Doctor of Philosophy in
Business Administration (PhD-BA),
Financial Management

It’s been said that to understand a business, one must understand the financial numbers. This course, building upon a basic understanding of accounting, serves as the springboard for understanding the financial health of a corporation, its operating environment, and the structure of interest rates and yield curves that can affect it. Central to this understanding is the concept of cash flow, where it comes from, and what influences it. Preparing financial statements, something learned in accounting, is not the same as understanding what they can reveal. This course provides the initial building blocks for understanding the financial strengths and weaknesses of a corporation.

Central to the understanding of investment portfolio management is the concept of risks and return, futures, swaps, valuation, and performance. Advanced investment components will be examined with an emphasis on financial markets, option valuations, international diversification, and pricing models. This course prepares you with the financial knowledge to make sound investment decisions. Shareholders, stakeholders, financial managers, and investors will all improve their ability to identify key sources of funding to grow their businesses and improve their investment returns.

This course examines the most advanced components of financial institutions with an emphasis on those related to academic research. You’ll review and assess relevant academic papers to prepare for writing in-depth papers on the primary topics within financial institutions. Your studies begin with an analysis of financial systems, statements, and institutions, then you’ll proceed with a careful examination of interest rate risk, credit risk, and derivative securities. Finally, you’ll conclude with an academic paper examination and the development of a presentation on financial institutions.

An examination of the most important components of financial statement analysis with an emphasis on those related to academic research. You’ll review and assess relevant academic papers to prepare for writing in-depth papers on the central topics of financial statement analysis. The course begins with an analysis of the balance sheet, income statement, and financial ratios, then it concludes with financial decomposition analysis and the impacts of financial leverage.

This course provides you with a complete review of the accounting principles and practices used in nonprofit organizations with a heavy focus on government accounting practices. The coursework on accounting principles and practices can be applied to hospitals, colleges and universities, health and welfare agencies, and other similar organizations. You’ll employ case studies, problem solving, and written research narratives to examine topics such as appropriations, budgetary accounting, financial conditions, auditing, fund accounting, and ethics.