Proposed Graduate Program • Madrid, Spain

Master of Business
Administration
in Finance

A full-function MBA training students in the functional areas of business. The finance specialization enhances the professional profile of every graduate.

Sustainability is a fundamental socio-economic aspect of doing business in Europe and the Americas, and sustainable finance runs throughout the curriculum.

12
Graduate Courses
36 / 72
Credits / Proposed ECTS
14 Weeks
Per Course
Madrid
Focus University Institute

Program Overview

This is a Master of Business Administration: a graduate business degree that trains students across the functional areas of business, including accounting, finance, economics, strategy, entrepreneurship, marketing, customer analytics, operations, governance, risk, cybersecurity, leadership, human resources, organizational transformation, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence.

The Finance specialization enhances the professional profile of students through advanced study in corporate finance and valuation, investment and portfolio management, financial risk management, international finance and development banking, and artificial intelligence in finance, closing with an Applied Finance Capstone.

The program prepares globally minded graduates to allocate capital, evaluate investments, manage risk, support resilient enterprises and financial institutions, and advance inclusive and sustainable development. Every course uses applied projects, a Week 7 midterm, and a Week 14 project with oral defence in place of a conventional final examination.

Full-Function MBA Finance Specialization Sustainable Finance Throughout AI-Enabled Learning Madrid, Spain

Program Structure

Phase 1: MBA Common Trunk
Six integrated courses covering the principal functions of business administration
Phase 2: Advanced Finance Courses
Corporate finance and valuation, investments and sustainable finance, financial risk, international finance and development banking, AI in finance
Phase 3: Applied Finance Capstone
An implementation-ready applied-finance recommendation with report, model, presentation, and individual oral defence
3 + 6
Credits + ECTS / Course
Week 7
Midterm Exam
Week 14
Project + Oral Defence

Vision, Mission & Values

The program identity guiding curriculum, assessment, teaching, partnerships, and public communication.

Vision

To advance a future in which finance strengthens resilient enterprises, inclusive prosperity, and sustainable development across interconnected economies.

Mission

To prepare globally minded graduates and professionals to exercise rigorous, responsible, and forward-looking financial leadership: allocating capital, evaluating investments, managing risk, supporting resilient enterprises and financial institutions, advancing inclusive and sustainable development, and defending evidence-informed decisions with integrity and accountability.

Program Values

Human Dignity & the Common Good Integrity & Fiduciary Responsibility Analytical Rigor & Transparent Judgment Sustainable Value & Long-Term Stewardship Global Perspective & Inclusive Prosperity Prudent Risk, Resilience & Accountability Responsible Innovation & Human-Centred AI Leadership, Collaboration & Continuous Learning

What Responsible Finance Means Here

Within this program, responsible finance means applying financial knowledge, instruments, institutions, technologies, and professional judgment in ways that are analytically sound, economically and operationally credible, ethically defensible, transparent, attentive to material impacts and dependencies, and accountable for foreseeable consequences.

Responsible finance is not treated as a marketing label. Students distinguish facts, estimates, assumptions, and judgments; recognize uncertainty, model limitations, and conflicts of interest; and substantiate financial, sustainability, and development claims with credible evidence and defined boundaries.

What You Will Achieve

Six program learning outcomes, each developed and directly assessed across the common trunk, the advanced finance courses, and the capstone.

1

Integrated Business & Strategic Financial Leadership

Integrate accounting, economics, strategy, marketing, operations, leadership, governance, technology, and advanced finance to diagnose complex organizational and market decisions, formulate coherent financial strategies, and create durable enterprise, stakeholder, and societal value in global contexts.

2

Financial Analysis, Valuation & Capital Allocation

Critically acquire, evaluate, model, and communicate financial and non-financial evidence; apply valuation, capital-budgeting, investment, portfolio, performance, scenario, and quantitative methods; and make defensible capital-allocation decisions under uncertainty.

