Finance major – MSc in Business Administration

A major in finance will prepare you for work with the financing of investment and operations of private and public enterprises.

Published 31. Oct. 2023. Updated on 25. Mar. 2024

The major in Finance is a part of the MSc in Business Administration.

A finance degree is about the widest possible choice of future careers.
Bernt Arne Ødegaard , Professor of Finance

About the major

ECTS credits

120

Courses

Elective courses in Finance

Degree

MSc in Business Administration, with a major in Finance

Admission and application

Information about admission and the application process on the MSc in Business Administration website

Learning outcome and career prospects

What will you learn

Relevant themes include capital structure, valuation of assets and investment projects, evaluation of M&A decisions, as well as various types of capital (fund) management.

This specialisation also offers specific competence in corporate organisation and governance and processes related to acquisitions and divestitures

As a student, you will acquire methods and tools that form the basis for valuation and investment decisions in various businesses and financial institutions. With a major in finance, you are highly relevant for job opportunities in banking, capital management, and corporate finance.

Career paths

A major in finance provides you with skills and knowledge that are highly valuable in a wide range of future careers in both the public and private sector

Finance candidates have many possible career paths, for example: corporate finance (controller, treasury), financial markets (trader, analyst, strategist, regulator), banking (investment banking, consumer banks), asset management (insurance companies, pension funds), government/central Bank/administration, accounting, private equity.

Many finance candidates choose to spend a few years within the structured trainee programs of the large accounting/consulting firms to enhance their choices even more.

Programme structure

The finance major comprises of compulsory major courses, electives and a master thesis within your major. The degree is 120 ECTS in total.

Compulsory courses (60 ECTS)

The finance major comprises of six foundation courses that are mandatory (40 ECTS) in the first and second semester:

MSB309 Corporate Finance – semester 1
MSB107 Business Economics – semester 1
MSB102 Business Decisions – semester 1
MSB145 Econometrics and Machine Learning – semester 2
MSB210 Risk Management and Derivatives – semester 2
MSB205 Investments – semester 2

Minors, electives and student exchange (30 ECTS)

In the third semester, students can either:

Go on student exchange.
Take a minor in Management, Economics or Economic Development (two elective courses 20 ECTS) plus one free elective course (10 ECTS).
Choose freely from different elective courses (30 ECTS). One course must be outside of your major.

All MScBA elective courses listed here

A minor is two elective courses outside your major.

Master thesis (30 ECTS)

In your fourth and final semester, you write your master thesis within your chosen major (30 ECTS).

Study plan

The study plan provides an overview of which courses you take in the different semesters.

Semester 1

In semester 1, you have three mandatory courses:

Optional, but highly recommended:

MSB001 Professional Skill Boot Camp (1 ECTS): At the start of the master’s program, students will have an opportunity to attend a boot camp (in week 34). This optional but highly recommended initiative is designed to set them up for successful completion of their master’s degree and learn essential skills for today’s work life.

Semester 2

In semester 2, you have one mandatory course and two specialization courses:

MSB205 Investments (10 ECTS)
MSB210 Risk Management and Derivatives (10 ECTS)
MSB145 Econometrics and Machine Learning (10 ECTS)

Semester 3

In semester 3, you can choose to either go on student exchange abroad, take a minor or choose elective courses freely:

Exchange semester (30 ECTS)
Minor (20 ECTS) + 10 ECTS free elective
- Minor in Economics: MSB300 Economics of motivation + MSB350 Environmental economics
- Minor in Management: MSB108 Strategic management + MSB255 Supply chain and lean management or MSB325 Sustainable buiness practices or MSB201 Managing Strategic Partnerships and Digital Platform Ecosystems: The Economics of (Digital) Organizations
- Minor in Economic Development: MSB305 Growth, Location and Sustainable Development + MSB335 Policies for Transformation
30 ECTS free electives (min. 10 ECTS outside the finance major)

Semester 4

In the fourth and final semester, you write your master thesis: