Semester program

Diploma in Financial Management

Discover the Swiss finance ecosystems

An in-depth understanding of financial topics is an important prerequisite for a successful professional career and admission to business courses at universities.

This semester program is designed for undergraduate students and introduces the basic concepts and models of modern financial theories via lectures, texts and case studies, and company visits.

You will learn how assets and companies are valuated. Projections of future cash flows, capital budgeting, the trade-off between risk and return, risk management, and the valuation of securities are further courses offered in this program. Practical work close to life in corporations is an important part of the program.

This program is exceptional for people who want to learn more about finance

Erick Mauricio Serrano

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Program prospects

Students of the Diploma of Financial Management will be able to understand and apply financial management principles to investment strategies and securities valuation, estimate the cost of capital and risk assessment, construct an investment portfolio, illustrate how derivative instruments can be used to manage risk and explain the role of financial institutions. Students will strengthen their reflections on the intercultural challenges related to the Swiss finance system and learn more about finance ecosystems from Switzerland.

This international focus is strongly supported by the close partnerships we maintain with academic partners, start-ups, SMEs and multinational companies from several continents.

Admission

This program focuses on undergraduate students with excellent academic achievement.

Previous knowledge of finance is necessary to follow this program.
English Skills at B2 European level or higher are essential.

Credit points

The Program is made up of six modules, an applied finance project and a “French as a foreign language” option. It is an excellent opportunity for you to certify your knowledge.

It is built on 30 ECTS and takes place every Spring semester in Fribourg, Switzerland.

At a glance

Degree awarded

Diploma in Financial Management

ECTS Credits

Up to 30 ECTS

Study duration

One semester

Study start

Fall: September 2024 - Spring: February 2025

Study language

English

Enrollment information

Enrollment is closed, the next program starts in September 2025.

Fees

Please contact our International Office for more information

Place of study

HEG-FR/HSW-FR (Fribourg, Switzerland)

Hear directly from our students! Discover how the Diploma of Financial Management has transformed their careers, boosted their skills, and opened doors to new opportunities. Ready to find out what makes this program so impactful?

Diploma Financial management

Modules and course structure

Applied Corporate Finance (5 ECTS) - Fall Semester

This module teaches basic concepts, such as the time value of money; corporate governance and capital structure. Besides investment planning, students will also study cost of capital estimation, cash flow calculation and financial projections; Budgeting and investment decisions. They will also look at mergers and acquisitions; Real options; Takeover process and bidding strategies; Structuring and financing a transaction.

Applied Innovation and Market Experimentation (2.5 ECTS) - Fall Semester

A practice-oriented course with real-world economic and societal examples. Over the course of 6 days, participants will work on challenges/ideas of their choice, learning various innovation methods to guide them from problem identification, exploration, and validation to a genuine solution approach. The course provides all participants with the opportunity to focus on innovating, challenging, advancing, and implementing their ideas collaboratively.
Utilizing the Design Thinking method, participants will craft initial solution approaches, placing a central emphasis on customer benefits and prompt implementation.

Fintech and Blockchain (5 ECTS)- Fall Semester

The courses in Fintech cover a range of topics related to finance and digitalization. They explore the impact of mobile technology, big data, cloud computing, and peer-to-peer exchange on traditional financing options. The courses also focus on sharing economies and the example of robo advisors. Additionally, the courses introduce blockchain and cryptocurrencies, discussing the role of money and providing an understanding of legal frameworks and the associated risks. The aim is to build competences for creating new business models that leverage the advantages of blockchain while being aware of its limits

Corporate Risk management (2.5 ECTS)- Fall Semester

The Corporate Risk Management course provides an in-depth understanding of risk management concepts, approaches, methods, and techniques. Students will learn to apply these fundamentals in real-world organizational settings, mastering the skills to set corporate objectives, identify and analyze risks using both quantitative and qualitative methods, and make critical decisions under pressure. This dynamic and demanding course is ideal for those aspiring to leadership roles, entrepreneurial endeavors, or enhancing their decision-making expertise.

