Master of Science in Investment Banking & Financial Engineering

The objective is to acquire key skills in budget management and reporting. The focus will be on budget architecture, including the preparation of summary documents, project management control and its connection to budget management, as well as the creation and monitoring of dashboards.

This module aims to teach how to create a Business Plan: a detailed financial project for starting or developing a business.
Several steps are covered :

• Feasibility study
• Market targeting
• Opportunities and risks
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Communication
• Financing plan and profitability

Refine comprehension and communication skills in English within a broader context beyond just business English.

This module aims to deepen students’ IT skills to meet business demands in budget and sales tracking, project management, personnel management, and communication: including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, teamwork tools, and industry-specific software. It focuses on proficiency with office tools, quickly identifying and correcting errors, customizing existing tools, or creating new ones.

The business simulation is conducted using a management simulator. Groups of students are responsible for running a company in real time. All major business functions are covered. Students make decisions aimed at maximizing the company’s profitability.

This module helps learners improve their CV and professional demeanor through practical exercises such as role-playing, professional simulations, public speaking, and more :

• Des ateliers pratiques et professionnalisants (CV, réseaux sociaux professionnels, coaching, etc.)
• Ainsi que des conférences métiers et master class.

The purpose of general accounting is to explain its “reasons for being,” main uses, documents, and mechanisms, including :

• The purpose, content, and use of an organization’s Balance Sheet and Income Statement.
• The mechanisms that link these two financial statements.
• The accounting recording of the company’s main transactions.

This introductory general accounting module’s main objective is to provide every student, regardless of their career plans, with a basic accounting knowledge to understand financial statements and use this understanding to communicate effectively with accountants.

• Modern tools for financial diagnosis to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the company.
• Tools to assist in financial diagnosis: analysis of profitability, solvency, and the company’s financial structure.
• Study of profitability.

• Calculation of the break-even point and payback period.
• Techniques in budget management, activity monitoring, and dashboards.
• Analysis and use of management control, cost calculation methods, analysis center methods, rational allocation of fixed costs, marginal cost, and partial costs.

• Evaluation of operations and the company’s level of control.
• Providing advice and studying tools to contribute to value creation.
• Evolution of the auditor’s role.

• The seminar covers financial audit missions as well as audit procedures, tests, methods, and tools.
• It presents statutory auditing, general aspects, and the implementation of the audit, assessment of internal control, specific verifications, and final mission reports.
• Topics include analytical procedures, physical controls, and management declarations.

• Mastery of accounting procedures.
• Consolidation of accounts.
• Allocation of profits.
• Capital reduction.
• Valuation of securities.
• Company formation.
• Capital increase.
• Convergence of the French Accounting Plan (PCG) towards IFRS standards.

Mastery of fundamental concepts for preparing financial forecasts. Sources of information, sector analysis, analysis of economic and financial performance, analysis of financial structure, and financing methods.

• Definition of business law.
• The concept of a contract.
• Obligations of means and obligations of result.
• The concept of legal personality, and the functioning of SARL, SA, and SNC.
• Criteria for choosing a legal form of business.

• Presentation of IFRS and US GAAP frameworks.
• Comparison of financial flows over time.
• Structure of accounting standards, conceptual framework of the standards, and presentation of financial statements under IFRS/US GAAP.
• Valuation and accounting of financial instruments.

• Investment projects : selection criteria and the real options approach.
• Financing methods : quasi-equity, bond financing, negotiable debt instruments, IPOs, and venture capital.
• Theoretical frameworks explaining financing choices.
• Cash management and centralized cash flow management.

• The principles and scope of Corporate Income Tax (CIT), and tax optimization within a group.
• International taxation.
• VAT : principles and mechanisms.
• Special VAT regimes.
• Territoriality of VAT : rules governing VAT territoriality, supply of movable goods, provision of services.
• VAT liability : VAT base and its calculation.

This hybrid module will provide an understanding of the role of the Financial Markets Authority (Autorité des Marchés Financiers – AMF) in the regulation and supervision of financial markets, covering the following topics :

• Financial instruments.
• Crypto-assets and associated risks.
• Collective investment management.
• Market organization and functioning.
• Post-trade processes and market infrastructures.
• Issuances and securities transactions.
• Accounting and financial fundamentals.

• Understand and master the principles of discounting and compounding.
• Calculation of interest.
• Comparison of financial flows over time.
• Calculation of key profitability indicators in an investment project.

• Written exams
• Professional project defense

• Analysis of individual and consolidated financial statements.
• Study of profitability, solvency, financial structure, and profitability ratios (ROCE, ROE).
• Analysis of publicly traded and private companies.

• Definition of the concept of a group.
• Regulatory and legal framework.
• Scope and methods of consolidation.
• Full consolidation and equity method.
• Elimination of intercompany transactions and internal results.
• Presentation of consolidated financial statements for groups.

