Courses

Timetable of Courses

The official University of Wisconsin timetable contains the most up-to-date information on course offerings and enrollment instructions. To return to the School of Business site, press Back on your browser upon completion of your timetable usage.

Finance Courses

The UW-Madison undergraduate course catalog and graduate course catalog offer course descriptions and requirements.

Independent Study

Research is a valuable and enriching exercise for students of all levels, including undergraduates and masters students. It is an activity to be encouraged. For this reason, the Finance Department of the School of Business offers the courses F399 and F799 for undergraduate and masters students respectively. These courses are entitled "Reading and Research - Finance." They are courses in which you will complete academic research on a topic of your own choosing (within the Finance domain) on an independent basis but with faculty advice. The major element determining the grade for the course will be your written research report.

To enroll in either F399 or F799 requires that you find a faculty advisor, and that you complete a special form with the advisor's signature. The form for F399 is available here, and the form for F799 is available here.

Prerequisite Requirements of the Finance Department

A student with a good foundation of knowledge from preparatory courses in economics, accounting, statistics and calculus has a greater understanding and appreciation of advanced finance topics than a student who does not. Finance topics are inherently quantitative, and finance theories are based on economic reasoning and an understanding of financial reporting. Topics include: time value of money, present value, portfolio theory, option value, capital structure, security issuance, term structure of interest rates, bond duration and market efficiency.

The faculty members of the Finance Department believe that all students enrolled in their courses must share a common background of preparation and should prepare for their courses equally well. Classroom discussion should not be hindered by a few students who do not have the requisite knowledge. For this reason, students must meet prerequisite requirements before they are allowed to enroll in courses offered by the Finance Department.

The prerequisites of the Finance courses are enforced without exception.

There are two ways to complete pre-requisite requirements. Either:
1. complete the pre-requisites listed in UW Madison Timetable or
2. complete equivalent courses at UW Madison or elsewhere as substitutes for the listed prerequisites.