Information
Technology
in Finance
Master Academic Studies –
Information Technology in Finance -
60 ECTS
Title
Information Technology in Finance
Type of Study
Master Academic Studies
Number of ECTS Credits
60
Duration
2 semesters (1 year)
Academic Title
Master Business Informatician
The study program meets high standards of quality set by the Faculty and the educational system in Serbia. It aligns with the requirements of banks and other financial institutions for the education of economists who are equipped to solve complex banking, financial, and other business problems using modern financial information technologies.
COURSES
1. Financial Technologies
Semester: 1, Status: Mandatory, ECTS: 8
The aim of this course is for students to learn the basic elements of financial technologies used for the digital transformation of banking, insurance companies, and other financial institutions. Students will master sophisticated models for making financial decisions, including decisions on investment, financing, and profit and wealth management.
2. Programming
Semester: 1, Status: Mandatory, ECTS: 8
The goal of this course is for students to learn the basic principles of programming, which form the foundation for further programming and design. Students will master the elements of current programming languages, understand their syntax, grasp data types and control structures, learn basic programming techniques and concepts, become proficient in the Python language, and acquire basic skills in writing efficient and readable programs, as well as analyzing existing programs.
3. Elective Block 1 (Choose 1 out of 3)
Semester: 1, Status: Elective, ECTS: 8
Financial Management
Semester: 1, Status: Elective, ECTS: 8
The objective of this course is for students to expand and deepen their knowledge of financial management. Students will gain a better understanding of alternative approaches in decision-making related to investment, financing, asset management, and will master more complex techniques of financial planning, cash flow management, securities evaluation, and assessing the profitability of investments using complex analysis techniques and methods. Students will understand the essence of operational, financial, and overall business leverage.
Banking Management
Semester: 1, Status: Elective, ECTS: 8
The aim of this course is for students to learn modern models of organizational structures and business processes in commercial banking. Students will understand the essential tasks performed by commercial banks, master the principles of banking management within the complex and turbulent financial market, analyze and make decisions regarding the mobilization and placement of banking resources for asset and liability management in a commercial bank. Students will create an optimal portfolio of a commercial bank, master modern decision-making approaches in corporate banking and retail banking (private banking, project financing, microfinancing, cross-selling).
Research Methodology
Semester: 1, Status: Elective, ECTS: 8
The aim of this course is for students to understand the essence of scientific research, adopt the logic of economic thinking, gain deeper insights into the phases of the scientific research process, learn to apply methods of economic, qualitative, and quantitative research, properly evaluate data sources, analyze them, and learn to present the basic results of research.
4. Advanced Business Analytics
Semester: 2, Status: Mandatory, ECTS: 8
The main objective of this course is for students to master key concepts, methods, and techniques of advanced business analytics. This includes measurement concepts for variable values, data visualization methods, models for the distribution of random variables, data mining methods, statistical inference methods, optimization methods and models, and other modern IT tools used in transforming business data into useful information, including applied artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques applied in the analysis of large datasets (Big Data).
5. Elective Block 2 (Choose 1 out of 3)
Semester: 2, Status: Elective, ECTS: 8
Marketing Information Systems
Semester: 2, Status: Elective, ECTS: 8
The primary goal of this course is for students to acquire knowledge and skills necessary for designing and developing an effective information system for managing company marketing activities or supporting decision-making in various marketing domains. This includes decision-making related to the overall marketing strategy, market communication strategy, product development strategy, branding and positioning strategy, pricing strategy, and customer relationship management. The course also aims for students to understand the importance of creating databases about customers in terms of generating reports on the (long-term) value of customers, customer loyalty, customer experiences, and all “traces” – data obtained in the interaction of the company with customers.
Project Management
Semester: 2, Status: Elective, ECTS: 8
The goal of this course is for students to become acquainted with different types of complex projects (complex physical objects, research projects, projects for the development of material products, projects for the development of digital products), understand the basic phases and aspects (temporal, financial, methodological-modeling, software) in the implementation of projects, acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for project management, and gain knowledge in agile methodology.
Financial Statement Analysis
Semester: 2, Status: Elective, ECTS: 8
The aim of this course is for students to understand the conceptual framework, types, and form of financial statements, their structural components, learn to analyze financial statements from the perspective of asset and liability analysis, income, expenses and financial results, cash flows and changes in capital, and understand the impact of taxes on financial results and recognize the importance of the quality of earnings.
6. Professional Practice
Semester: 2, Status: Mandatory, ECTS: 3
Introduce students to the organizational structure and work processes in financial organizations (banks, insurance companies, investment funds, pension funds) and companies; involve students in the work of professional teams working on specific tasks relevant to professional practice; understand the technology of work and business operations; understand the specifics of the operation of a specific organization; acquire practical knowledge in the field of business finance, banking management, operational management, human resources management, IT management, and marketing.
7. Study-Research Work
Semester: 2, Status: Mandatory, ECTS: 7
The aim of this course is for students to apply basic theoretical-methodological and scientific-expert knowledge and methods to solve specific problems within the selected research area. In the process of creating a study-research paper, the student thoroughly studies the problem, its structure, and complexity. Based on the conducted analyses, the student draws conclusions about possible ways of solving it and creates adequate strategic-tactical and operational decisions. Studying the literature, students familiarize themselves with methods designed to solve similar tasks and engage in practice in solving them.
8. Master Thesis
Semester: 2, Status: Mandatory, ECTS: 10
The aim of preparing and defending the final master thesis is for the student, by processing a research-oriented topic and defending it, to demonstrate an independent and creative approach in applying theoretical and methodological knowledge.”
