Master of Applied Finance

Course details

Corporate Finance
This unit is concerned with the valuation of corporate assets and how they should be financed. It is based on the theory and methods developed in prerequisite Units, particularly Investments.

Financial Instruments
This unit covers the structure, pricing and usage of various financial instruments, including spot, forward, swaps and option contracts for equity, debt, foreign exchange and commodity markets.

Financial Risk Management
The unit goes beyond market risk analytics/management and addresses important systemic sources of risk which are more difficult to quantify and model.

Investments
Investments cover the key building blocks required when studying many of the other Masters Units. It focuses on the tools and techniques necessary to understanding investment markets, valuing investments and constructing investment portfolios.

Legal Risk in Finance
This unit introduces you to the concept of legal risk, examining common sources of legal risk in financing transactions, together with possible methods of managing that risk. It also exposes you to skills of legal analysis and reasoning.

Elective Units

Applied Portfolio Management
This unit considers the practical issues of money management. It reviews the major trends currently occurring in the funds management industry and the opportunities observed in financial markets.

Balance Sheet Management
Balance Sheet Management addresses strategic issues that are fundamental to the management of a financial institution (FI). Does the FI have a sustainable and cost-effective funding base? What is the role of the Treasury and the Asset/Liability Committee? Is equity capital adequate for the business model? Are the non-traded market risks inherent in our banking products (e.g. deposits, loans) adequately managed and priced? Is the system of transfer pricing and performance measurement within the FI creating the correct signals to help generate an adequate return for risks? The unit is an introduction to the practical management of a financial institution.

Carbon Finance
This unit provides a finance perspective on the economic implications of climate change. There are a broad range of possible government policy responses to climate change mitigation, such as emissions trading, carbon taxes, and energy efficient and renewable energy support mechanisms, and the course outlines how each of these work practically and how they compare internationally.

Corporate Treasury Management
This unit aims to give students an insight into Treasury Management from the viewpoint of the Treasurer. This unit looks at Treasury Management from a strategic rather than tactical point of view.

Credit Portfolio Management
The purpose of this Unit is for Students to gain a working knowledge of credit risk management and credit models, with associated applications.

Debt Capital Markets
This unit applies the principles outlined in the first year subjects (Financial Instruments and Investments) to the process of debt capital raising in Australian, US and Asian markets.

Derivatives Valuation
This unit deals with important quantitative issues for derivatives market practitioners. The aim is to extend the Student's understanding of derivatives valuation.

Derivatives Valuation
This unit deals with important quantitative issues for derivatives market practitioners. The aim is to extend the Student's understanding of derivatives valuation.

Enterprise Risk Management (Topics in Risk Management)
Enterprise Risk Management is the process of recognising all the important risks facing an organisation and managing them to be within its risk appetite framework and overall risk strategies.

Equity Capital Markets
This unit will cover core methods for the raising and management of equity capital. In particular, Students can anticipate completing the Unit with a fundamental working practical knowledge of the processes and core theory that is required to conclude a successful IPO or secondary market equity capital raising.

Ethical Risk in Finance
This unit is designed as an introduction to a range of classical and contemporary ethical resources applicable to finance.

Exotic Options
This unit introduces you to the most important and popular types of exotic options.
Average rate options, used extensively in the commodity markets, and barrier options, the most popular exotic in the foreign exchange markets are covered.

Hedge Funds
This unit provides a broad coverage of the hedge fund industry, with an emphasis on investment management.

Individual Research Paper
A Student may submit a Research Paper as an alternative to a Unit-work elective, subject to approval of the Executive Dean. Students complete a Research Paper of about 10,000 words or of similar substance.

Infrastructure and Property
This unit focuses on the principles, issues and documentation involved in structuring and arranging finance for property developments and infrastructure projects.

Interest Rate Portfolio Management
This unit addresses the commercially important problem of interest rate risk management in a portfolio context.

Investment & Credit Analysis (Topics in Corporate Finance)
This unit is designed students interested in analyst roles ranging from equity analysis and credit analysis to, banking or consulting environment.

Mergers & Acquisitions
This unit builds on the introduction to Mergers and Acquisitions in Corporate Finance including discussion of current trends, valuation techniques and regulations on corporate control.

Modelling Market Risk
Quantitative risk modelling is an essential part of modern risk management yet models are often misinterpreted and misused. This unit extends concepts taught in Financial Risk Management and is designed for anyone that uses or produces risk information (not just risk specialists).

Private Equity Investment
This unit uses the principles developed in Corporate Finance in the context of private equity investing.

Private Wealth Management
This unit is aimed at those Students interested in a career in private wealth management ("PWM") who would like a better understanding of the major issues facing private wealth managers and their clients.

Project Analysis & Evaluation
This unit is about making investment decisions that create value for shareholders, by developing skills required in the assessment and valuation of projects, companies or divisions.

Project Finance
This unit examines the business rationale for Project Finance. A risk system is introduced for the identification and systematic allocation of risk in the various approaches to structuring a project financing.

Resources Industry Investment Analysis
This unit considers valuation issues that are unique to the minerals and energy industries. This unit is structured around the value chain from exploration through extraction and to the market, and the methods by which resource companies seek to create shareholder value at all of these stages.

Risk & Portfolio Construction
This unit deals with the identification, measurement and control of various risks within an investment management process.