Much of your fundamental knowledge of finance will be built in classrooms as we teach you the mechanics, the logic, and the intuition of finance in the fundamental courses. In the advanced finance courses, we will dig deeper into specific areas of finance, build a deeper logical structure, and construct a more subtle understanding of the issues that arise in finance and business decisions. Not all of what you need to know can be learned in a standard classroom setting. After completing the fundamental and possibly some advanced finance classes, you may consider taking experiential finance courses.
- Venture Lab [FINC915]. This course is offered by the finance department and the Heizer Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital. The course is designed to give students direct exposure to the inner workings of the venture capital industry by placing the student in a venture capital firm for the quarter. It is useful for students without any experience in the venture capital industry or students with experience in the industry but looking for exposure to a new sector of the venture capital industry. Students are expected to work at the firm one to two days a week and work on a project with the sponsor. You do not bid for this class. Instead, you must apply for this class and choose which sponsors you would like to work with. You will be matched based on your preferences and the sponsors' preferences, if feasible. Not all students are placed each quarter. You must complete Finance 2 or Accelerated Corporate Finance before enrolling in Venture Lab.
- Private Equity Lab [FINC939].This course is offered by the finance department and the Heizer Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital. The course is designed to give students direct exposure to the inner workings of the private equity industry by placing the student in a private equity firm for the quarter. It is useful for students without any experience in the private equity industry or students with experience in the industry but looking for exposure to a new sector of the private equity industry. Students are expected to work at the firm one to two days a week and work on a project with the sponsor. You do not bid for this class. Instead, you must apply for this class and choose which sponsors you would like to work with. You will be matched based on your preferences and the sponsors' preferences, if feasible. Not all students are placed each quarter. You must complete Finance 2 or Accelerated Corporate Finance before enrolling in Private Equity Lab.
- Asset Management Practicum [FINC933/934/935/936]. This is a three to four quarter sequence. Students in these courses manage a portion of the Kellogg endowment. These courses will combine investment theory with exposure to leading practitioners. Students will rotate across roles of industry analysts, traders, quantitative analysts, and portfolio managers. You must complete Finance 2 or Accelerated Corporate Finance before taking this sequence. There are also a number of co-requisites that must be completed during the three to four quarter sequence.