraving, as well as needlework and bookkeeping. Because the school was the only institute of higher education in the area, students were only required to be 14 years old or more and to be able to read, write, speak and spell with “tolerable correctness.” In 1898, the school became the Louisiana Industrial Institute, and in 1921, became Louisiana Polytechnic Institute. Today, there are over 11,000 students enrolled at Louisiana Tech working toward bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees.

The College of Business at Louisiana Tech offers an outstanding faculty and partnerships with business professionals in the local, state and national business professions. Students are provided hands-on opportunities as well as outstanding classroom learning to help students achieve their career goals after graduation.

Master of Business Administration, Finance Concentration

Louisiana Tech offers a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance that provides students with exposure to the business disciplines and facilitate integration of knowledge in various disciplines. For those who have work or family obligations, the Executive MBA provides a flexible schedule to help them achieve their educational goals. The Finance Concentration requires 21-hours of Business Core classes, six hours of Business Advanced Analytical Skills, and nine hours of Advanced Finance courses. Students must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in any undergraduate field of study. Admission is based on:

Previous Academic Record
GMAT Score that is less than five years old
Business Experience

Accreditation

Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS COC)
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Contact

Dr. Timothy Bisping
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies
The College of Business
Louisiana Tech University
PO Box 10318
Ruston, LA 71272
Phone: (318) 257-4528
Email: tbisping@latech.edu
Website: http://www.business.latech.edu/graduate/mba.htm

Tulane University

A.B. Freeman School of Business

Tulane University was founded in 1834, getting its beginning as the Medical College of Louisiana, the second-oldest medical school in the Deep South. By 1847, the medical school had become part of the University of Louisiana. In 1884, the university was reorganized and named for Paul Tulane, a wealthy merchant from New Jersey who donated more than $1 million in land, cash and securities to promote higher education. Mr. Tulane made his fortune in New Orleans, and the donation was to express his appreciation for the city. In 1886, the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College was established for women as part of the university. The women’s college was founded by Josephine Louise Newcomb and named for her daughter, who died in 1870 at the age of 15. Today, Newcomb-Tulane enrolls undergraduates at the university. In 1894, Tulane moved to its present campus, located on St. Charles Avenue. There are currently 13,462 students enrolled at Tulane working toward undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Originally known as the college of Commerce and Business Administration, the A.B. Freeman School of Business was established at Tulane in 1914. In 1984, the college was named in honor of A.B. Freeman, a former chairman of the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Company, in recognition of a gift from the Freeman family. Two years later, the school moved to a new 83,000 square foot building located in the center of Tulane’s uptown campus. The school also has a satellite campus in Houston, offering Professional MBA, Executive MBA and Master of Finance programs for Texas residents.

Master of Finance

The Master of Finance program at Tulane is an 11- or 18-month full-time program designed for recent undergraduates with limited or no professional experience. Students are prepared for a wide range of careers in finance including:

Corporate Finance
Equities
Fixed Income
Derivatives
Asset Management
Leveraged Finance
Hedge Funds
Venture Capital
Private Equity
Private Banking</l>
Financial Consulting
Public Finance
Large Corporation Finance Departments

Faculty are world-renowned for their experience in finance and coursework includes core finance and accounting courses, as well as elective options that allow students to focus on their area of interest. Electives include real estate, asset management, energy, and more. The program was ranked fifth in the United States and 29th in the world by Financial Times in 2013.

Master of Business Administration (MBA) Finance

The Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance provides students with the knowledge necessary to obtain positions in commercial and investment banking. Courses cover topics that include:

Equity Analysis
Valuation
Fixed-income Analytics
Derivatives
Risk Management

Students combine classroom learning with experiential learning, as well as through research and writing investment reports on actual companies. Students who complete the Tulane MBA Finance degree seek employment in asset management, corporate finance, private banking, and private equity firms, as well as many other areas of the finance profession.

Accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS COC)
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Contact

Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions
Freeman School of Business
Goldring/Woldenberg Hall I, Suite 410
Tulane University
New Orleans, LA 70118-5669
Phone: (504) 314-2674
Email: khunter@tulane.edu
Website: http://www.freeman.tulane.edu/programs/graduate.php

University of New Orleans

College of Business Administration

Originally known as the University of New Orleans began as Louisiana State University in New Orleans as a result of Act 60 of the 1956 Louisiana legislature. When the U.S. Navy abandoned an air station on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain in late 1957, the barracks, service clubs and other facilities were renovated for use by the new institution. The school began classes in 1958, a year ahead of schedule. It was the first racially-integrated university in the South. In 1974, the name of the school was changed to the University of New Orleans. The school sustained heavy damage in Hurricane Katrina, but reopened for classes just 42 days after the storm.

The College of Business Administration at the University of New Orleans has been in existence since 1961, providing exceptional higher education to students while remaining committed to research, community leadership and service. The college is devoted to preparing students for careers in an ever-changing global business world.

Master of Business Administration Finance Concentration

The University of New Orleans offers a Master of Business administration with a concentration in finance. In addition to regular MBA courses, students must also choose from courses in a finance concentration, including:

Investment Strategy
Financial Markets and Institutions
Commercial Bank Management
Real Estate Feasibility & Site Location Analysis
Personal Financial Planning
Insurance Planning & Risk Management
Seminar in Financial & Economic Analysis for Real Estate
International Financial Management
International Finance
Internship in Finance
International Finance
Capital Budgeting
Portfolio Analysis
Derivative Analysis

Students must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution and hold a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75. Students must have scored a 450 or above on the GMAT and/or a 148 or above in Verbal Reasoning and 145 or above in Quantitative Reasoning on the GRE.

Accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS COC)
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Contact

University of New Orleans
Kirschman Hall, Room 307
2000 Lakeshore Drive
New Orleans, LA 70148
Phone: (504) 280-3215
Email: mba@uno.edu
Website: http://mba.uno.edu/mba/

As the need for employees with strong financial backgrounds grows, the need for accredited finance degree programs in Louisiana will also grow.