If you are interested in financial management or would like to work at one of the world’s large international finance corporations, then UPSA’s MBA in Corporate Finance programme will equip you with the skills to do just that. As a skilled international finance executive, you will find yourself brokering major business deals and working on things like mergers and acquisitions. If this appeals to you, then you’ll need all the skills covered in this MBA’s selection of specialised international finance and management courses. The programme includes specialised courses that will develop the skills of financial managers in any industry. Upon completion of the programme, graduates will have the expertise to raise funds, invest funds, analyse capital structures and business opportunities, implement hedging strategies and develop governance structures. This article covers the benefits of an MBA in finance, answers the question of what you can do with a finance MBA and goes on to detail what is covered in UPSA's fully online programme.

Benefits of an MBA Financial Management / Corporate Finance

This specialised programme will set you up well for a career in international finance. As an MBA graduate, you will be part of an elite international network of business leaders whose skills are well-recognised and in high demand. By integrating finance and economics, the course will prepare graduates for financial management roles in any sector or organisation. As well as being a desirable qualification within the private sector, this will equip you for senior roles within the public sector too. You could also work at the interface between the private and public sectors to promote development and efficiently allocate finances to projects promoting good causes. For example, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) is a private sector division of the World Bank that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in less developed countries to reduce poverty.

What can I do with an MBA Financial Management / Corporate Finance

The MBA in Financial Management / Corporate Finance is a unique programme that has been specifically designed to develop the skills of financial managers in any industry. When thinking of corporate finance and financial management, most of us first think of large finance corporations and investment companies with a very direct focus on profit. It isn’t a field that is usually perceived as being particularly altruistic, like a nurse or a teacher for example. While it is true that most people in this field work for private, for-profit companies, there is also work available in the non-profit sector. As we showed with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, you can certainly use your skills in high finance to improve the lives of poor communities and make a positive impact on the world. Here are some examples of exciting and lucrative jobs in the field of finance that you can do with this specialised postgraduate degree.

Chief financial officer

The term chief financial officer (CFO) refers to a senior executive responsible for managing the financial actions of a company. The CFO’s duties include tracking cash flow and financial planning. They are also responsible for analysing the company's financial strengths and weaknesses and proposing corrective actions. To see what jobs are available for chief financial officers in Ghana you can look at this Google search page and here on LinkedIn. To get an idea of the average salaries earned by chief financial officers in Ghana, you can take a look at these Salaryexplorer, Payscale and Paylab pages here.

Corporate finance manager:

Corporate finance managers are responsible for identifying and securing merger and acquisition deals, managing and investing large monetary funds, and buying and selling financial products. Corporate finance managers handle all aspects of large transactions for a business, including due diligence. To see what jobs are available for corporate finance managers in Ghana, you can look at this Google search page for corporate finance positions, as well as on LinkedIn’s jobs directory and finance directors on ACCA Careers. To get a better idea of the kind of salary you can earn as a finance manager in Ghana, you can visit these SalaryExplorer, Payscale and Paylab pages.

What does a general MBA Financial Management / Corporate Finance cover

All of the MBA online programmes offered by UPSA consist of the same set of core courses, with different combinations of electives to reflect the chosen areas of specialisation. The core courses cover a range of business and management courses to prepare you for a leadership role and to effectively manage the operations and finance of an organisation. The specialisation courses for the Corporate Finance MBA programme include courses to prepare graduates for the world of international banking and finance. They will also be well-prepared for the emerging world of digital finance and be well-equipped to make managerial decisions based on careful analysis.

Core MBA courses:

• Marketing Management
• Financial Management
• Management & Organisational Behaviour
• Economics for Managers
• Management Information Systems
• Accounting for Managers
• Statistics for Decision-Making
• Global Dimension of Business
• Legal Environment of Business
• Business Ethics and Leadership
• Research Methods
• Strategic Management

Specialised courses:

• Contemporary Digital Finance
• Decision Making Tools
• International Finance
• Financial Analysis
• International Banking: Regulation and Supervision
• Corporate Finance

Get started

If furthering your career in financial management appeals to you and you want to learn the latest trends and skills in international finance and economics, then this particular programme’s specialisation is a good fit. Please have a look at the MBA in Financial Management / Corporate Finance page for more details on the courses. If you are not quite sure, you could also consider the MBA in Asset and Wealth Management programme or look at the many other online programmes offered by UPSA. All of UPSA’s MBA programmes are structured to be completed in at least two years. The programme is designed for online learning and caters for those with other work and personal responsibilities. The programme consists of a series of seven-week courses to be completed within at least two years and you only need to pay for one course at a time. To get an idea of what it would cost you, please have a look at the programme fees page. Should you decide to go ahead with it, you can begin your application and start your studies.