To meet the growing demand for fully online programs, a trend that has been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic, FIU Business has introduced an Online Master of Science in Finance for fall 2020. In addition, online offerings of the college’s existing master’s degree programs in accounting and supply chain management will start in the 2020–2021 academic year.

The new offerings will bring the number of FIU’s online specialty master’s degree programs to 10. A pioneer in online business education, having offered programs online for roughly two decades, the college was recently ranked No. 22 in the nation for its online master’s programs by U.S. News & World Report.

“We’re proud to offer these new, relevant online programs,” said FIU College of Business Dean Joanne Li. “The important role of online education could not be clearer than it is today as we face the unprecedented demands for online and virtual education brought on by COVID-19.”

The new Online Master of Science in Finance program introduces a Financial Innovation Track, a series of three technology-focused courses designed to complement the traditional nine-course graduate finance curriculum. New topics in big data, machine learning, business analytics, financial innovation and financial strategies in the online program will cover subjects such as data analytics and data visualization, blockchain, computer programming using Python, and alternative investments such as crypto currencies.

“Finance is increasingly a technology-driven profession,” said Brice Dupoyet, associate professor of finance and faculty director of the FIU Business Master of Science in Finance program, which is also offered in person. “It’s important to combine the teaching of traditional finance principles with technology, and what technology can provide.”

Ranked No. 6 overall and No. 1 for “Value for the Money” by the Financial Times among programs for experienced professionals, FIU’s Master of Science in Finance program focuses on teaching students to apply financial strategies to challenging, real-world business decisions. As a University Affiliation Program with the CFA Institute, the program also helps students prepare for the Level I of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam and readies participants for a wide spectrum of higher-level financial roles. Graduates enter fields including corporate finance, investment advisory services, fund management, mergers and acquisitions, international finance, and commercial and investment banking.

“An employee who can talk to both the financial side and the technology side will be increasingly valuable,” Dupoyet said. A background in finance and/or computer programming is recommended, but not required, for the new 14-month cohort program.

Starting in January 2021, the Online Master of Accounting (MACC) program will bring the coursework and contents of the FIU School of Accounting’s well-regarded MACC graduate program into a fully-online delivery mode, as an additional option for prospective accounting professionals.

“We expect to see a strong demand for the program,” said Krishnamurthy Surysekar, professor of accounting and director of the Master of Accounting program. With the School of Accounting’s well-established reputation, he noted, students who traditionally partook in the face-to-face mode of instruction “may now see benefits in online delivery, thanks to significantly increased familiarity with online instruction since March 2020.” The program will be initially open to students with an accounting undergraduate degree. FIU’s in-person Master of Accounting degree is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays in FIU’s Main (MMC) and Brickell campuses.

The 10-month Online Master of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management will join the college’s on-campus program starting in January 2021. It is designed to give students insights into managing the dynamics of supply chain, a field with enormous relevance in the age of COVID-19 and the challenges it has presented.

“As the current conditions have shown us, supply chain management is what makes business operate. In fact, it makes the world operate,” said Anthony Miyazaki, chair of the Department of Marketing and Logistics. “Our program is a mix between the technical side and the leadership side of supply chain, which is attractive to people who want to move up into management positions.”

FIU Business launched a pilot project of 10 online courses in 1999 and has continued to expand those offerings, integrating new technology. In addition to its upcoming finance, accounting and supply chain graduate programs, the college’s graduate programs also include the Professional MBA Online, the Online Healthcare MBA Program and online master’s programs in  international business, health informatics and analytics, human resource management, international real estate and marketing.

More than 450 Florida International University online sections have been certified by Quality Matters and there are 257 active certifications in process, more than any other university in Florida and the second most in the U.S. The college is also is also of the nation’s largest producers of business master’s degrees.