MSFERM

UConn ups business on the syllabus

Posted on by Brian Kelleher

“In a lightning-fast economy, universities must constantly adapt to the shifting job market by adding and subtracting courses, instructors and professional degrees, all while maintaining budget. Over the past several years, The University of Connecticut in Stamford has been responding to the job market by expanding its business school programs and strengthening its ties with the business community…

UConn Business School Executive Director Jud Saviskas said there’s been a definitive growth in the college and the business community plays a big role in providing direct input into that growth. Three new business programs have emerged in just four years

Four years ago, the business school launched a master’s degree program in financial risk management. Last fall, it started an undergraduate financial management program.

The one-year graduate program in financial risk management, which is offered in both the Hartford and Stamford campuses, grew from 23 students total in 2010 to 86 students [in Fall 2012]. The enrollment number is expected to reach 140 this fall.”

The full article  from insurancenewsnet.com, written by Crystal Kang (May 19, 2014) may be found here.

 

Domestic Students Now Allowed Part-Time Option

Posted on by Brian Kelleher

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Important Change for Domestic Students

(Effective Immediately)

The MsFRM program now allows domestic students both full-time and part-time options.  The course sequence under the full time option is as follows:

Full-Time Option

  • Fall I – 2 courses                                                                   
  • Spring I – 3 courses
  • Summer I – 3 courses
  • Fall II – take 3 courses

Total – 11 courses (33 credits)

Graduation in the December of following year.

All course are lock-step and must be taken in sequence

Part-Time Option

 Under the part-time option, students are allowed the maximum possible flexibility to take as many or few courses as they wish every semester.  However, courses are still lock-step and part-time students must wait until the course is offered again next academic year.

A suggested sequence of courses for part-time students is as follows:

  •  Fall I – 2 courses                                                                   
  • Spring I – any 2 courses (should take Fin Modeling II)
  • Summer I – any 2 courses (should take Fin Modeling III)
  • Fall II – 3 courses
  • Spring II – 1 remaining course from Spring I
  • Summer II – 1 remaining course from Summer I

Total – 11 courses (33 credits)

Graduation in the May of second year.

All course are lock-step and must be taken in sequence

Under the above Part Time scheme, part-time students will graduate in May of second year.

However, the program allows the students the maximum possible flexibility to choose as many or few courses as the part-time student wishes, subject to the following caveats:

  1. Domestic students will be allowed to take as many (not exceeding 3) or as few (including not taking any course) courses they choose during each semester.
  2. All domestic students are strongly advised to take at least one course each semester.
  3. All domestic students are strongly advised to take the Financial Modeling course sequence before they take the Financial Risk Management sequence, to the extent possible.
  4. Domestic students must finish the experiential learning project with the group to which he/she is assigned.
  5. All domestic students are strongly advised to finish the program within 2 years.
  6. All domestic students must finish the program (33 credits for the 15 month, 42 credits for the 20-month program) within 3 years from starting the program.

***Important – Students need to take a certain number of credits to be eligible for financial aid and to not have to repay loans.  Students should be careful about their funding availability if they choose to take less credits per semester.  Students are responsible to check with Financial Aid Office regarding this issue.

The part-time option is available to all domestic students with immediate effect, meaning current domestic students can take advantage of this change from this summer.  Please also note that the current students choosing the part-time option will have to wait until next year when the same courses will be offered again, unless the course sequence is changed in which case they will be informed immediately.

MSFRM 3rd Annual Risk Management Conference, “The many faces of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)”, March 20, 2015

Posted on by Brian Kelleher

Save the date:

The MSFRM Program will be hosting its 3rd Annual Risk Management Conference on March 20, 2015 entitled “of “The many faces of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)”.  More details will be posted to the MSFRM website as soon as they are available.

MSFRM Students Take 3rd Place in Prestigious Rotman Trading Competition

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Marking its first time participating in the Rotman International Trading Competition (RITC)–a very prominent, well-established global competition–the UConn team captured third place in the Quantitative Outcry Case.

