In your third semester, you can choose to be an exchange student at one of our international partner universities, decide among a wide range of elective courses offered at the University of Stavanger Business School, and/or combine your specialization with an internship.
Alternative 1: Semester abroad as an exchange student
The experience you gain from a semester abroad gives you an international profile that many companies look for in their future employees. Through the UiS Business School exchange programme, you have a unique chance to gain an international perspective on your education. It is also an opportunity to learn a new language and culture. You expand your professional network and get an experience of a lifetime. Read more about student exchange and our partner universities.
Alternative 2: Semester at the University of Stavanger
The semester at the University of Stavanger consists of elective courses equivalent to 30 ECTS. Choose elective courses either from the finance specialisation or electives from other specialisation profiles.
Please note that as a student majoring in applied finance, you need to choose at least 10 ECTS and max. 30 ECTS among the finance electives in the 2nd and 3rd semester. You are also required to take at least 10ECTS outside finance during the 2nd or 3rd semester.
These are the finance electives we offer in the 3rd semester:
MSB107 Microeconomics (10 ECTS)
This master level course in microeconomics provides students with the analytical skills necessary for conducting rigorous examinations of consumer choice, producer decisions and market formation. Students will also learn how to decode applied microeconomic research and gain hands-on experience in empirical analysis. Microeconomics provides important tools for leaders in business environments, analysts in planning and resource management and researchers in both the private and public sector. In the words of J. M. Keynes: "The theory of economics does not furnish a body of settled conclusions immediately applicable to policy. It is a method rather than a doctrine. An apparatus of the mind, a technique of thinking, which helps its possessor to draw correct conclusions."
MSB370A Cases in Valuation (5 ECTS)
This is a course in valuation. Building on the corporate finance course, the course first develops the technical skills necessary for valuation, before applying those skills to real-life valuation situations.
MSB370 Cases in Valuation and Finance (10 ECTS)
This is a case course in finance. The course integrates what has been taught in other finance courses, and applies it to real-life finance situations. Many of these finance situations will be viewed through the lens of the valuation of projects, companies or assets.
MSB310A Corporate Governance (5 ECTS)
For investors to be willing to provide financing, some mechanisms protecting their interests must be in place. Such mechanisms can be incentive contracts for company executives, legal protection of owner rights, ownership concentration and voting power, or membership of the corporate board. This course builds an understanding of how these mechanisms work.
MSB310B The Finance of Startups and Small Corporations (5 ECTS)
This course looks at the financing of start-ups and small corporations, with a focus on private equity and venture capital. A prime concern is the contracting between a firm and its source of financing (private equity firm, venture capital firm). Additionally, the course covers the lising of firms on exchanges (the IPO).
MSB365 Fixed Income Markets (5 ECTS)
Fixed income securities constitute a major asset class in international financial markets. Monetary policy and price discovery in fixed income markets determine their prices and therefore the shape of the yield curve. Understanding the factors that influence the yield curve is of importance to all economic agents. In this course you will learn about the basic instruments in fixed income markets and how they are traded.
MSB371 Sustainable Finance (5 ECTS)
The course in sustainable finance focuses on with the links between sustainability challenges and finance. The main task of the financial system is to provide funding for (positive NPV investments. Sustainable finance considers financial, social, and environmental issues. The goal is to embrace sustainability while still maintaining a financial perspective. The course investigates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. To what degree do these issues enter financial decisions such as (financial market) investments, corporate decisions, lending decisions, etc? Much of this investigation will be conducted in the context of business cases in which ESG issues play an important role.
MSB285 Economics of Energy Markets (10 ECTS)
This course builds an understanding of the global energy situation, energy and climate policies, and the market outlook for various energy carriers. Coverage includes conventional power generation, wind power, solar energy, oil and natural gas. Drivers of demand, supply and price formation will be explored, including their relationship to resource scarcity, technology and innovation, economic factors, and policy variables. Finally, the course explores the macroeconomics of energy market developments for importers and exporters of energy resources.