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FIN20040

Academic Year 2026/2027

Foundations of Finance (FIN20040)

Subject:
Finance
College:
Business
School:
Business
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
John Kelly
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module is an introduction to modern finance. An understanding of corporate finance is essential in an ever changing and dynamic business environment and this module will introduce the fundamental skills required. Topics covered include corporate governance and agency theory, valuation of bonds and stocks, capital investment decisions, cost of capital, and introduction to portfolio theory.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completing this module, you will be able to:
Describe the goal of corporations and agency problems.
Apply the techniques of capital budgeting and conduct basic project analysis.
Value bonds and common stocks.
Calculate firms' cost of capital.
Understand risk diversification and the security market line.

Indicative Module Content:

1.Intro to Corporate Finance & Corporate Governance
2.Financial Statement Analysis
3.Time Value of Money and Discounted Cash Flow
4.Bond Valuation and Markets
5.Equity Valuation and Markets
6.Net Present Value and Other Investment Criteria
7.Making Capital Investment Decisions
8.Risk, Return, and Security Market Line
9.Cost of Capital

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

100
Lectures

20
Tutorial

4
Total

124

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Face-to-Face

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
ECON20190 - Introduction to Financial Econ, FIN10670 - Introduction to Finance, FIN20010 - Principles of Finance


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Exam (In-person): Thorough assessment of all topics End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
70
 No
Exam (Online): In-person Timed Mid-term Test: Multiple Choice/Short Answer Question test on Brightspace will be given in Week 9. Week 9 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
20
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Bloomberg Market Concepts: a 4-module online course that provides an introduction to the financial markets. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
10
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Corporate Finance by Hillier, Ross, Westerfield & Jordan, 5th European Edition

Name Role
John Kelly Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Lan Huong Hoang Tutor

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Wed 11:00 - 12:50
Autumn Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 5, 7, 9, 11 Tues 16:00 - 16:50
Autumn Tutorial Offering 2 Week(s) - 5, 7, 9, 11 Thurs 09:00 - 09:50
Autumn Tutorial Offering 3 Week(s) - 5, 7, 9, 11 Mon 14:00 - 14:50
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