Product innovation in the asset management industry has led to a proliferation of alternative funds and investment strategies, many of which are in nontraditional, often illiquid, asset classes. This course provides a comprehensive understanding of alternative investments, how to evaluate them (risks and returns), and the role they play in portfolio diversification. The course covers many prevalent strategies including private credit, private equity, structured credit, real assets, and hedge funds. Students form teams of investment analysts tasked with evaluating an alternative investment opportunity for the chief investment officer of a university endowment fund.

This course is designed for students who have an interest in the future of finance, technology, blockchain, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and work. Beginning with an exploration of Fintech (financial technology), we explore technology’s impact on everything from banking to real estate to Wall Street. Additionally, we look at how artificial intelligence (AI) will automate and reduce the need for human workers, as AI, Fintech, and other technologies are combined to automate many tasks.

After gaining a solid understanding of the real-world use cases of Fintech and the everyday ways it impacts the economy, social justice, and our lives, students take a journey of discovery into the world of AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, Bitcoin, and cryptocurrency. Since Bitcoin’s launch in 2009, cryptocurrency and decentralized ledger technology, aka blockchain, have emerged as an economic force majeure, disrupting the fundamentals of how people interact and how they perceive money. In addition to pushing the evolution of money, blockchain technology is now poised to disrupt how we organize businesses and the future of work. Course participants explore the organizational impacts and transformations caused by blockchain and cryptocurrencies and examine what this will mean to them as future CEOs and global business and thought leaders.

The course concludes by exploring the perspective of entrepreneurs and innovators, further examining how technologies come together to form the businesses, disruptions, and methodologies of the 21st Century. Participants walk away with a fundamental understanding of what tokens and cryptocurrencies are; how businesses leverage blockchain technology, AI, and other Fintech applications; and how digital transformation impacts social interactions and the future of work.

Please note: This course is not a computer programming course and requires no prior knowledge or experience, but rather looks at these emerging technologies more broadly from business, social, political, and cultural perspectives.

Do you want to make a difference in the world? Social entrepreneurship bridges passion and action, where business principles meet social impact to address today’s most urgent challenges. Can economic growth align with sustainability? How can social entrepreneurs find solutions to climate resilience or help communities in need? In this course, you will dive into these questions, exploring the dynamic balance between fiscal responsibility and social equity in an ever-changing global landscape.

Through a hands-on journey into social entrepreneurship, you will explore key frameworks for turning challenges into opportunities, learning how to design solutions that benefit shareholders and stakeholders to deliver a “triple bottom line”—people, planet, and profit. Through collaborative projects, lively debates, and case studies, you’ll analyze real-world issues and develop strategic approaches that make a lasting impact. 

Intended for students interested in creating new business or social enterprises, this hands-on course focuses on the creation, evaluation, development, and launch-readiness of new business or social ventures. Participants are guided through the new venture creation process as applied to student team-selected venture ideas. Through interactive lectures, short case studies, and structured peer activities, students explore the elements of the new venture planning process in an innovative modular format.

For each student venture, key issues are addressed in a fashion highly consistent with other formal venture-planning processes including: business model development, customer discovery, product-market validation, in-depth industry and market analysis, product or service innovation, brand development and go-to-market strategies, team selection and management, profit models, financing, and legal considerations.

Students work through a series of structured activities and assignments that correspond with each phase of new venture planning. Throughout the class they refine their venture’s hypothesized business model on the basis of instructor and peer feedback. At each stage of venture plan development, they learn critical terms, apply tools that support research and decision making, and develop a deep understanding of how each major planning activity fits into formal venture creation. Additionally, they hone critical professional skills including creative problem-solving, communication and negotiation, project management, financial analysis, and collaborative leadership. By the end of the class, participants have generated robust business models, with supportive venture plan documents, investor pitches, websites, and crowd-funding videos. 

Game theory is the science of strategy. Within this ever-evolving field, practitioners are responsible for working through economic concepts that depend on rationality, as well as choice and uncertainty. Specifically, those working in this field help with optimal decision making between an independent agent and competing actors. The result of this work can take many forms, including when (and if) to launch a product and how to price it, or when to be cooperative in a negotiation (or not), or even whether to confess to a crime (or not). Throughout the course, students will study the works of key pioneers in Game Theory, as well as synthesize and triangulate readings to topics in economics, business, political science, and project management. Students will be expected to apply learnings to solve complex probability sets and analyze decision-maker payoffs. By the end of the course, students will have a new appreciation for how Game Theory directly impacts - and influences - major decisions. Additionally, they will be able to work through choices and outcomes better in their own lives. 

What is the impact of the resurgence of populism, nativism, and geopolitical competition on foreign relations and economic growth? Is China’s push to turn the renminbi into a global currency a threat or an opportunity? What are the implications of an unsustainable levels of public debt (U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia) on the future of international monetary and financial architecture? Given questions such as these, this course examines the interplay between globalizing pressures and national interests.

