Master Financial Analysis and Strategy (FAS)

The positions open to graduates from this programme are diverse and cover a large variety of jobs: structured financing analyst, credit analyst, leveraged buyouts analyst, financial analyst, risk analyst, capital investment analyst, merger and acquisition analyst, credit manager, specialist in financial communication, auditor, company project manager, corporate restructuring advisor, financial strategy advisor…

Classes on this Master’s degree will be held in English. Hence, a good level of English is a necessary requirement to enrol on this course.

The aim of this programme is to train financial managers highly qualified in terms of financial analysis and company valuation who will be able to combine the techniques of both financial strategy and financial analysis.

Value creation has become a decisive factor for the development of companies, the group structures of which are becoming more and more complex and dynamic. In order to fully benefit from the interactions between financial and industrial choices, the financial, legal and fiscal tools available are getting more and more diverse and complex.

In this framework, the present Master's degree offers a combination of advanced knowledge allowing for skills development in two complementary competency domains: financial analysis, valuation, and financial engineering, in an international environment.

The professional, conceptual and applied characteristics of this programme allow its students to easily evolve in the labour market and constitute a real trampoline for a dynamic career in the field of finance and banking or in audit and consulting firms.

UE 1: In-depth finance

• Portfolio management
• Financial statement analysis
• Financial markets structure
• Financial programming

UE 2: Financial strategies and governance

• Competitive Analysis and competitiveness of the firm
• Corporate governance and value creation

UE 3: Complex financial instruments

• Derivatives
• Hybrid financial instruments
• Leveraged buyouts

UE 4: Diagnostics and corporate valuation

• Ratios and cash flows analysis
• Valuation methods

UE 5: Legal and Fiscal Management

• Legal engineering
• International group taxation

UE 6: Advanced financial accounting

• Consolidated financial statements
• IFRS norms

UE 7: Advanced financial accounting: method and case studies

• Initial public offerings
• Leveraged buyouts (practical analysis)

UE 8: External growth strategie

• Mergers and acquisitions performance
• M&A strategy and negotiations

UE 9: Credit Risk: analysis and management

• Credit risk analysis
• Credit risk and distress management

UE 10: Speciality project

UE 11: Conferences

• Venture capital
• Credit management

UE 12: Dissertation + defence

(*) non-contractual, subject to change

The majority of the study units are validated through practical applications, therefore making students more operational at the end of the course.

Coursework, exams, dissertation & defence

Upon successful completion of all modules the candidate will be awarded a Master’s degree in Financial Analysis and Strategy, by the IGR-IAE of the University of Rennes I.

The course offered here is an M2 level Master’s degree. To be eligible for registration on this course you will need to either:

having successfully completed 4 years of university studies (240 ECTS) in management, accountancy, banking and finance, economy or a similar domain;
having successfully completed 4 years of university studies (240 ECTS) in another discipline and at least 3 years of experience in a managing position;
having successfully completed 2 years of university studies (120 ECTS) and at least 5 years of experience in a managing position. In the latter case candidates may be accepted via the accreditation of prior learning procedure (VAE).
A jury will take the decision of acceptance on the basis of the documentation provided and an interview, both of which assess the candidate’s ability and fit with the program.

In order to apply for this degree, candidates first have to send back the pre-registration form. They will then be sent an application file, which they will need to fill in and send back with the required supporting documentation.