George Mason University > University Catalog > Course Descriptions
2003-04 University Catalog George Mason University

Finance (FNAN)

School of Management

If a student takes noncore, upper-level business courses before acceptance to the School of Management, those courses will not count on an undergraduate degree application for any major in the School of Management (except as general elective credit). A grade of C or higher must be presented on the graduation application for each upper-level course in the major. Prerequisites are strictly enforced. Degree status is defined as formal admission to the School of Management.

301 Financial Management (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Completion of at least 48 credits including ECON 103, ACCT 203, and DESC 210. Introduction to the management of a firm's financial resources given a wealth maximization decision criterion. Includes working capital management, fixed-asset investment, cost of capital, capital structure, and dividend decision analysis. Lecture, problems, and discussion. f,s,sum

302 Financial Analysis and Forecasting (3:3:0). Prerequisites: FNAN 301; degree status. Examination of techniques for analyzing, understanding, and applying financial information in decision situations. Topics include finan cial statement analysis, development of financial models, and financial planning and forecasting. f,s

311 Principles of Investment (3:3:0). Prerequisites: FNAN 301; degree status. Introduction to the analysis of the valuation of equity and debt securities given modern capital market theory. Includes a discussion of portfolio analysis as related to the valuation of securities. Lecture, discussion, and computer-assisted research. f,s

321 Financial Institutions (3:3:0). Prerequisites: FNAN 301; degree status. Discussion of the basic objectives of financial institutions in light of industry structure and regulatory environment, and the decision variables that management should concentrate on in achieving its objectives. Includes the role that financial institutions play in the allocation of funds within the financial markets. Lecture, discussion, and computer-assisted research. f,s

351 Principles of Real Estate (3:3:0). Prerequisites: FNAN 301; degree status. Study of the dimensions and specialties involved in the public control and private development, sale, finance, and management of real estate. Subject areas include land planning, land use control, appraisal, finance, brokerage, property management, and investment. Lecture, discussion, and computer-assisted research. ir

401 Advanced Financial Management (3:3:0). Prerequisites: FNAN 301; degree status. Analysis of decision making within the firm, emphasizing the conceptual structure of problems and the use of advanced analytic techniques. Specific topics include current asset management, capital budgeting, capital structure, dividend policy, long-term financing, mergers, and corporate planning models. Lecture, discussion, and case analysis. f,s

411 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management (3:3:0). Prerequisites: FNAN 311; degree status. Analysis of the modern techniques of portfolio management including the evaluation of standards for the selection of individual securities for inclusion in or deletion from portfolios. Risk-return analysis for portfolios and portfolio performance measures are presented. Lecture, discussion, and computer-assisted research. ir

412 Futures and Options Markets (3:3:0). Prerequisites: FNAN 311; degree status. Introduction to options markets, commodity markets, and financial futures markets as they function to provide pricing mechanisms and alternative investment vehicles. Lecture, discussion, and computer- assisted research. ir

421 Money and Capital Markets (3:3:0). Prerequisites: FNAN 321; degree status. Discussion of how financial markets are organized, their role in the allocation of funds to various market segments, and the interaction between markets. Topics include aggregate flow of funds analysis as well as money markets, government markets, corporate markets, and mortgage markets. Lecture, discussion, and computer-assisted research. ir

440 International Financial Management (3:3:0). Prerequisites: FNAN 301; degree status. Introduction to the management of the contemporary firm's international financial operations. Topics include foreign exchange risk, political risk, returns and risks of international projects, international money and capital markets, financial accounting, capital structure, and the cost of capital. Lecture, discussion, readings, and problems. f,s

451 Real Estate Finance (3:3:0). Prerequisites: FNAN 301 and 351; degree status. Study of the mechanisms of real estate finance, sources of funds, loan contracts, principles of mortgage risk analysis, and secondary mortgage markets. Students develop analytical skills including use of the microcomputer and appropriate software. ir

491 Special Topics in Finance (3:3:0). Prerequisites: Finance majors with at least nine upper-level finance credits; degree status. Advanced study of special topics in finance.

499 Independent Study (1-3:0:0). Prerequisites: Finance majors with at least nine upper-level finance credits; degree status. Research and analysis of selected problems or topics in finance. Must be arranged with an instructor and approved in writing by the associate dean for undergraduate programs before registration. Written report required. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits if topics vary.