Financial Innovation (FIN 555) Recent years have seen the rapid development of the fintech sector, bringing together technology and data, startups and established firms in ways that are likely to shape and disrupt financial markets going forward. This course will involve a mix of lectures, guest speakers, and class discussion of breaking developments and new ventures. Some of the fintech sectors we will discuss include consumer finance, payments, investing and trading, cryptocurrencies and blockchain, and privacy and regulatory concerns. Because of the innovative and rapidly evolving nature of the fintech sector, this class will depend heavily on student engagement and class discussion. Students should be prepared to participate actively, and not just sit and listen to lectures. Each student will participate in two group presentations on the fintech sector, at the middle and end of the semester. A group project is due at the end of the semester, detailing a fintech startup idea, an analysis of an existing fintech business, or an analysis of a fintech sector. Credit is not given for FIN 555 and FIN 580: Section FT2 (72037).

Practicum (FIN 583) A semester-long, typically corporate-sponsored, team project for MSFE and MSF students that is usually completed by the end of the third semester of study. The goals of the Practicum are: a) to use learned or new tools on real world projects of interest to the corporate sponsor; b) to replicate as closely as possible the environment of the working world where students will soon find themselves employed; c) to work cohesively with other members of a team so as to efficiently produce the desired project results; and d) to be able to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences, which may include the sponsor and/or co-workers.