3

Risk, Resilience & Global and Development Finance

Evaluate and manage market, credit, counterparty, liquidity, operational, model, country, sovereign, currency, climate, technology, and other material risks; design resilient responses; and exercise sound judgment across corporate, investment, international, and development-finance contexts.

4

Sustainability, Ethics, Governance & the Common Good

Integrate fiduciary and professional ethics, sustainability, stakeholder and common-good considerations, regulation, environmental and social safeguards, accountability, and long-term consequences into financial decisions, governance, implementation, and claims.

5

Evidence, Responsible AI & Digital Financial Capability

Use data, research, artificial intelligence, analytics, and digital tools responsibly to build, validate, challenge, and communicate transparent and reproducible financial models and decisions while protecting privacy, security, fairness, explainability, human oversight, and data integrity.

6

Leadership, Implementation & Professional Communication

Lead and collaborate across functions, cultures, institutions, and stakeholder groups; translate financial strategy into governance, resources, controls, implementation, measures, and learning; and communicate and defend professional recommendations with clarity, integrity, and reflective judgment.

The MBA Common Trunk

Six integrated graduate courses establishing broad managerial competence across the principal functions of business administration before students progress to the finance specialization.

Builds digital capability, business analytics, and human-AI decision support. Generative AI is treated as a probabilistic collaborator, not an authoritative source: students formulate tasks, verify claims, recognize bias, protect sensitive information, and document AI use. The final project designs, tests, governs, and communicates an AI-enabled workflow that preserves human judgment and measurable value.

3 Credits / 6 ECTS 14 Weeks Week 14 Project + Oral Defence
Download Course Outline (PDF)

Managerial accounting, financial reporting, finance, quantitative analysis, and capital-allocation decisions. Students interpret financial statements, apply budgeting, variance analysis, and capital-investment methods, with IFRS and cross-border contexts supporting globally informed judgment. Spreadsheet models, scenario analysis, and approved AI tools support, never replace, professional judgment. Final: an integrated financial decision case with oral defence.

3 Credits / 6 ECTS 14 Weeks Week 14 Project + Oral Defence
Download Course Outline (PDF)

Global economics, competitive and corporate strategy, digital business models, entrepreneurship, and international growth. Students evaluate platforms, ecosystems, network effects, and AI value logic, and connect strategy to trade, investment, regulation, supply networks, energy, and geopolitical fragmentation using evidence and scenarios. Final: a board-level briefing defending an internationally responsive digital-business strategy.

3 Credits / 6 ECTS 14 Weeks Week 14 Project + Oral Defence
Download Course Outline (PDF)

Marketing strategy, consumer and organizational markets, branding, pricing, channels, and digital growth, connected to evidence through customer analytics: conversion, retention, churn, acquisition cost, contribution, and customer lifetime value. Digital and AI-enabled marketing is evaluated through customer value, privacy, fairness, inclusion, sustainability, and claims integrity. Final: the Customer Analytics and Responsible Growth Project.

3 Credits / 6 ECTS 14 Weeks Week 14 Project + Oral Defence
Download Course Outline (PDF)

Responsible management, operations and value-chain governance, enterprise risk, cybersecurity, accountability, and sustainability assurance. NIST, EU, OECD, and UNESCO resources are treated as adaptable frameworks; attention is given to trustworthy AI, data governance, privacy, third-party risk, incident response, climate dependencies, disclosure quality, and greenwashing. Final: an Integrated Governance, Cybersecurity, and Sustainability Assurance Plan.

3 Credits / 6 ECTS 14 Weeks Week 14 Project + Oral Defence
Download Course Outline (PDF)

Executive leadership, human-resource management, organizational behaviour, change, workforce strategy, and the future of work. Students diagnose strategy, culture, capabilities, and readiness, and design feasible transformation architectures. Attention is given to inclusive leadership, psychological safety, human-AI work design, hybrid work, skills transitions, worker voice, and well-being. Final: a Leadership and Organizational Transformation Portfolio with oral defence.