Making up UConn’s team were MSFRM students Brian Asselin, Chad Belanger, Matt Dyer, and Tejas Patel. Continue Reading

FRM Introduces New 5th Semester Option

Posted on by Brian Kelleher

We are excited to offer a new full semester of three 3-credit courses for the incoming and current cohort. This semester will include two courses on advanced and quantitative applications in Financial Modelling and Financial Engineering and a comprehensive course on Enterprise Risk management (ERM).  This change will extend our 15 month program to 19 months.  The students choosing this option will graduate in May rather than in December.

Additional 5th Semester
Spring (2)

  • Programming and Modelling for Financial Analysis: This course focuses on the use of VBA in EXCEL, MATLAB, and SAS for financial modeling. With VBA, tudents will learn advanced materials such as Excel object programming, Database operations, file operations, graphical user interface design, bject-oriented programming, add-in, reports, and automation as well. Students will learn modeling techniques such as regression analysis, Monte-Carlo simulation, binomial trees, optimization, linear and non-linear programming, and data envelopment analysis and apply these in financial contexts such as portfolio optimization, credit risk, option pricing, capital budgeting, etc.
  • Advanced Analytical Applications in Risk Management:  This course will use datasets and software including Bloomberg, Matlab, EViews, Risk Metrics and others to train students in advanced applications of Risk Management models.
  • Seminar on Enterprise Risk Management (ERM):  This seminar course will introduce students to the current status of ERM.  Various risks faced by multinationals including Operational Risk, Geopolitical Risk, Supply Chain Risk, Cyber Risk.  The course will include the role of communication and ethical considerations in RM. 

MSFRM Receives STEM Designation

Posted on by Brian Kelleher

The State of Connecticut’s Office of Higher Education recently granted STEM designation for UConn’s MS degree in Financial Risk Management (MSFRM). Under the new STEM classification, MSFRM international students can now qualify for a 17-month OPT (Optional Practical Training) Extension making it a full 29 months of OPT.

MSFRM joins MS in Business Analytics & Project Management as the only two programs in the School of Business to receive STEM designation.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields are essential to U.S. economic competitiveness and growth. Over the last several decades the country has experienced a significant shortage of qualified workers for employment in STEM fields. Increasingly, businesses have to hire international workers to meet their needs. Therefore, STEM designated educational programs make it possible for international graduates to remain stateside longer to not only establish their careers but also to help meet the demand for STEM-educated professionals.

UConn’s STEM designated programs, and their related initiatives, also play an important role in Next Generation CT, state legislation passed into law and signed by the governor, that will invest over $1.5 billion dollars in UConn over the next 10 years.

“Recruiting the best and brightest international students to our program and then enabling them to successfully begin their professional careers is an important part of our educational mission,” said Professor Chinmoy Ghosh, head of the Finance Department and director of the MSFRM program. “Furthermore, providing a sufficient and qualified pipeline of talent for the nation’s economy is core to our service mission as a public institution.”

Under the traditional OPT program, international students who graduate from colleges and universities in the U.S. are able to remain in the country and receive training through work experience for up to 12 months. Students who graduate from a designated STEM degree program can remain for an additional 17 months on an OPT STEM Extension.

“Undeniably, international students bring valuable contributions to our programs and classrooms,” adds Jud Saviskas, executive director of the School of Business in Stamford. “STEM designation now allows these highly skilled foreign graduates to extend their post-graduate training, establish their careers, and enhance the U.S. economy.”

1st Annual Risk Management Academic Conference

Posted on by Melissa Ferrigno

The Master of Science in Financial Risk Management (MSFRM) Program at the University of Connecticut will host the First Annual Academic Conference on Risk Management at Storrs, Connecticut on May 30, 2014.

Date & Time

  • May 30, 2014 (Friday)
  • 9am-5pm

Program Committee

  • Chinmoy Ghosh
  • Chanatip Kitwiwattanachai
  • Efdal Misirli

Purpose

The purpose of this conference is to bring together academic researchers at the frontier of risk management and investments. This year’s conference program includes empirical perspectives on credit contagion, hedge fund investment, fire sales, market efficiency, mutual fund investment and media visibility in financial markets, central bank borrowing and risk shifting by banks in Europe.

Invitation

The Finance Department at the UCONN School of Business organizes this conference for the first time this year, and we would like to make it an annual event where prominent scholars and active young researchers present their work and receive valuable feedback. We will be happy if you can join our conference in its inaugural run.

