Online Master of Science Degree in Financial Analysis
The Master of Science in Financial Analysis (MSFA) online program at the College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company is dedicated to the advanced study of financial analysis and to developing financial analysis professionals through higher learning and quality student experiences, focusing on critical thinking, ethics, and lifelong learning.
The graduate degree program will develop students’ skills as highly competent financial analysis professionals. Students will demonstrate this via mastery of the learning objectives within the program. Instructors will use a variety of assessment strategies to develop student competencies in financial analysis.
College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company’s programs are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Program at a Glance
CFA Institute Affiliate
The College’s Master of Science in Financial Analysis was created with the goal of preparing students to have a deep understanding of financial analysis that is required for the CFA examination process to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charter.
Our graduate program is part of the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program. It is recognized by CFA Institute as embedding at least 70% of the CFA® Program Candidate Body of Knowledge™ (CBOK) from the CFA Program into our curricula.
Kaplan Schweser Review Materials
After students successfully complete fifteen (15) credit hours in the online MSFA program, they will have access to Kaplan Schweser’s CFA Essential Study Package to prepare for the CFA exam.
This access as part of the MSFA program will continue even upon graduation from the master’s program. Graduates of the College’s MSFA program will continue to have access to Kaplan Schweser’s CFA Essential Study Package to support them in pursuing all levels of the CFA exam.
Flexible, Online Format
The MSFA program requires ten (10) courses with a total of thirty (30) credits. Course content is delivered through an innovative and flexible format.
- Courses are accessed through an online format where content and interaction is asynchronous.
- Learning is supported with access to highly credentialed faculty. To augment student learning and success, faculty provide live weekly sessions for office hours, problem solving, and support.
With this flexible format you can complete the MSFA in under two years, on a part-time basis.
Stackable Credit
If you hold a financial designation or license, or have successfully completed certain courses at the College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan company, you may qualify for prior learning credit toward our Master of Science in Financial Analysis (MSFA) program.
Financial Analysis Program Details
Program Curriculum
As students concurrently earn a master’s degree, each course in our online MSFA program was created with the goal of preparing students to have a deep understanding of financial analysis that is required for the CFA examination process to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charter.
Our graduate program is part of the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program. It is recognized by CFA Institute as embedding at least 70% of the CFA® Program Candidate Body of Knowledge™ (CBOK) from the CFA Program into our curricula.
Through a combination of theory and practice, students will study:
- Economic analysis utilized in investment decision making
- Financial statement analysis
- Quantitative methods and analysis beneficial to financial analysis
- The investment environment including financial markets, institutions, and the investing process
- Corporate finance
- Security analysis and valuation
- Alternative investments, derivatives, and risk management
- Advanced portfolio management
- Professional standards and ethics in the investments industry
Required Courses for the MSFA Program
The MSFA program requires ten (10) courses with a total of thirty (30) credits, which include:
3 credits
Prerequisite(s): None
This course studies the financial system including financial institutions, instruments and markets. Topical coverage includes time-value-of-money, diversification, risk and return characteristics of securities, bonds, bond features, bond pricing, stocks, market efficiency, interest rate determination, and the term structure of interest rates.
3 credits
Prerequisite(s): None
This course covers the fundamentals of quantitative concepts and techniques including descriptive statistics, probability distributions, sampling, hypothesis testing, correlation analysis, linear regression, and time-series models.
3 credits
Prerequisite(s): None
This course explores economic issues relevant to financial analysis and investments. Topics include supply and demand, industry structure, central banking and monetary policy, fiscal policy and taxation, economic growth, interest rate determination, inflation, international trade, currency exchange, and economic decision-making.
3 credits
Prerequisite(s): None
This course covers financial statement analysis starting with the origin of financial data and uses of financial reporting. Topical coverage includes revenue recognition and income determination with in depth analysis of the income statement. Coverage also includes applied financial statement investigation including cause-of-change, common-size, and trend analyses.
3 credits
Prerequisite(s): ACCT545
Building on financial statement analysis tools and techniques covered in ACCT545, this course will provide advanced analysis of the asset side of the balance sheet, including receivables, inventory and long-lived assets. Additional coverage includes using financial information in making decisions associated with credit analysis, contracting and valuation. In depth study of the sources and uses of cash, as identified in the statement of cash flows (operations, investing, and financing).
3 credits
Prerequisite(s): ACCT545, ACCT550, ECON535, FINA515, and FINA525
This course covers the advanced analysis of equity and debt securities including the valuation of common stock, preferred stock, and various types of fixed-income instruments. In regard to common stock, coverage includes valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis, price multiples, and the residual income model. Bond features and characteristics including time-to-maturity, types of coupons, callability, and conversions are covered. Relevant topics include investing strategies, duration, convexity and risks relevant to securities, including default, credit, interest rate and reinvestment risk. Additional coverage includes behavioral finance, technical analysis, and the efficient market hypothesis.
3 credits
Prerequisite(s): ACCT545, ACCT550, FINA515, FINA525, and ECON535
This course examines the financial structure of corporations with an emphasis on understanding financial statements, time-value-of-money, cash flows, working capital management, capital structure, financing decisions, cost of capital, and capital budgeting techniques.
