Current instructor
Original student reviews · all captured dates
This was one of the most disorganized classes I've taken. Expectations and grading were unclear, and communication felt minimal throughout the semester. I often felt unsupported in understanding the material. I would recommend other instructors if you prefer clearer structure and guidance.Rate My Professors ↗
Very hard to follow lectures that don't exactly correlate with exam materials. Lots of talk about topics he finds interesting rather than course relevant. Easy grader but having him actually grade anything is rare, as on the day of the final the midterm grade wasn't even visible in Canvas. Course is decently interesting but hard to take from ErakerRate My Professors ↗
Professor Eraker taught an interesting class; however, the lectures were difficult to follow and take notes on due to tangents and frequent back and forth between slides in class. It's incredibly important to pay attention to detail in the slides, and reference them frequently for studying and assignments.Rate My Professors ↗
He is very smart but lectures can be all over the place. I have no interest in the subject so they were boring to me, and I taught myself everything right before tests, but that's not really his fault. Midterm was difficult but he provided lots of practice materials and graded generously. This class could've been torture but he made it manageable.Rate My Professors ↗
Bjorn is polarizing. Yes he may be disorganized, unprepared at times. He doesn't update grades on Canvas. However, he is the most passionate prof in finance. He LOVES his subject and that is infectious. Take his course if you actually care to learn about derivatives, not to ace exams. However, his exams are always very easy if you pay attention.Rate My Professors ↗
Bjorn is the best professor I have had at UW-Madison. You can tell that he truly cares about all of his students and that he is deeply passionate about the course material. He is very approachable and makes students feel understood as well.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Covers the pricing and uses of common derivatives including options, forwards, futures, and swaps.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.37 GPA, 60.6% A/AB (n=71 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.33 GPA, 55.2% A/AB (n=174 letter grades); Fall 2025: 2.99 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=172 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026FINANCE 990 is an independent research course for Ph.D. students to complete their dissertation requirement.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
FINANCE 999 is an independent study course for PhD students to conduct individualized research work.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sample| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | FINANCE 330 | Derivative Securities |
| Fall 2026 | FINANCE 990 | Finance Independent Research Phd Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | FINANCE 999 | Reading and Research-finance Phd |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
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