Finance and Legal Studies is a nexus of management, economics, accounting, and legal disciplines infused with financial techniques to make sound business decisions. Large and small companies face decision points requiring knowledge of the latest financial tools.

At its core, finance provides choices in investment (using funds) and financing (raising funds). The discipline trains students in corporate finance, investments, financial institutions and markets, personal financial planning, and financial technology (Fintech). For most business operations, domestic decision-making must be tempered by the global aspects of the transaction.

Over the last two decades, the field of finance has become increasingly technical and specialized. Employers recruiting for financial positions not only require undergraduate or graduate degrees in finance, but they also ask for knowledge beyond those typically found in the traditional academic training. As a result, professional licensing or certification has become one of the most widely recognized means of demonstrating core competency. The finance program at The University of Missouri - Saint Louis carefully integrates finance certification tracks into the curriculum to enable students to complete their academic degrees while providing the in-depth knowledge necessary for taking professional certification exams.


Nasser Arshadi, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Finance and Legal Studies
Nasser Arshadi

Program Mission Statement

Our program addresses the market demand in two distinct ways: first, it responds to the financial services industry demand focused on modern finance; and second, it incorporates fintech, including big data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, into the curriculum. In the process, students will be exposed to the cutting-edge technologies deployed to overcome modern finance challenges.

Specifically, the program is designed to:

  • Providing students with a solid educational foundation in finance and legal principles;
  • Preparing students to be the business leaders for the next generation;
  • Carefully integrating the latest financial and legal theories with industry practices in all our programs;
  • Assisting our faculty to research cutting edge issues to solve real-world problems;
  • Partnering with the St. Louis community to promote the state's economic development.