3 credits
Prerequisite(s): ACCT545, ACCT550, ECON535, FINA515, FINA525, and FINA565
This course explores derivatives, alternative investments and alternative investment strategies. The course covers the mechanics and markets for options, forward and futures contracts. forward and futures pricing, equity options and interest rate derivatives. Additionally, it covers alternative investments and alternative strategies including the use of derivatives in these strategies. Learners will be introduced to hedge funds, real assets, private capital, liquid alternatives and the use of derivatives and alternative investments in portfolio management.
3 credits
Prerequisite(s): ACCT545, ACCT550, ECON535, FINA515, FINA525, and FINA565
This course studies portfolio construction with a focus on asset allocation and diversification. Additional topics include assessing risk-adjusted performance of portfolios, security selection, performance measurement, and evaluation. The course involves an applied perspective of the money manager, including the development of the investor policy statement and understanding objectives and constraints of different types of investors (individual, institutional, et al).
3 credits
Prerequisite(s): All prior MSFA courses
This course provides comprehensive coverage of CFA Institutes Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct and builds on the learning outcomes embedded throughout the MSFA curriculum through two related components. One component involves a series of short, applied problem sets in CFA examination format focused on economic analysis, quantitative methods, financial statement analysis, corporate finance, fixed income analysis, portfolio management and ethics. The second component is a multi-part case-study developed throughout the course focused on advanced economic analysis, equity analysis, risk analysis and valuation.
Course Sessions
We offer multiple start dates to give you flexibility as you pursue your Master of Science in Financial Analysis online.
- Courses are 8 weeks long.
- A minimum of 135 hours of study per course is recommended (approximately 17 hours per week).
Registration for classes opens approximately 5 weeks prior to class start dates.
Academic Calendar (2024-2025)
| 2024 Fall Term I | 2024 Fall Term II | 2025 Spring Term I | 2025 Spring Term II | 2025 Summer | |
| Starts On | Aug 12, 2024 | Oct 21, 2024 | Jan 13, 2025 | March 24, 2025 | June 2, 2025 |
| (Term dates) | (8/12/24 to 10/6/24) | (10/21/24 to 12/15/24) | (1/13/25 to 3/9/25) | (3/24/25 to 5/18/25) | (6/2/25 to 7/27/25) |
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Tuition and Fees
Application Fee: $35
Tuition: $1,750 per course (10 courses are required) or $17,500 for the entire degree tuition.
Books, materials, software, and publisher access is additional.
Career Opportunities in Financial Analysis
Upon successful completion of the online MSFA program, graduates will gain important knowledge and skills and be well positioned for the field of Financial Analysis. As indicated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook for Financial Analysts, the occupation is expected to grow faster than the average over the next decade.*
The MSFA’s curriculum and learning outcomes are valued by various types of employers including:
- Institutional investment firms, mutual funds and money managers
- Retirement plans and pensions
- Retail brokerage and financial planning
- Insurance companies
- Commercial banks’ trust and wealth management departments
- Various non-financial industries that have financial analysis functions within their operating structure
*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Financial Analysts, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/financial-analysts.htm. National long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions, and do not guarantee actual job growth.
For more information on the Master of Science Degree in Financial Analysis, fill out the form below
Application Process
- Submit a completed Graduate Degree Application with non-refundable application fee
- Order official transcripts directly from the college/university where the undergraduate degree was earned and have it sent directly to the Registrar’s Office. Transcripts submitted to the College from the student will not be accepted.
College for Financial Planning
Attn: Office of the Registrar
9000 E. Nichols Ave Suite 200
Centennial, CO 80112
Registrar@cffp.edu
Please note:
M.S. in Financial Analysis: A Path To a Graduate Degree + CFA Charter
In this webinar faculty of the College for Financial Planning®—a Kaplan Company’s Financial Analysis department you explore our online graduate program.
Admissions Requirements
Prospective students for the Master of Science in Financial Analysis degree program at the College for Financial Planning are required to meet the following minimum requirements:
Full Acceptance
Must meet one of the following requirements
(A, B, C, D, or E)
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Commission on Higher Education (NSCHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Commission on Higher Education (NSCHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Commission on Higher Education (NSCHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Commission on Higher Education (NSCHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
- An official transcript evaluation from a NACES member is required to confirm equivalency
- Cumulative GPA must be 3.00 or higher in any major, or
- Cumulative GPA must be 2.50 or higher if major was accounting, economics, engineering, finance, mathematics, or statistics
Conditional Acceptance
Must meet one of the following requirements
(A, B, or C):
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Commission on Higher Education (NSCHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- New England Commission on Higher Education (NSCHE)
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
- An official transcript evaluation from a NACES member is required to confirm equivalency
Frequently Asked Questions about the
Master of Science Degree in Financial Analysis
To apply for admission to the programs, you will need to:
- Complete and submit the application at https://www.kaplanfinancial.com/wealth-management/masters-program/application.
- Pay the application fee.
- Request official transcripts for prior learning from the college/university to be sent directly to the Registrar’s Office.
There are five Master of Science Degree Program course sessions held each year. Classes begin roughly every 10 weeks. The classes last for eight weeks each, and there is a two-week break between classes.
Students currently enrolled in a program offered by the College for Financial Planning® - a Kaplan Company can view academic policies in our College Catalog.
The Master of Science Degree in Financial Analysis is an accredited program by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Full details can be found on the HLC website.
Refunds are calculated for students in accordance with the refund policy. The full program policy can be found in our College Catalog.
Students who have previously completed graduate-level coursework may be eligible to apply those credits to the Master of Science in Financial Analysis degree program. For more information on transfer credit please view our College Catalog.