3 Credits / 6 ECTS 14 Weeks Week 14 Project + Oral Defence
Download Course Outline (PDF)

Every course contains exactly five course learning outcomes mapped directly to assessment evidence, producing sixty mapped outcomes across the twelve-course program.

Advanced Finance Courses

Five advanced courses building the analytical, fiduciary, and leadership capabilities of the finance specialization. Completion of the six-course common trunk is the prerequisite.

C7

Corporate Finance & Business Valuation

Allocate capital, design financing policy, and estimate the value of companies, business units, and strategic initiatives. Students construct auditable forecasts, estimate discount rates, apply discounted-cash-flow, relative, transaction, and sum-of-the-parts methods, and communicate a defensible value range instead of a falsely precise point estimate. Signature assessment: an Integrated Corporate Valuation and Value-Creation Plan.

Download Outline
C8

Investment Analysis, Portfolio Management & Sustainable Finance

Evaluate investment opportunities, formulate capital-market expectations, construct portfolios, and manage investment mandates across equities, fixed income, derivatives, real assets, and alternatives. Sustainable finance is integrated through mandate design, financially material ESG information, climate scenarios, stewardship, and product claims. Signature assessment: an Integrated Investment Policy and Portfolio Management Plan.

Download Outline
C9

Financial Risk Management

Diagnose market, credit, counterparty, liquidity, operational, model, cyber, and strategic risk exposures; measure and challenge them using value at risk, expected shortfall, duration, stress tests, and model-validation evidence; and design risk appetite, limits, hedges, capital, governance, and recovery responses. Climate and sustainability-related risks are integrated throughout. Signature assessment: an Integrated Financial Risk Management Framework.

Course outline forthcoming
C10

International Finance & Development Banking

International monetary arrangements, foreign-exchange markets, global capital flows, country and sovereign risk, and multinational financial decisions, plus the mandates and financing instruments of the World Bank Group (IBRD, IDA, IFC, MIGA) and regional development banks. Development additionality, debt sustainability, and safeguards are treated as integral to sound finance. Signature assessment: an International Financing and Development Impact Strategy.

Download Outline
C11

Artificial Intelligence in Finance

Evaluate, design, govern, and implement AI applications in finance: machine learning, natural-language processing, generative AI, retrieval-augmented generation, agents, forecasting, and anomaly detection across corporate finance, investment, risk, banking, and regulatory functions. Model accuracy alone is insufficient: decisions require validation, explainability, regulatory awareness, and accountable human oversight. Signature assessment: an AI-Enabled Finance Solution and Responsible Deployment Plan.

Download Outline

Applied Finance Capstone

The culminating course, where the full MBA in Finance comes together on a real applied-finance problem.

Students frame and investigate a complex applied-finance problem using a clear decision question, stakeholder and governance analysis, authoritative evidence, and explicit assumptions and limitations. The capstone integrates corporate finance, valuation, investment, portfolio, risk, international finance, development banking, AI, accounting, strategy, economics, and quantitative methods into decision-ready financial analysis.

Models, evidence, scenarios, and stress conditions are validated through reproducible analysis and independent challenge, and material sustainability objectives and consequences are integrated within financial value, risk, trade-offs, and implementation.

3 Credits / 6 ECTS 14 Weeks Prereq: Common Trunk + Finance Courses
Course outline forthcoming

The Signature Assessment

1
Capstone Report & Financial Model
An implementation-ready applied-finance recommendation with auditable, reproducible analysis
2
Executive Presentation
Financial value, sustainability, governance, risk, and implementation communicated to a professional audience
3
Individual Oral Defence
Professional judgment defended under independent challenge, with transparent AI use

Graduates leave with a portfolio of defensible work: an integrated financial-statement analysis, a corporate valuation model, an investment and portfolio analysis, a risk framework, an international or development-finance appraisal, and the capstone itself.

Career Pathways

Illustrative roles for which graduates may prepare, aligned with the curriculum and the six program learning outcomes.

Experienced Professionals

The MBA in Finance is designed principally for experienced professionals seeking advancement into middle-management, specialist-lead, finance-business-partner, advisory, and cross-functional financial-leadership roles.

