This course explores the basic types of derivative instruments (forwards, futures, options, swaps) and their use in the context of financial risk management by investors, firms and financial institutions. Topics include the mechanics of derivatives markets, practical and theoretical aspects of hedging and speculating using derivatives, and methodologies for pricing derivatives.

This course serves as an introduction to many aspects of big data utilization, specifically as it applies to finance. Topics typically include high frequency trading, stock market anomalies, data management, fintech innovations, and safety and ethics when working with big data. Programming languages common to finance, such as Stata, SAS, and Python, are learned and used to analyze and manipulate data.

This course is designed to establish an advanced competence in auditing theory and practice. Specifically, students will gain an in-depth understanding of current academic auditing research and the philosophy of strategic-systems auditing through readings, presentations, case studies, and a service learning project with a local non-profit organization.

The objective of this course is to study the role of accounting information both in a decision-making and in a performance-evaluation context. This objective will be achieved by studying various accounting theories and the role that research has played in developing and testing those theories.