• From CSR practices to the implementation of the CSRD.
• European (ESRS) and international sustainability standards.
• In-depth study of ESG criteria.
• Analysis of sustainability reporting.
• How to conduct an extra-financial diagnosis.
• Studying the connectivity between financial and extra-financial reporting.
• Linking to sustainability reporting.
• Challenges of double materiality.

• The conceptual framework.
• Presentation of financial statements.
• Content of key standards.
• Concepts of financial position and financial performance.
• Intangible assets and business combinations.
• Importance of cash flows.
• Impairment testing.
• Financial instruments and the treatment of derivatives under IFRS.

• Asset-based methods and goodwill.
• Methods based on DCF (Discounted Cash Flow). Analogous methods.
• From value to price: internal and external factors affecting the parties involved in the transaction and transfer.
• Study of fiscal, financial, and social constraints in a transfer.
• LBO operations.
• Setting up holding companies and cash flow implications.
• Leveraged financial structures.
• Governance of companies under LBO.

• Budgeting and centralization of intragroup cash management operations.
• Investments and financing of cash flow.
• Use of derivative products for hedging interest rate and foreign exchange risks.

• Understand the organization of equity markets, money markets, and bond markets, from order placement to post-trade operations (settlement, clearing), including order negotiation and execution.
• Understand institutional frameworks (AMF, ESMA, SEC, etc.).
• Acquire valuation techniques and risk management for major financial securities.
• The crypto-asset market (Bitcoin, etc.).
• Portfolio management and socially responsible investing (SRI).

• Master the technical knowledge required in the financial profession (financial instruments and risk, asset management on behalf of clients, market functioning and organization, securities issuance and operations). Practice for and pass the certification exam.

• Complex financial structuring designed to meet the financing needs of large companies and projects through bond issuance, securitization, mezzanine financing, and syndicated loans.
• Emphasis is placed on risk management, tailored structuring, and optimizing financing costs.
• Key issues include bank and bond debt management.
• Implementation of holding companies and their impact on cash management.
• Public offers (takeover bids, exchange offers, etc.) and IPOs.

• Master the key players involved in M&A operations by explaining the main stages of these transactions.
• Become familiar with the technical vocabulary and understand the documents prepared by the primary parties involved in such operations.
• All phases of a merger and acquisition deal will be detailed, including the pre-contractual phase and the negotiation phase (conditions precedent, warranties on assets and liabilities, deed of execution).
• There will also be a focus on other forms of M&A transactions (merger, partial asset contribution, demerger).

• Understand how investment funds operate.
• The institutional environment of private equity.
• The different types of financing structures (SCR, FCPR, etc.).
• Startup financing (business angels, etc.) and the role of fintechs.
• ESG challenges in private equity.
• Ethical, green, and social funds.
• Techniques used in ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings).

This module enables learners to improve their CV and professional demeanor through practical exercises such as role-playing, professional simulations, public speaking, and more :

• Practical and career-oriented workshops (CV writing, professional social networks, coaching, etc.).
• Industry conferences and masterclasses.

• Organize data from multiple sources in different formats to build clear dashboards.
• Automate data collection to reduce decision-making time and minimize errors caused by re-entry.
• Present data and improve the visual communication of information.

• From recruitment to training, including the implementation of an attractive compensation policy, this covers the processes, procedures, and indicators to put in place to ensure effective management of employees and their roles within the company.

• Understand strategies to support financial evolutions within organizations, such as managing restructurings, integrating new financial tools, and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Emphasis is placed on communication, training, and managing stakeholder resistance.
• The goal is to ensure a smooth transition to optimized and sustainable financial practices.

• Deepen advanced data analysis using Python and leverage the potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI).
• Learn how AI techniques can enhance data interpretation and communication through prompt engineering.
• Apply data processing strategies to real-world cases.
• Develop critical thinking skills essential for growth in the data field.

• Discover the institutional framework of banking activities in deposit and loan operations.
• Understand the specificities of the banking approach to corporate clients.
• Support the company’s financial operations (management of customer receivables, cash management, etc.).

• Understand the operational management mechanisms in investment banking, covering front-to-back processes, risk management, and regulatory compliance.
• Optimize financial flows, liquidity management, and control operational costs.
• Special attention is given to internal control issues and reporting to regulators.
• Engage in communication with stakeholders.

• The construction of internal and external financial reporting.
• The forms and media of financial communication.
• The current regulatory environment (United States, Europe, etc.).
• The constraints imposed by regulatory authorities (SEC, AMF, etc.).
• The policies of credit rating agencies.
• Key indicators for information and communication.
• Communication with stakeholders.

• Enable learners to understand the expectations of the applied research thesis.
• Formulate a research problem, build a literature review, choose the study methodology, and make recommendations.

• Written exams
• Research thesis defense