The Finance specialization is concerned with collecting and analyzing financial information, evaluating alternative courses of action, developing well-supported recommendations, and clearly communicating those recommendations both orally and in writing.

The two analyses emphasized are the financing decision and the investing decision. The financing decision involves choosing the optimal sources and mix of different types of external and internal capital in order to minimize cost subject to risk constraints. The Finance specialization requires a total of four courses, which provide different but related perspectives on the financing function, thus promoting a complete understanding of the financing alternatives available to a firm. The investment decision involves the allocation of capital within a firm to maximize shareholder wealth. Taken together, the four required courses develop a thorough picture of how firms make allocation decisions, from banks deciding which loans to make, to manufacturing firms deciding which plants to build, to investment managers evaluating the attractiveness of securities or projects. The two-course elective option provides students some flexibility within the Finance specialization.