Best professor I've ever had, very engaging and funny lecturer and incorporates fun stories. He's very smart, well-spoken and breaks down complex concepts so that they're easy to understand. I've taken 320 and 330 with him and wish he could teach all my classes. Very accessible outside of class and happy to help. Can't say enough good things!!Rate My Professors ↗
Current instructor
Adam Smedema
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Adam is a great guy and is super passionate about finance. He is insanely smart so he can digress, but he will really give you a deep understanding about finance. Goofy and funny, wants you to do well.Rate My Professors ↗
Took the class 4 years ago. Still using knowledge from the class today. Best I've ever had.Rate My Professors ↗
Amazing professor - the best I have had. Very caring guy who keeps lectures interesting with his funny comments and stories. Grade consists of 5 exams. Exams are relatively easy, as he releases practice exams that cover (almost) all of the concepts needed for the exam. Highly recommend.Rate My Professors ↗
Best professor I have had. He makes class interesting with his stories and random comments, and it is clear that he is passionate about finance. Extremely willing to help outside of class. Exams are easy with practice questions very similar to (or the same as) the exam questions. Highly recommend.Rate My Professors ↗
One of, if not my favorites in the finance department. Great at explaining the complicated concepts in derivatives, great course administration with online lectures, and fair exams.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with Adam Smedema
Derivative Securities
3 creditsCovers pricing and uses of common derivatives such as options, forwards, futures, and swaps, with outcomes in no-arbitrage derivation, trading strategies, and risk hedging.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 3.49 GPA, 68.5% A/AB (n=92 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.53 GPA, 79.2% A/AB (n=120 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.50 GPA, 75.8% A/AB (n=120 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Derivative Securities: Theory and Practice covers pricing and uses of options, forwards, futures, and ETFs, emphasizing portfolio trading via an online platform with mathematical and statistical analysis.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 3.57 GPA, 86.7% A/AB (n=15 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.67 GPA, 88.9% A/AB (n=9 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.74 GPA, 92.0% A/AB (n=25 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sampleRecorded teaching history
Distinct courses recorded per term
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | FINANCE 330 | Derivative Securities |
| Spring 2027 | FINANCE 730 | Derivative Securities - Theory and Practice |
| Fall 2026 | FINANCE 340 | Fixed Income Securities |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
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