Corporate finance involves the structure of capital and funding sources that ultimately impact the financial health of a firm.

Through the analysis of short and long-term financial objectives, companies need to create strong financial plans to ensure sustained growth. Having a comprehensive grounding in corporate finance will increase your ability to make robust business decisions based on sound financial principles.

This course is divided into two halves. The first half will give you an integrated view of three important asset classes: fixed income securities, stocks and derivatives. Through rigorous engagement with the course material, you will build your knowledge of the key concepts of risk, return, diversification, portfolio theory, market efficiency theory and the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). You will also build an understanding of derivative instruments like forwards, futures, options and swaps, and their practical application in trading.

The second half of the course focuses on corporate finance and will allow you to build your strategic thinking skills in this area. By engaging with the literature, you will understand how firms analyse and decide which investment opportunities they should pursue, as well as the different options for raising the necessary funds to finance those investments.

On completion of the course, you will have a deeper understanding of how firms choose their capital structure, the conflicts between shareholders and debt holders that influence how firms are run, and incentives to adopt riskier strategies as a function of overall leverage.