Working from a multilateral perspective, students use case studies to examine the nature of relations between nation-states in a period of increased economic and political integration. Topics include theories of international political economy in relation to foreign aid and sovereign debt, international trade and capital flows, security and non-state actors, rights-based approaches to development and humanitarian emergencies, energy sustainability, and the role of international organizations and financial institutions.

For counterpoint, students also examine the political, ideological, and social determinants of domestic political economies, including that of the United States. The political mechanisms of economic policy-making and the relationship between domestic policy and foreign policy are explored using theoretical, historical, and topical cases; examples include the political economy of income distribution and social welfare, national defense and hegemony, the national debt, and globalization.

Students examine these and other topics through lecture, research, academic and policy dialogue, group projects and presentations, and peer critiques. For students enrolled in the in-person program, the course typically includes a visit to the United Nations Headquarters.

Students should have “business casual” outfits for UN field trips and need identification (ID card, drivers license, or passport) for entry.

This course focuses on the firm’s financial and economic behavior. The firm needs cash to undertake worthy investments, and the firm needs to identify investments worth undertaking. What models does the firm use to identify such investments? What sources of cash can the firm use? How do the financial markets in which this money is raised function? How does the market value the firm, its securities, and its investments? What financial instruments are available to the firm? What are the microeconomic models that best describe a firm’s behavior in such markets?

In answering these questions, the participants discuss stocks, bonds, stock markets, as well as valuation models of investments, firms, and securities. They also work with concepts like optimal investment strategies, what is revealed and what is hidden in published accounting statements, and what are some of the sources of risk. Students also acquire familiarity with the mechanics and history of the financial markets.

The course includes case studies and some sustained independent work by the participants. Laptops, while not required, are highly recommended for In-Person participants. 

Students should have “business casual” outfits for potential field trips and may need identification (ID card, drivers license, or passport) for entry. 

This course explores the role of venture capital (VC) in the funding process of companies: how venture capitalists operate, their investment decision-making process, the criteria they use to evaluate investment opportunities and startup companies, the mechanics of VC fund economics, and how they support and add value to portfolio companies. 

In short, this course intersects with both finance and entrepreneurship. It will cover both the perspective of a VC investor and of an entrepreneur raising capital for their venture.  Students will engage in case studies and simulations as both entrepreneurs negotiating a capital raising round with a VC firm, and as a venture capital investor evaluating an investment opportunity, i.e. the business model of a start up company.

Looking at stocks, bonds, ETFs, cryptocurrency, real estate, futures, and options, this course introduces students to how professional investment managers construct investment portfolios. We look at these different investment opportunities as well as key valuation and risk management techniques. How might investors benefit from diversification? What are the metrics for measuring performance?  What are the common pitfalls made by investors? 

Class time is divided between interactive lecture and guided hands-on work. Participants assume the role of professional money managers as they operate their own diversified investment portfolios in a session-long simulation game. Students also are given the opportunity to interact with guest speakers, who are professionals in the field. Common theories and practices presented in class, news of current and world events, and discussion around decisions made by the world’s foremost investors are incorporated as students develop a sense of how real-time managers make decisions.

Participants are required to bring laptops for this class and, as this is a quantitative course, should be comfortable with math and prepared for a challenging experience.

What drives a country’s economy? How do we measure a nation’s wealth, and why does unemployment matter? In this fast-paced introductory course, you'll get the answers to these big questions while diving into the world of macroeconomics. Designed for students curious about the forces that shape economies, this course covers everything from economic growth to inflation, and how these concepts affect our daily lives.

Throughout the course, we’ll explore how economic output is measured (hello, GDP!), the causes of inflation and deflation, and how policies can affect everything from interest rates to international trade. Ever wondered why governments raise taxes or how central banks control money supply? You’ll get the inside scoop on fiscal and monetary policies, and discover how events like the 2008 financial crisis or global trade wars ripple across the economy. By the end of the course, you'll be able to explain the basics of economic growth, unemployment, and investment, and how these principles connect to real-world problems like income inequality and financial crises. Ready to understand how the world works on a macro scale? Together we’ll take a whirlwind tour of the economy—big picture style!

By the end of the course, students will have a solid foundation in macroeconomic theory and be able to apply their knowledge to analyze real-world economic situations, preparing them for further studies in economics or related fields.

In this course, you'll explore how statistics plays a crucial role in the world of finance. From understanding how financial markets work to learning how to manage risk and make predictions, this course introduces you to the tools that finance professionals use every day. Whether you're interested in stocks, investment strategies, or risk management, you'll gain a solid foundation in how to analyze financial data and make informed decisions using statistical methods.

Throughout the course, you'll work with real-world financial data, apply statistical techniques like probability and regression, and explore the basics of portfolio management and/or market trends. You’ll also participate in group projects, stock market simulations, and case studies that help bring the theory to life. By the end of the course, you'll not only understand how statistics and finance are connected, but you’ll also have the skills to analyze financial information and even predict future trends. Whether you're considering a career in finance, economics, or data science, this course will give you a head start and a deeper understanding of the power of numbers in the business world.