Illustrative roles: Finance Manager, FP&A Manager, Treasury Manager, Financial Risk Manager, Credit Manager, Portfolio Manager, Sustainable Finance Manager, Investment Officer.

Entry & Early-Career Pathway

Graduates without substantial work experience normally target analyst, associate, rotational, trainee, junior-officer, or project-support roles, building the experience required for later managerial responsibility.

Illustrative roles: Financial Analyst, FP&A Analyst, Credit Analyst, Treasury Analyst, Investment Analyst, Financial Risk Analyst, Sustainable Finance Analyst, Development Finance Analyst.

Aligned Career Families

Corporate Finance, FP&A & Performance
Financial Analyst to Finance Manager or FP&A Manager
Corporate Development, Valuation & Transactions
Valuation Analyst to Corporate Development or M&A Manager
Treasury, FX, Trade & International Finance
Treasury Analyst to Treasury or International Finance Manager
Financial Risk, Resilience & Controls
Risk Analyst to Financial or Enterprise Risk Manager
Banking, Credit & Relationship Management
Credit Analyst to Credit or Relationship Manager
Investments, Portfolio, Research & Wealth
Investment Analyst to Portfolio or Investment Manager
Sustainable Finance, Climate Finance & Impact
ESG Investment Analyst to Sustainable Finance Manager
Development Finance & Multilateral Banking
Development Finance Analyst to Investment Officer
Financial Data, Responsible AI & Transformation
Finance Analytics Analyst to Finance Transformation Manager
Finance, Risk & Transaction Advisory
Advisory Analyst to Risk or Transaction Advisory Manager
Public Finance, Regulation & Central Banking
Public Finance Analyst to Supervision or Policy Manager

Career alignment means the MBA develops knowledge and capabilities relevant to a role family. It does not guarantee employment, promotion, compensation, or professional licensure. Hiring also depends on prior experience, language capability, local labour-market conditions, work authorization, and employer, licensing, or regulatory requirements. Portfolio management, wealth advice, brokerage, and securities activities may require examinations, licences, or registrations depending on jurisdiction.

Download Full Career Profile (PDF)

Program Documents

Download course outlines, the program identity framework, learning outcomes, and the career profile.

Vision, Mission & Values
.docx
PLO / CLO Assessment & Assurance Map
.docx
Career Profile & Professional Pathways
.pdf
Institutional Learning Outcomes Statement
.docx
C1
AI Literacy & Human-AI Collaboration
.pdf
C2
Finance, Accounting & AI-Enabled Decisions
.pdf
C3
Global Strategy & Geoeconomics
.pdf
C4
Strategic Marketing & Customer Analytics
.pdf
C5
Responsible AI, Governance & Cybersecurity
.pdf
C6
Leadership & the Future of Work
.pdf
C7
Corporate Finance & Business Valuation
.docx
C8
Investments, Portfolio & Sustainable Finance
.docx
C10
International Finance & Development Banking
.docx
C11
Artificial Intelligence in Finance
.docx

Outlines for C9 Financial Risk Management and the C12 Applied Finance Capstone will be added when available.

Madrid, Spain

Focus University Institute is based in Madrid: a leading European financial and business capital.

European Financial Hub

Madrid is a leading European business and financial center: multinational headquarters, major banks, a growing innovation ecosystem, and a strong professional market.

Invest in Madrid

Explore Madrid

World-class museums, parks, neighborhoods, and gastronomy in one of Europe's most livable capitals, through the city's official tourism portal.

Visit esmadrid.com

Discover Spain

From Barcelona to Seville, Spain offers an extraordinary range of cultural, historical, and natural experiences for international students and visitors.

Visit spain.info

Program Developer

Luis Fernando (Lou) Villalba, PhD., EdD.

Program Developer

In partnership with Alluvion Games

THIS MOCK WEBSITE IS FOR DEMO PURPOSES ONLY • THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL WEBSITE.

This landing page is for discussions and comments on a possible / proposed program.