Financing Management

Program Information

VIAST Financial Management is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of graduate students seeking leadership responsibilities in the area of finance and to improve their social and methodological competencies. Students in the programme strive for an internationally recognised degree and a managerial position in finance or business. Graduates from all disciplines can enrol to the PgD programme Financial Management after having acquired at least two years of relevant work experience.

The programme is internationally oriented and especially geared to the needs of foreign students. Cross-cultural, international learning environment. If you are interested in general management and finance, have an entrepreneurial spirit, and are globally-minded and ambitious, our MBA programme Financial Management could be just right for you. As the programme is internationally-oriented, it is primarily geared towards the requirements of graduates from abroad who are interested in promoting their knowledge and skills in the area of finance, management accounting, business strategy, and decision-making techniques, including social competencies and information management tools, necessary for effective management. The goal of the programme is to provide graduates with the set of skills ultimately required for a CFO position.

Programme Objectives

This Financial Management Provides You With:

A Unique, Multidisciplinary and International Programme in which you learn to understand not just a firm's finances, but also how to deal with economic, managerial, regulatory, and reporting issues to maximize enterprise value;

He Latest Economic and Financial Theory and the Hard-Financial Skills to put theory into practice in an increasingly complex world; The Mindset to Understand and Solve Trade-Offs Between Short- and Long-Term Objectives, between shareholders and stakeholders, and between financial and social responsibility;

The core objectives of this programme can be summarized by the five A's of financial management: Attract, Allocate, Administer, Analyze, and Anticipate.

Attract: Attracting money involves key decisions on the source of financing. This programme will provide you with insights into the dynamics of international capital markets and how they can be used to raise capital for everything from start-ups to multinational mega-projects.

Allocate: In today's fast-changing business environment, modern financial managers need a state-of-the-art tool-box to make complex capital budgeting decisions. Which projects in a company should get funding? How much and why? You will analyze how to estimate cash flows, to calculate costs of capital in both domestic and international settings, and to use a real option framework to handle highly uncertain and irreversible investment and allocation decisions.

Analyse: Financial managers need to constantly analyse and monitor the firm with respect to profitability, liquidity and solvency. This involves financial statement analysis and cost calculations. As a financial manager you also need to manage and monitor different risk exposures.

Administer: In support of analytical activities and systems, a financial manager needs several administering activities such as collecting, registering, consolidating and reporting financial data (quarterly and annual reports). Knowledge of financial accounting and expertise in treasury is important here.

Anticipate: An important task of the (chief) financial officer is to anticipate future events and cash flow streams. Cash planning, budgeting, investment planning, and risk assessment are crucial activities in this area.

Career Prospects

Upon completion of the Diploma Financial Management you are prepared for a career in financial management within an SME or multinational organization; or in a consulting firm. Graduates have taken on positions such as: financial trainee, financial management consultant, financial analyst, business consultant, business analyst, business trainee, assistant treasurer, or assistant controller. Although geared toward the financial side of management, this programme also provides a sound basis for more general managerial tasks.

Possible Careers

There is a growing need for well-trained young talent able to see 'the story behind the numbers' in the financial industry. More than ever before, there is a need for clear financial analysis and sound financial advice. Further, the future of economy and finance will be created by professionals who have a firm grasp on the impact their decisions have upon society and the individual. As a graduate of the MSc in Financial Management, you are prepared to take on a wide variety of financial management positions worldwide, functioning at an excellent practical and academic level, and with a broad perspective that takes all stakeholders into account.

Graduates of the Financial Management Have Gone on to Work in a Number of Different Institutions and Sectors Including:

● International banks e.g. World Bank, European Central Bank, Dutch Central Bank;

● Corporate banks e.g. ABN AMRO, HSBC, ING, Rabobank;

● Insurance firms and pension funds (Delta Lloyd, PGGM)

● Financial market regulators (Baffin and AFM)

● Start-ups and venture capital firms;

● Consultancy firms

Towards a Professional Career

Positions in the financial industry held by our graduates include:

(Junior) Consultant Financial Management: as a financial management consultant, you will advise companies on how to set up their financial management practices.

Financial (Management) Trainee: as a financial trainee you will be exposed to all facets of financial management. You produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies to reach long-term (financial) goals. As such, you are at the root of all major business decisions. Eventually, you will choose a specialization in one of the financial management functions at the end of the trainee program.

Financial Analyst: as a financial analyst you perform financial analysis for external or internal clients as a securities analyst, research analyst, equity analyst, investment analyst, or rating analyst.

(Assistant) controller: as a controller you supervise the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organisation, oversee the implementation and monitoring of internal controls, provide management reports on individual and entity performance, and guard the financial health of the organisation.

(Assistant) Treasurer: as a treasurer you are responsible for cash management, financial risk management (including the use of derivatives), debt management, investment management, and capital structure.

Entry Requirements

● A BSc of a research university in Economics or Economics and Business Economics preferably with some degree of specialisation in Financial Management. The International Office assesses all international credentials according to the credential evaluation criteria of the ENRIC&NARIC (the Austrian Organization for international cooperation in Higher Education), and advises the Admissions Committee on this subject

● A good command of English

● You must have solid and demonstrable knowledge in the following fields:

● Microeconomics

● Mathematics

● Econometrics or Advanced Statistics

● Macroeconomics

● Corporate Finance

We specifically encourage applications from students with a background in the Natural Sciences, Engineering and Mathematics. Other degrees (e.g. Liberal Arts and Sciences) are also welcome to apply provided they have a substantial quantitative element. In all cases students are expected to have knowledge of the fields listed above.

Program Taught In: ENGLISH