Learn to manage the flow of funds

Finance: Financial Management

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Learn about the impact of financial decision making

The Financial Management specialization has a focus on the corporate (financial and non-financial) and its decision making in a wider sense. Key topics a financial management specialist is concerned with are: capital budgeting, capital structure, pay-out policy, enterprise risk management, accounting, financial sector management. The curriculum of the Financial Management specialization is setup to transform the student to a financial management professional that is equipped to master the aforementioned key topics and related decision-making processes.

The Financial Management specialization differentiates itself from the Finance specialization by having a corporate perspective compared to the Finance specialization having a financial market perspective. A way of comparing the two specializations is by looking at the courses. You will see that Financial Management focuses on accounting, corporate finance, and the financial sector, whereas Finance focuses on asset pricing, financial institutions, and corporate finance. This makes the Financial Management specialization somewhat more applied than the Finance specialization.

See an overview of the course schedule here.

The start date of this programme is September 1^st.

VU Online Master's Event - Fall 2024

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1st year

What you will learn

You’ll take four core courses:

Advanced Financial Management; this course deals with the capital investment and financing decisions of firms; both from a theoretical as a practical point of view;
Financial Data Decision Analysis; in this course you study the quantitative skills necessary to do empirical research;
Advanced Finance, Banking and Insurance; this course provides you with theoretical knowledge about the functioning of financial markets and financial institutions; it enables you to use economic and business concepts and models to understand and analyse the impact of the external financial environment on a financial or non-financial corporate, from the perspective of a financial manager.
Advanced Financial Accounting; this course discusses financial reporting as practised by internationally active companies, and of the relevant institutional framework of accounting standards.

The programme offers the possibility to specialize towards three sub-disciplines. The sub-disciplines Corporate Finance and Accounting focus on the financial management function in organizations, executed by professionals like Corporate Financial Officers (CFO's), Management Accountants, Financial Specialists or Financial Directors. It brings together all the topics relevant for the effective execution of the finance function like financial reporting, management control, treasury, corporate governance and auditing. These sub-disciplines offer a wide spectrum of relevant knowledge areas for the financial manager across the disciplines corporate finance and accounting, emphasizing the business administration programme's integrated approach.

The sub-discipline Financial Sector looks at the financial management function of the financial sector itself. Financial markets, institutions and oversight bodies determine the way the financial system works. This sub specialization provides insights into financial products (like pensions and insurances), into management of financial institutions (for instance banks), and into the working of financial markets.

Throughout the programme, we will prepare you for the job market by doing workshops by the career service department. You’ll look at the ethical side of financial management, and work on your self-development.

During the programme you’ll conduct a research project in small groups that will allow you to apply your newly acquired knowledge and skills, as well as preparing you to write your Master’s thesis and you’ll have the opportunity to take an internship.

Financial Management courses

Advanced Financial Management
Financial Data Decision Analysis
Advanced Banking
Research Project for Finance
Advanced Financial Accounting
Personal Development for Finance Professionals
Thesis MSc Finance: Financial Management

For more information please consult the Study Guide.

For motivated students, we also offer three honours programmes: the Duisenberg Honours Programme in Quantitative Finance, the Duisenberg Honours Programme in Corporate Finance and the Duisenberg Honours Programme in Finance and Technology. These honours programmes offer students a challenging yet rewarding programme that covers six periods in total.

The FSA forms the link between ambitious students and leading companies in the financial sector. Throughout the year, we host 20 career events, designed to help you take the step from university to the labor market. These events help you orientate on your career and get in contact with the right people to apply for an internship or a job. In the Netherlands, our portfolio is unmatched: we collaborate with companies such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Heineken, Bain & Company, De Nederlandsche Bank, BCG, and many more.

Some of the areas we are active in: investment banking, private equity, strategy consulting, real estate, data science, and many more. Next to events, we offer career opportunities on our website.

The FSA is led by a fulltime board of 6 students and 20 different committees. Are you looking to gain leadership experience, get in contact with leading companies, orientate on the financial job market, develop yourself on a personal and professional level, and have an awesome year? Then working at the FSA is the right step for you!

Eager to see what de FSA can do for you? Have a look at www.fsa.nl!

On completing this Master’s programme, you’ll be able to fulfil a valuable bridge function between the quants (as you’ll understand the numbers) and the business managers (as you’ll be able to interpret the results).

As a graduate of a Master’s in Finance you are perfectly prepared for roles as an asset manager, risk manager, business analyst or consultant.

Explore your future prospects

Finance: Financial Management

Duisenberg Honoursprogrammes

The Financial Study association Amsterdam (FSA)

Change your future with the Finance: Financial Management programme

Change your future with the Finance: Financial Management programme