Program Objectives

Master the financial management of business entities

The MBA in Finance provides students with the theoretical tools required to master practical issues in the financial management of business entities anywhere in the world. Courses relate to the subjects of finance, accounting and strategy.

The program enables students to consider an international career as an entrepreneur, a financial consultant, or as a CFO or a Controller of a corporation, with the capacity to understand the preoccupations of all branches of management.

This program delivers a title of Financial Manager, certified level I by the CNCP.

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At a glance

Program operated by

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Initial, continuous or work-study training

0
year
Duration

Full English

in Paris and Bordeaux

Intakes in October & February

Accessible after a 4-year post-secondary degree

0
months of internship
Core Courses

Financial Accounting

Ensures that students embarking on a finance career have a firm grasp of the international approach to financial accounting and how it differs from individual national approaches.

Corporate Finance

Gives both a theoretical and practical approach to key financial topics related to corporate and investment decision-making: Corporate Governance; Divided Policy; Capital Investment Decisions; Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate Restructuring; and Business and Financial Risk.

Entrepreneurship

Provides students an overview, with a mix of theory and ‘real life’ principles, of the various aspects involved in building a business. Students work in teams to develop a multi-disciplinary approach to the development of a new business venture.

Microeconomics & Macroeconomics

Provides students with the basic toolkit for understanding the macro economy, with a particular focus on European economies and frequent references to the United States. The course uses theory insofar as running successful meetings, career development, job hunting, and career conferences. It explains the real world in which we live, and never as an end in itself. At the end of this course, participants should be able to: make more informed decisions, better understand the economic press in order to make those decisions, and be more aware of the controversies and the arguments surrounding the current economic situation and economic policies.

Managerial Accounting

Familiarizes students with the principles of managerial accounting and its application to management control and decision-making in a modern, dynamic environment. Participants will be given an understanding of cost behavior, the importance of cost allocation, planning and decision-making using the knowledge of cost behavior, responsibility accounting and performance reporting.

Specialized Courses

Financial Reporting and Analysis

Familiarizes students with the decision-making process used by management of publicly-held corporations when preparing financial statements compliant with generally accepted accounting principles (IFRS and US GAAP).

Financial Markets

An introduction to the financial markets. Each market is discussed in detail as to the different participants, the different products available, and the basic strategies. The overriding theme is the perceived risk, expected return relationship.

Strategy for CFOs

The pace of business is getting faster and more complex. In order to make sense of so much information, CFOs and their teams need frameworks to help General Managers develop clear and effective strategies, to think strategically in real business situations, to select information that is essential to the strategy, to make effective decisions even when they lack information, and to defend their strategy to clients and colleagues.

Business Risk Management

Teaches students to identify the risks faced by a business, the tools used to assess its scope and priority, and how to address and manage risk. Material covers internal discipline, uncertainty quantification techniques and specific regulations for risk management.

Audit & Compliance

Introduces students to all aspects of auditing, both external and internal, and especially to the international regulatory environment. The objective is to enable the student to comprehend the ethical importance of transparency and disclosure in all financial areas.

Financial Derivatives

Gives a basic understanding of financial derivatives focusing on its principal foundations (Equity, Fixed Income, Credit, Commodities) and how these products can be used to manage risk and generate returns.

International Tax Optimization

This course aims at improving the knowledge of tax management in an international setting in order to optimize competitiveness. Participants will also study the different levels of taxations in major developed countries.

Business Planning

Develops students’ ability to focus on appropriate strategic questions, assess the competitive environment, identify the resources required to achieve objectives, quantify propositions and establish key performance indicators (KPIs), establish a strategic framework for dis¬cussion, assess the project, and write a formal synthesis.

Company Valuation

In valuing projects, divisions and corporations, the practical application of techniques already studied: understanding a company’s financial statements, strategic planning, revenue and cost forecasting, project valuation and risk management. Case studies on quoted and unquoted companies.

Advanced Financial Analysis

Enables students to understand and interpret the information contained in any company’s annual report as well as other published information; to be aware of the general structure and purpose of an annual report; to determine the financial health of a corporation; and to understand the limitations of financial analysis, and the likely signs of impending corporate failure.

Portfolio Management

This seminar instructs students in asset allocation; mutual performance; investment manager selection; portfolio construction and revision; equity, fixed-income, alternative investments management strategies; performance, evaluation and measurement of performance; stock picking and market timing. The course will also consider economic analysis and establishing capital market expectations.

Quantitative Methods

The seminar instructs students in time value of money; probability distributions and descriptive statistics; sampling and estimation; hypothesis testing; correlation analysis and regression; time series analysis; technical analysis.

Ethical and Professional Standards

The importance of ethics in the operation of financial institutions, and the personal conduct of finance professionals.
Topics including ethics and financial markets; The ethic of bankruptcy; Socially responsible investing; Bank lending practices; Ethical issues in investment decisions; Professional standards of practices; and ethical practices.

Program Structure

This MBA program allows students to alternate business studies with professional experience:

Intake in October:

From October to March: work-study rhythm

Students follow a 6-month semester of academic coursework alternated with internship (3 days in class and 2 days of internship per week). An exam session is planned at the end of this semester (in March).

From April to September: internship

Students complete a full-time professional internship of 5 or 6 months, in France or aborad. During this period, they must also write and defend a thesis in a field related to this program.

Intake in February:

From February to July: work-study rhythm

Students follow a 6-month semester of academic coursework alternated with internship (3 days in class and 2 days of internship per week). An exam session is planned at the end of this semester (in July).

From August to January: internship

Students complete a full-time professional internship of 5 or 6 months, in France or aborad. During this period, they must also write and defend a thesis in a field related to this program.