Hardest courses in Finance, Investment and Banking
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Lowest historical GPA first. At least 100 letter grades over the five years through the
selected term. Grades reflect past outcomes, not workload or a guaranteed result.
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17 courses
Historical grades cover up to five years through the selected term. Only courses with at least 100 letter grades are ranked.
Introduction to corporate finance and investment concepts including valuation, capital budgeting, and financial markets.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course is consistently described as tough with hard exams and significant reading, particularly because Laplante wrote the textbook. Success requires substantial effort and ownership of one's education.
Covers the pricing and uses of common derivatives including options, forwards, futures, and swaps.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Briana Chang: Students report that the concepts are intuitive, but success requires avoiding being bogged down by the extensive formulas and information presented in lecture slides.
FINANCE 305 analyzes the U.S. financial system, its impact on economic activity and policy, and risk pricing.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Students must attend lectures as they are not recorded, but exam preparation is facilitated by direct alignment between lecture examples, homework, and tests.
FINANCE 340 teaches analysis of fixed income and bond markets, including bond pricing, trading strategies, and risk management for government and corporate securities.