Curriculum

26th August 2025 - 13th September 2025 

The Pre-Program in Finance (PPF) course is designed specifically to prepare you for the MSc in Finance. It ensures that you have the required knowledge before beginning your MSc in Finance program, helping you maximize your Masters program learning experience by helping you build a strong foundation. The Pre-Program in Finance is offered only to the Masters in Finance students who do not have a background in Management. Students in this situation are required to do the Pre-Program and will be duly notified in their official admissions letter. Only students that have been asked to do the PPF are allowed to do so.

• Module 1: Financial Accounting
• Module 2: Corporate Finance & Financial Economics
• Module 3: Quantitative Methods for Finance

Additionally, Esade offers an up-to-date short course on Quantitative Methods for those students who need to refresh knowledge in mathematics and statistics. Once the students have been accepted and enrolled in the program and once the official welcome has been sent to all of them by email, they will receive an online test for them to solve on a voluntary basis. Students who do not pass the test will be recommended to attend the QM course, again on a voluntary basis. Students who succeed in the test do not need to attend the QM course.

Program Start Date: 15th September 2025

The Esade Welcome Week is designed to help you hit the ground running, right from day one. You'll get to know the Esade management teams, find out how the Masters in Finance fits into the broader context of the business school, and get a full overview of the program's academics and career services. You'll learn what is expected of you and we'll help you make your time at Esade a success by sharing some proven tips and guidelines. Group work is a key element of the Masters program and you'll have the opportunity to get to know the other MSc participants straight away as you begin your journey together.

The Esade Welcome Week is mandatory.

This initial term will broaden your international perspective on issues concerning financial markets and provide you with the tools to devise possible solutions.

The term is made up of five core courses covering a variety of disciplines:

Business in Society (4 ECTS)

• Designed to help students think critically about ethical, social, and environmental issues they might face in the business world. It aims to analyze the role of business in creating a sustainable society and planet, and to understand the impacts of business activities on society.

Corporate Finance (4 ECTS)

• Designed to study the problems of financial decisions in companies over the medium and long term. It aims to prepare students to be financial managers and equip them with the necessary tools to make accurate investment and financing decisions.

Financial Analysis & Reporting (4 ECTS)

• A fundamental course designed to provide students with an understanding of the usefulness of financial reporting and its role in the decision-making process within organizations. It prepares students to understand business strategy and its financial implications, and to analyze basic financial statements through the study of accounting events or simple situations.

Financial Modelling (4 ECTS)

• Intended to guide students through various intermediate methods and techniques of financial modeling, tailored to different contexts. The course aims to provide students with the necessary skills to create and analyze financial models, which are essential for making informed investment and financial decisions.

Investments (4 ECTS)

• Students will acquire the essential knowledge and skills related to investment analysis, portfolio management, and valuation of various financial instruments.

International Study Tours (2024/25)

Experience a different culture during an intensive week abroad at one of the world’s leading universities.

All the destinations are open to all students, have limited spots and may vary from one academic year to the next .

• Los Angeles - USA - UCLA Anderson - Marketing Strategies in a New Digital Era (+)
• Milan - Italy - Bocconi - Italian Fashion & Luxury (+)
• Seoul - South Korea - KUBS - Digital Transformation in Asia (+)
• San Francisco - USA - The Silicon Valley Experience (+)
• CEMS- Singapore - NUS - Doing Business in Asia  (+)
• Sustainability - Spain - Esade - Food, Nature and Supply Chains (+)
• Cape Town - South Africa - University Of Cape Town - Doing Business in Africa (+)
• Bangalore - India - India Institute of Management at Bangalore IIMB - The Science of Data Driven Decision Making (+)
• Toronto - Canada - Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto - New paradigms of finance, threats of opportunities? (+)
• Dubai - Dubai - American University of Dubai - The role of currencies in Finance (+)
• Washington DC - USA - McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University - Public Affairs & International Political Economy (+)
• St Gallen - Switzerland - University of St. Gallen - Investing into capital markets: a global view from a Swiss perspective (+)
• Nagoya - Japan - NUCB Business School - Doing Business in Asia: deep dive into Japanese culture (+)
• Toronto - Canada - Smith School of Business, Queen’s University - Analytics and AI in North America (+)

Places are subject to availability 

 
Intensive courses:

During the Skill Seminar & Study Tours period, you can also course Free and Finance Intensive Electives that will count towards Term 3 credits (14 ECTS). Finance Intensive courses are the following:

• Corporate Restructuring
• Hedge Funds

While all students can opt for all offered Study Tours / Electives if they fulfill prerequisites, they have to enroll through a bidding process where students from certain programs might have preference for courses more relevant to their Master and spaces are limited in each course.