Presenters

1. Jean Helwege, J. Henry Fellers Professor of Business Administration at the University of South Carolina, “Do Hedge Fund Fire Sales Disrupt the Stock Market?”  (9:00 – 9:50 am)

Discussant: Namho Kang (University of Connecticut)   (9:50 – 10:05 am)

Audience Q&A. (10:05 – 10:15 am)

 

2. Jennie Bai, Assistant Professor of Finance at Georgetown University, “Non-committable Channel for Credit Contagion”.  (10:15 – 11:05 am)

Discussant: Chanatip Kitwiwattanachai (University of Connecticut).  (11:05 – 11:20 am)

Audience Q&A. (11:20 – 11:30 am)

 

Lunch & Remarks from Dean John Elliot (11:30 am – 1:00 pm)

 

3. Ron Kaniel, Professor of Finance, University of Rochester, “Making the list – the impact of WSJ fund rankings on consumer investment decisions”,  (1:00 – 1:50 pm)

Discussant: Jonathan Reuter (Boston College, NBER). (1:50 – 2:05 pm)

Audience Q&A. (2:05 – 2:15 pm)

 

4. Bing Liang, Professor of Finance, University of Massachusetts Amherst, “Hedge Fund Ownership and Stock Market Efficiency” (2:15 – 3:05 pm)

Discussant: Jean Helwege (University of South Carolina). (3:05 – 3:20 pm)

Audience Q&A. (3:20 – 3:30 pm)

 

Coffee Break (3:30 – 3:45 pm)

 

5. Phillip Schnabl, Assistant Professor of Finance, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Kaufman Management Center, NYU “Who Borrows from the Lender of Last Resort?”. (3:45 – 4:35 pm)

Discussant: Jennie Bai (Georgetown University) (4:35 – 4:50 pm)

Audience Q&A. (4:50 – 5:00 pm)

MSFRM Students Das & Li Awarded National Scholarships

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Stamford, Conn. – Only two scholarships awarded annually by the Public Risk Management Assoc.

PRIMA Student ScholarshipsEach year, the national Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA) awards just two scholarships to students enrolled in public policy and public administration programs. For 2014, both scholarship recipients are from UConn’s MS in Financial Risk Management program.

Xinyue Li and Debolina Das, both enrolled in Stamford, were selected for the annual PRIMA Student Scholarship awards for their outstanding academic performance.

“These scholarships not only recognize our students’ academic strengths and their strong commitment to risk management, but also confirm the quality of our MSFRM program,” said Jud Saviskas, executive director of the UConn School of Business in Stamford. “We are very proud of these two students, and they are a shining reflection of our fine program.”

Based in Alexandria, VA, PRIMA exists to promote and advance the profession of public risk, and serves as the primary resource for public risk management educational programs, products and services.

The PRIMA student scholarship covers expenses related to their attendance at PRIMA’s 35th Annual Conference, June 9-11 2014, in Long Beach, California. These expenses include the conference registration, meals, hotel accommodations, and both air and ground transportation.

As a student scholar, each will be paired with a mentor—a PRIMA member who is an experienced risk manager. The mentor will help the students network, gain industry knowledge, and expose them to other learning opportunities before, during, and after the 2014 Annual Conference. The winners will also receive a complimentary one-year student membership in PRIMA.

“Our FRM program has grown nearly five times in the last three years, attracting outstanding students from abroad, and earning the support and recognition from major corporations in the northeast,” added Professor Chinmoy Ghosh, head of the Finance Department and director of the MSFRM program. “These competitive scholarships recognize the academic excellence of our students and highlight our focus and emphasis on research initiatives in Risk Management.”

Pictured: Xinyue Li and Debolina Das, recipients of the 2014 PRIMA Student Scholarship awards

2nd Annual Connecticut Risk Management Conference: Aligning Risk Management with Strategy

Posted on by Claire Hall

The second annual Connecticut Risk Management Conference will be hosted by the UConn School of Business at the Stamford Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut on November 14, 2013. This year’s conference, Aligning Risk Management with Strategy, has been designed to bring together professionals engaged in risk management, senior management, and regulators, as well as faculty members and students in UConn’s MS in Financial Risk Management (MSFRM)* program. Continue Reading