User Experience Design (2.5 ECTS)- Fall Semester

The course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of user-centered design and the importance of delivering high-quality digital customer experiences. Throughout the course, students will learn about the principles and practices of UXD, including user engagement, product, service and behavior design, and the calculation of user engagement metrics. The course will also address the importance of user engagement ethics in the design process.

Digital leadership (5 ECTS)- Fall Semester

Digital Leadership is a course designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge to effectively lead in the digital age. The course covers topics related to digital transformation, including the digital economy and society, ecosystems, change management, and the future of work. Students will explore the ethical and social impacts of digital technologies, as well as the challenges for strategic management. The course emphasizes the importance of leadership in the digital age and equips students with the tools and strategies to lead effectively in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Systems Thinking, Loop Approach and Complexity-Management (2.5 ECTS)- Fall Semester

Distinguish between complicated and complex systems and gain ability to be a leader in complex situations or projects. We discuss strategies and pattern of complexity, learn methods to describe and steer complex systems. Inputs out of latest research and publications, learn to use online-tools, simulation, cross-impact-analyze - develop systems thinking to be successful in complex challenges: become an agile Leader.

Financial Valuation and Investment Strategy (5 ECTS) - Spring Semester

This course will provide students with the necessary tools to formulate an investment strategy, to determine an investment approach and to evaluate the different possibilities of implementing the investments. Before addressing these important questions, the class will first review the main risk characteristic of traditional individual investments like bonds and equities. The orientation of this course aims to be resolutely practical. About 50% will be dedicated to practical exercises, realized by means of Excel.

Applied finance project (5 ECTS) - Spring Semester

The main objective of this team project work is to write a report on a specific topic in applied finance: 1/3 of the work will be developing the theory and the methodology: 2/3 of the work will be an application of real information/ data. The report will be read by at least 2 professors of the school and students will present their findings.

Intercultural Management (5 ECTS) - Spring Semester

This course addresses different work-related situations where cultural differences play an important role: negotiation, marketing, human resources recruitment and management, working abroad, organization settings, mergers and acquisitions. By addressing these different aspects, this course will enable students to acquire essential skills to operate in a global world.

Portfolio Management and Derivatives (5 ECTS) - Spring Semester

This course provides an introduction to Financial Markets and Financial Assets. Students will study financial markets, portfolio construction criteria, market efficiency and asset pricing models to be able to apply various concepts, method and tools related to investment products and portfolio management Furthermore, we will look at derivatives and how it’s used in formulating investment strategies and hedging policies; futures and forwards stocks, futures valuation and cost of carry model are also analyzed.

Ethics & Enterprise (2.5 ECTS) - Spring Semester

Companies today are facing ever more important ethical challenges This module teaches students to recognize ethical issues, develop an ethical solution framework and design ethical processes. It also looks at how students can implement ethical values (trust, fairness, diversity, respect of human rights in the supply chain) in management, HR or marketing and to prevent any type of discrimination or conflict of interest in the workplace.

Data Science for Business Intelligence (2.5 ECTS)- Spring Semester

This course introduces students to the data science process and its relevance in the business world, focusing on the impact of Big Data on the future of business. Students will learn to evaluate and compare models using appropriate fit measures and will gain practical experience in data modeling and machine learning-based analytics using RapidMiner Studio, all without the need for coding. The course combines video lectures, interactive quizzes, and hands-on sessions with additional multimedia resources to enhance learning.

Banking and Insurance (5 ECTS)- Spring Semester

This course provides an introduction to the principles of banking. It examines the issues that come under the broad heading of principles of banking. First, it explains the key economic reasons used to justify the existence of financial intermediaries (and specifically banks). Second, it presents the typical financial structure of the latter, the different markets, products and business models. It also investigates the special nature of banking.

Application for: Diploma in Financial Management

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Application deadline: May 1st, 2025 for Non‐EU/ EFTA Nationalities - June 1, 2025 for EU/ EFTA Nationalities / October 15, 2024 for Non‐EU/ EFTA Nationalities- November 15, 2024 for EU - EFTA Nationalities