A modern finance curriculum
MF students gain practical, real-world experience through a rigorous, modern curriculum that integrates team-based learning, small classes, and hands-on problem solving, including real-time analysis using Bloomberg terminals.
Choose Your Path
The Alternative Investments Track prepares graduate students for careers in investment management and asset allocation beyond traditional stocks and bonds. The curriculum emphasizes hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, and real estate, giving students a deep understanding of how alternative assets are structured, valued, and managed across market cycles. Students develop skills in performance evaluation, risk management, and portfolio construction. Graduates are well prepared for a variety of roles on the buy and sell side, including investment management firms and investment banks, as well as for advisory functions in the rapidly growing alternative investments space.
The Financial Analyst Track prepares graduate students for analytical roles across the financial services industry, including banking, insurance, asset management, and corporate finance. Students develop a strong foundation in valuation and risk assessment in equity, fixed income, and derivative markets. The track equips students with the quantitative, technical, and communication skills necessary in a rapidly evolving financial landscape. It prepares students for a financial analyst role in a variety of settings, such as corporate finance, investment banking, equity research, and risk management.
Academic Partnerships
Isenberg's academic partnerships extend the MF experience beyond the classroom, creating access to industry thought leaders and executives, conferences, research opportunities, and more. Students also have access to unparalleled resources including multiple Bloomberg terminals, the Morningstar CISDM Hedge Fund/CTA database, CRSP database for historical stock prices, Compustat, OptionMetrics, Morningstar Direct, and Thomson Financials 13F institutional holdings data.
Isenberg houses the Center for International Securities and Derivatives Markets (CISDM). CISDM places the school at the forefront of academic institutions that conduct research into derivatives, alternative investments, and asset and risk management and promotes interactions between the academic and business communities. Through CISDM, students gain access to thought leaders and top executives in the field as well as to the Morningstar CISDM Database. Students also have the opportunity to collaborate directly on financial markets research.
The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association (CAIA) sponsors the CAIA Charter, an internationally recognized alternative investments credential, as well as continuing education and professional events worldwide. Isenberg is one of only 20 CAIA academic partners and the only one to offer this specialized master's degree. CAIA’s textbooks were co-authored by Isenberg Professor Hossein Kazemi, and he and Dr. Keith Black, Managing Director of the CAIA Association, will be teaching two courses in the program. MF graduates interested in CAIA certification will be able to skip the Level I Exam and the association will have 10 scholarships available for students taking Level II.
The Journal of Alternative Investments (JAI) provides its readers with innovative research, practical tools, and expert analysis on managing investments in hedge funds, private equity, distressed debt, commodities and futures, energy, funds of funds, and other nontraditional assets. Housed at Isenberg, JAI is the official publication of the CAIA Association, and its editors include Isenberg Professors Hossein Kazemi, Bing Liang, and Mila Getmansky Sherman. MF students will benefit from exposure to the most current research in alternative investments as well as from the editors’ resources and connections in the asset management profession.
Students can access a wealth of resources through the CFA Institute to support their academic and professional development, ideal for building a strong base in ethical and professional standards. Students can also explore curated research, financial publications like the Financial Analysts Journal, and a global network of industry professionals through local CFA Societies. Career tools, webinars, and internship opportunities round out a robust suite of offerings designed to prepare MF students for success in the finance industry.
The CQF Institute supports MF students with a strong focus on quantitative finance, data science, and machine learning. Membership is free and provides access to a wide range of resources, including exclusive webinars, masterclasses, industry research, and thought leadership from leading quant practitioners. Members can also explore a library of technical content, career development tools, and networking opportunities within a global community of finance professionals. It's an excellent resource for anyone looking to deepen their expertise in quantitative and financial engineering fields.
4+1 Master's Degrees
Undergraduate students at UMass Amherst and other colleges in the Five College Consortium can pursue a 4+1 option, completing their undergraduate degree and their master's degree in 5 years. Isenberg's Master of Finance, Master of Science in Accounting, and Master of Science in Business Analytics all offer this option.
For UMass Amherst students, the 4+1 option can also be accelerated, allowing students to complete both their undergraduate and master's degrees in fewer than 5 years.
Interested students should apply to a master's degree program in their junior year or early in their senior year.
MF Faculty
Apply Now
Follow our step-by-step process to complete your online application.
- Review the program specific admissions requirements.
- Click Apply Now to go to the University's Graduate School site where you can find a link to the secure online application.
- First-time users will need to create an account to start a new application. Note: You can submit your application before you have all your materials ready, simply save and resume your application as you gather required materials.
- After submitting, track your application at the Graduate School Status of Application page.