Admission Requirements

A faculty committee within the Department of Finance will evaluate applicants to the Master of Science (MS) in Finance on several factors, including academic achievement as evidenced by transcripts from each college or university the applicant has attended, standardized test scores, and career objectives. All applicants must submit a completed application along with the following materials for evaluation for admission to the M.S. Finance Program:

1. Transcript of all undergraduate and graduate course work completed.

2. Three letters of reference from individuals familiar with your background. At least one letter should be from an academic source.

3. Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and/or Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. Test results obtained more than five years prior to the start of the semester applicant is applying for must be retaken.

4. Resume or cirriculum vitae and a goals statement which specifies what the applicant expects to accomplish by completing this program and how this is related to his or her long term professional objectives

5. International applicants must also submit a score of at least 620 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as well as a Letter of Financial Backing and a statement of Understanding. The latter two forms are available from the International Section of the Office of Admissions.

6. The M.S. in Finance application fee.

Please Note:

Applicants must comply with all college and university application requirements, including application deadlines. For more specific information about admission requirements for the MS in Finance contact the Program Director.

Completed application materials should be sent to:

Prerequisite Courses:

All students entering the Master of Science in Finance Program are required to have a four-year undergraduate degree from an accredited institution. The undergraduate degree may be in any discipline. Candidates must show, however, competence in finite mathematics, calculus, and computer science through college course work. If college courses have not been successfully completed in each of these subjects prior to admission, students must include these courses in the degree program. Prerequisite courses are not included in the number of hours that are required for the degree, and may be waived based on previous college course work. Typically, candidates who hold a B.B.A. Degree from an institution accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) will have met these prerequisite requirements.

Graduate-Level Course Work:

Students who have completed the appropriate courses in previous college work may waive with substitution the corresponding Foundation courses. It should be noted that although a maximum of six semester hours of equivalent content graduate work may be transferred and applied to the MS degree, students must complete 36 graduate hours at the University of Houston. Additional information regarding waiver and transfers is available from the MS Program Director.

Time Limitation

Students must complete the degree program within four years of the start of the first semester they began graduate-level courses. Any transferred graduate course to be included in the M.S. in Finance program may not be more than five years old at the time of graduation.

Continuous Enrollment

Unless students petition for a leave of absence, they must maintain continuous enrollment during the fall and spring semesters. Students who fail to maintain continuous enrollment for more than two consecutive long semesters must reapply for admission to the program and meet all requirements in effect at that time.

Effective Semester of Admission

Admission is granted only for a specific semester. If students wish to postpone enrollment, they must secure approval from the Program Director. The first semester in which students, as graduate students, complete graduate-level work that applies toward a degree is the effective semester of admission.

The MS in Finance program consists of three sets of courses: the Foundation courses, the advanced courses and the Elective courses. The following exhibit lists and classifies the courses that are required for the completion of the MS program in Finance:

Foundation Courses:

Course Number                    Course Title                            Course Credit Hours 

                                                                            Subtotal 15

 Advanced Courses
 

Course Number                    Course Title Course                      Credit Hours 

Sub Total                                                                                              21

The total number of credit hours in the program:                              36

The six hours of elective courses that are required for the completion of the MS program, will be chosen with the consent and advise of the MS director in light of the students?s goals. The Finance elective courses are:

 Course Number          Course Title                      Course Credit Hours 

 Substitution of Courses

The MS in Finance program may be tailored around special goals of the individual student. In order to achieve this flexibility, students may petition the Finance MS program director to substitute some of the above listed courses with courses from other disciplines as explained below:

 Foundation Courses 

Students may petition the Finance MS program director to substitute for some of the Foundation courses with courses in Economics and Accounting. Such course substitutions may be approved under special circumstances and may be only chosen from the following list:

 Course Number        Course Title                  Course Credit Hours 

 Course Number       Course Title                            Course Credit Hours 

 Course Number         Course Title                          Course Credit Hours 

Please note: No substitution is allowed for the Foundation courses: DISC 6360 and FINA 6335

 Elective Courses

Students may petition the Finance MS program director to substitute for some of the Elective courses with courses in Economics, Accounting, Decision and Information Sciences or Law. Such courses substitutions may be approved under special circumstances and may be only chosen from the following list:

 Course Number         Course Title                                    Course Credit Hours 

DISC 7351           Forecasting Models                                                  3
DISC 7350           Probability Model and its Application                        3
DISC 7358           Statistical Methods in Research                                 3
DISC 7373           Business Applications of Database Management        3

ECON 6389         Analysis of Energy Markets                                       3
ECON 7380         Macroeconomic Modeling and Forecasting                3
ECON 7386         Energy Policy Analysis                                               3
ECON 7396         Topics in Economic Department                                 3

LAW 5131           International Environmental Law                                  2
LAW 5161           U. S. Mexican Conflicts of Law                                   1
LAW 5163           International Banking Law                                            1
LAW 5167           U. S. Mexican Trade Relations                                     1
LAW 5231           Unfair Competition                                                       2
LAW 5239          Advanced Oil and Gas Law Contracts                           2
LAW 5244          Bankruptcy Reorganization                                            2
LAW 5252          Securities Transactions                                                  2
LAW 5260         Advanced Corporate Tax                                               2
LAW 5261         Real Estate Tax                                                              2

LAW 5324         International Trade                                                         3
LAW 5330         Antitrust Law                                                                 3
LAW 5349          International Financial Transactions                                3
LAW 5352         Corporate Taxation                                                        3
LAW 5353         Business Planning                                                           3
LAW 5355         Oil and Gas                                                                   3
LAW 5363         Securities Regulations                                                    3
LAW 5378         Regulation of Banking                                                    3
LAW 5387         International Tax                                                            3
LAW 5392         International Business Transactions                                 3
LAW 7264         SEM: Oil and Gas Finance                                             2