Curriculum

Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 10 credit hours at all times to remain in full time status, which is a requirement of the program and for visa purposes. Courses, with the exception of the seminar series, are worth 4 credit hours.

In each of the two main quarters of the program (Winter & Spring) students have to be enrolled in the seminar series and two additional 4-credit hour courses. The seminar series is the only requirement of the program; students may select two finance courses of their choice from the course schedule that is distributed prior to arrival in Columbus.

KAIST students register for courses at the same time as all other Fisher students and need to submit their requests for courses in a timely manner.  Otherwise, some of the courses you request may already be full. If a class you request is full, you will have to give program administrators an alternative course to enroll you in.

Course Offerings

Course offerings change every single year; here is a list of courses that are typically offered. A complete list of up-to-date course offerings will be given to you prior to your arrival in Columbus.

Please be aware that not all classes offered in Fisher College of Business are offered to KAIST students, so please make your course selections from the schedule provided to you by program administrators. Also, students enrolled in this program are enrolled solely in the Department of Finance and are not eligible to take courses with other Departments or Colleges within the University.

Specialized KAIST Seminar - Requirement

This seminar series is an unprecedented opportunity to hear many of the world's finance research leaders speak in one location.

The KAIST Seminar, titled "Recent Advances in Financial Markets," is the most beneficial part of the program. The Seminar is the only required course for KAIST students during both academic quarters (Winter & Spring). Each Friday morning throughout Winter & Spring quarters, a different Finance Department faculty member will present on a number of different subjects, including findings in the latest research in the field. On these days, the department arranges breakfast for everyone in the class to have before the seminar begins.

Over the course of the seminar, students are required to develop a thesis idea. At the end of the first quarter students will be required to submit a brief paper detailing their potential thesis; this paper will count for 100% of the grade for that quarter. At the end of the second quarter students will be required to submit a more detailed paper, either elaborating on their original idea from the first quarter, or starting work on an entirely different subject.

Specialized Courses

Provided that there is sufficient student interest, one course that has been specifically designed for KAIST students will be offered during Winter Quarter or Spring Quarter. This course is "Business Finance and Excel Modeling" taught by Professor Dan Oglevee. This course focuses on developing students' financial modeling skills in Excel, but Professor Oglevee also provides a vast amount of information to students regarding American business practices and general information about life in the United States.

If we have enough interest from students, the course will be offered during Spring Quarter 2012.

English as a Second Language

In addition to regular finance classes, students will also have the opportunity to participate in the "English as a Second Language" course. This is a specialized course for KAIST students. This course helps develop students' English language skills, as well as their understanding of the cultural norms of American society. It has always been a very informative and enjoyable part of the program.

KAIST students will also have the opportunity to partner with a local Ohio State student to practice English skills. Information about this opportunity for a conversation partner will be given to students during ESL class.

Course Grades and Credit

All classes in Fisher College of Business are worth four credit hours, with the exception of the KAIST seminar, which is two credits for each quarter. After all grades are submitted by professors in the Department of Finance, transcripts will be sent back to KAIST and will be considered transfer credit, applicable to your MBA at KAIST.

Program Completion

At the end of Spring quarter, which is the last academic quarter of the program before the extended study period begins, the Department of Finance will meet with all students to congratulate them for completion of the program. From this point on, KAIST program participants will always be alumni of The Ohio State University.