Finance University of Saskatchewan

Overview

The Finance MSc program offered by University of Saskatchewan provides students with a theoretical background in contemporary financial issues and incorporates a strong foundation in empirical methods. Throughout the program, students have the opportunity to question and understand current financial literature and practices, engage with devoted and knowledgeable faculty and staff, and participate in various special guest lecturers and presentations.

Due to the research intensive nature of the program and individual faculty supervision at the thesis stage, applicants are carefully adjudicated and enrolment is limited. Only a handful of universities across North American offer programs that have a similar research focus at the Master’s level. The degree can be used as a platform for students who wish to pursue a Ph.D. and it equips students with a competitive advantage in jobs that have a significant research component.

Thesis

What makes the MSc degree at the University of Saskatchewan unique compared to other MSc in finance programs is the requirement of students to perform original research which they must defend before an examination committee. 

During the thesis component of the M.Sc. in Finance program the student will develop, under the supervision of an academic advisor, a research project consisting of the following three distinct stages:

• The identification, in conjunction with the academic supervisor, of an appropriate thesis topic and the completion of an oral proposal defense,
• The development and completion of the written thesis project involving regular interaction with the thesis supervisor, and
• A final defense of the thesis.

Successful completion of the final defense will require that the research project be completed to the satisfaction of the student's supervisory committee which, in most cases, will consist of the academic supervisor as the chairman, two other faculty members from within the department, and an external examiner selected from outside the department.

The transition from coursework to thesis is often the most difficult stage in the program as students may have difficulty in determining a topic that is appropriate for the thesis. Faculty will often have ideas that may be used as thesis topics. Students are therefore encouraged to familiarize themselves with the faculty and the research that is being conducted by them. To facilitate this process, brief faculty-student meetings will be arranged as required to determine the compatibility of students’ ideas and faculty research.