Specialized Master in Finance

Financial Software Training

Software training will take place through the Financial Software Applications course, the Data Analysis course, and electives. Students are trained in the following software tools and databases and will expand upon this knowledge through projects in core courses and electives during the SMF curriculum.

• Bloomberg
  The most widely-used tool in financial markets. It provides access to more than 15,000 indices and 100+ metrics, coverage of 45,000+ companies in 108 countries, as well as 2,800 fundamental data items and financial ratios. Bloomberg news offers more than 5,000 original news stories each day from 30,000+ aggregated news sources with coverage from 146 bureaus in 72 countries. Used extensively in investment management firms and in sales and trading.

• Capital IQ
  A leading provider of multi-asset data, research and analytics. Coverage of extensive financial information for 88,000 companies globally with over 5,000 unique financial data items and 2,500 industry-specific items. Used by over 4,200 firms in investment banking, investment management, private equity, and corporate consulting.
• Rotman Interactive Trader
  It is an order-driven market simulator (which allows users to transact financial securities with each other on a real-time basis) plus a sequence of RIT cases.
• Crystal Ball
  An Excel add-in that enhances financial modeling through Monte Carlo simulation analysis.
• Microsoft Excel
  SMF students learn the analytics of Excel and practice financial modeling applications though a dedicated elective course. Topics include project analysis, valuation modeling, portfolio management, and option pricing.
• Wall Street Prep
  A training program used by the world’s top investment banks and private equity firms for financial modeling. WSP covers topics such as forecasting financial statements, DCF valuation, M&A and LBO modeling.
• Thomson One
  A source for real-time and historical financial and business information. It is a powerful integrated research tool designed for financial analysts, money managers, corporate leaders and professional researchers who require instant, desktop access to a full-range of critical company information.
• Morningstar
  A database that offers investment research on stocks, mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs).
• Argus Enterprise
  The most valuable tool in the commercial real estate industry, Argus Enterprise is the global standard for property valuation and comprehensive asset and portfolio management solution.
• SAS
  SAS is a widely used tool for data management and business analytics, including statistical and econometric analysis, and has strong capabilities with large data sets, such as those used in quantitative investments and risk management.

Go even further with electives: Students can also use electives to gain additional experience. For example, the Quantitative Portfolio Management elective now teaches Python and provides students with practical experience in quantitative investment analysis of market data using Python programming.