Skill seminars:

• 3D Printing and Rapid Prototyping
• Brand/Communication Immersion Programme, Profession in Action
• Business Storytelling
• Effective Communication in the Virtual Environment
• Emotional Intelligence resources for a successful career
• Empowering Excel
• Gateway seminar: E-Commerce & Technology
• Gateway seminar: Fashion
• Gateway seminar: Sports
• Managing Development in Emerging Countries
• Negotiations in tough environments (Inter-organizational negotiation)
• Phyton for Data Sciences
• R for Data Sciences
• Rhetoric for Public Speech, Persuasion, and Inspiring Others
• Sales/Consulting Immersion Program, Profession in Action
• Stata for Empirical Finance

Specialised courses:

Derivatives (3 ECTS)

• Designed to provide students with a strong understanding of derivative markets, the main types of products traded within them, and the necessary background, both conceptual and technical, to understand the pricing and uses of derivatives.

Fixed Income (3 ECTS)

• Offers students a comprehensive understanding of the fixed income markets, including the major types of products traded within them and the necessary background, both conceptual and technical, to understand the pricing and use of fixed income securities.

Corporate Valuation (3 ECTS)

• Provides a comprehensive understanding of the valuation methods and techniques used to estimate the value of businesses, whether small or large, private or public, in developed or emerging markets. Empowers students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and apply the business valuation process in a variety of business contexts.

Finance Project (3 ECTS)

• A practical activity that allows students to integrate the concepts and tools acquired in other courses of the Master's program. It involves the preparation of a financial report, which has two main parts: financial analysis and valuation.

The Finance Program offers the possibility to focus your education on specific finance areas that will help you to get a deeper knowledge into them. There are 3 itineraries integrated into the regular curriculum, meaning no extra workload, allowing to customize your itinerary during your academic year. The courses will be chosen during the enrollment period.

Track 1: Investment Banking and financial accounting

Learn about the different types of private equity transactions, the M&A process, the role of investment banks in M&A transactions, the structure and operations of multinational corporations, and the key consulting skills required by top consulting firms.

Subject: Key Topics in Financial Accounting

Track 2: Banking and Asset management

Develop the knowledge and skills you need to succeed in these highly competitive fields. Learn about financial markets, investment analysis, portfolio management, risk management, and other essential topics. Network with industry professionals and gain real-world experience

Subject: Asset Pricing

The wide range of electives offered during this term will allow you to tailor the program to your specific career goals.During the Skill Seminars & Study Tours period, you can also course Free and Finance Intensive Electives that will count towards Term 3 credits.

There is a minimum number of compulsory finance electives, each with a strong practical focus. These courses all feature a highly interactive methodology and will be largely based on your own initiative and work.

2024/25 Electives

Electives offering may very from on academic year to the next. The following list are examples of the current offering (2023/24):

Finance Electives:

• Advanced finance modelling
• Asset Management
• Bankruptcy & Restructuring
• Corporate Restructuring
• Fintech: technology innovation in financial services
• Hedge funds
• International Portfolio Management
• Management Accounting for Business Decisions
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Real Estate Finance
• Regulation and Financial Stability
• Sustainable finance
• Venture Capital

Free Electives:

• Advanced Manufacturing & Logistics
• Big Data and Analytics
• Blue Economy
• Business Impact of Life Sciences
• Challenge Based Innovation for Artifical Inteligence (CBI4AI)
• Collective Intelligence: Human + Machine + Business
• Data Science for Sustainable Futures 
• Digital Banking and Digital Currencies
• Digital Product Management
• Family Business Management
• Global Environmental Challenges and the Business Response
• Global Supply Chain
• Global Talent: Managing People in Multinational Corporations
• Industries 4.0 and IoT
• In Search of Principles for a Life Philosophy: Lessons from Art, History, and Economics
• Innovation through Design Thinking
• Introduction to Machine Learning
• Leading with impact: developing your leadership skills, becoming a leader 
• Project Management
• Prototyping with data and AI 
• Re-imagining Capitalism
• Renewable Energy and Decarbonitzation Strategies 
• Social Entrepreneurship and Impact Investment
• Strategic and Business Consulting
• Strategic Key Account Management
• Strategic Management of Disruptive Innovation and Exponential Technologies

You can also opt for intensive electives offered in January (see Personal and Professional Development section) but counting toward Term 3 credits.
 
While all students can opt for all offered Study Tours / Electives if they fulfill prerequisites, they have to enroll through a bidding process where students from certain programs might have preference for courses more relevant to their Master and spaces are limited in each course.

MASTER PROJECT 

You can choose from three different formats:

Master Thesis, aimed at demonstrating your research abilities
Business Plan, aimed at fostering an entrepreneurial spirit
In-Company Project, based on a professional internship

You will receive full support from your tutors, regardless of the format chosen. You will also have to complete a prior preparation session.

MASTERS PROJECT DEFENSE & GRADUATION