The Master of Finance program is for finance graduates who are seeking a specialist career at an executive level. A typical one year program begins with four compulsory modules, covering topics such as corporate finance, personal investment and international financial management. Students are then able to tailor their program by selecting four further modules from a range of disciplines, such as auditing, financial trading systems, behavioural finance and macroeconomics. Some institutions also offer the option to use one or more of the elective modules to gain international experience at another university.
A number of Master of Finance programs are part of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute university recognition program. A program that has received this accreditation will give students the best possible preparation for those all-important CFA exams in the future.
Upon graduation, candidates will have met the requirements for professional accreditation with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, romantically known as RG146 compliance! The often-forgotten heroes of business, Master of Finance graduates are the ones driving a business from behind the scenes, making sure that sound financial strategy goes hand-in-hand with legal compliance. Career paths after graduation see candidates take up senior management roles within institutions such as commercial, merchant or investment banks, insurance companies or stockbrokers. Given the increasingly international nature of business, this is a career path that may be particularly appealing for those hoping to work overseas. It’s also fair to say that high-flying finance professionals can be amongst some of the highest earning individuals in an organisation, with the median salary for a Financial Controller being almost $80,000!