Advanced Corporate Finance

The Wharton School

Finance and Wealth Management

About Programme

In today's global economy, identifying and responding to fast-moving financial developments requires an objective framework to analyze and evaluate the opportunities and risks. Senior-level finance executives need a firm grounding in issues like capital structure, risk management, financial technologies, and mergers and acquisitions, to remain competitively relevant.

Wharton's Advanced Corporate Finance program offers a deep dive into the areas of corporate finance required for senior finance executives to make informed decisions and mitigate financial risk, including a macroeconomic view of today's global economy. Led by Wharton's renowned faculty, this program brings finance executives up-to-date on issues such as fintech and financial regulations, which are currently changing and disrupting the corporate landscape. Finance executives who must be out in front of such disruptions will benefit from this program.

Programme Content

Advanced Corporate Finance makes use of Wharton's world-class academic and theoretical finance research expertise, along with rigorous quantitative analysis and real-world application. This program employs a variety of instructional modalities that enhance the learning experience, including in-class discussions, case work, small group breakout sessions, and role playing.

Wharton finance faculty — globally recognized for their research — are responsible for designing and conducting this program, while the participants come from top-ranked international companies. Together, you will explore new and key finance concepts, and expand your global outlook while enhancing your knowledge and performance.

In Advanced Corporate Finance, you will address issues like the capital structure question: Raise funds through debt, equity, or a combination of both? You will also explore real-time concerns like managing cross-border risks in today's global economy, and valuing and assessing the financial and risk implications of strategic decisions.

Harnessing these insights can give your organization a competitive advantage in a marketplace where companies are seeking new ways to procure capital, engage in mergers and acquisitions, and increasingly make high-value cross-border decisions.

Capital Structure: Debt vs. Equity; Capital Markets

Global Trends: Macroeconomics, Regulation, and Financial Technology

International Corporate Finance: Valuation and Risk

Mergers & Acquisitions

Capital Structure: Debt vs. Equity; Capital Markets

Global Trends: Macroeconomics, Regulation, and Financial Technology

International Corporate Finance: Valuation and Risk

Mergers & Acquisitions

Professor Itay Goldstein talks about Advanced Corporate Finance in this interview on Wharton Business Radio, SiriusXM.

Programme Audience

Advanced Corporate Finance is a fast-paced, comprehensive program designed for senior leaders in banking as well as executives in other industries who have strategic financial oversight of their company/division and wish to strengthen or broaden their understanding of corporate finance.

Potential participants can come from various industries (including the banking and financial services industries) and should have a finance-related job or be in a finance track. Job titles or roles include:

CEO, CFO, President

Controller, Treasurer

Senior Vice President, Vice President

Fluency in English, written and spoken, is required for participation in Wharton Executive Education programs unless otherwise indicated.

This program is held at the Steinberg Conference Center located on the University of Pennsylvania campus in Philadelphia. Meals and accommodations are included in the program fees. Learn more about planning your stay at Wharton’s Philadelphia campus .

To further leverage the value and impact of this program, we encourage companies to send cross-functional teams of executives to Wharton. We offer group-enrollment benefits to companies sending four or more participants.

Programme Benefits

Consider how your financial institution or firm can effectively manage risk in today's uncertain economy

Determine whether it is more efficient to take on debt, offer equity, or do a combination of both when making capital structure decisions

Examine how valuation models change when making international financial decisions

Gain insight into the direction of the global economy, and how interest rates and regulatory changes will impact your corporate financial decisions

Understand the complexities of mergers and acquisitions

Testimonials

"I was particularly interested in the fintech discussions because that’s very relevant to my work. I have a broad knowledge of finance but I don’t know much about the fintech sector. I have seen many startups in cryptocurrencies, in blockchain, etc., but there’s no systematic summary of this industry to tell you what’s good and what the shortcomings are. This class was very valuable because it told me what’s happening in the tech end of finance. It really helped me understand the ecosystem. It was a good update for me since I’ve been away from business school for a number of years. Taking the program has helped me to better evaluate investment opportunities in this sector. I liked the professors. I think they are very professional, not only in certain topics, but they have a broad knowledge base. They connected the dots for us, because some participants had experience in certain areas (such as fintech, mergers and acquisitions, startups, large companies) but not in other areas, and wanted to learn more. I loved the course; I would give it 5 stars out of 5. I think it’s perfect for executives in the financial industry. I enjoyed my experience at Wharton and would consider coming back for other courses in the future."

Carly Xiao

U.S. Investment Lead, Midea Group

"I am in the operations part of our business, and I am closely involved in finance. I am thinking of moving into a position that has a focus on investments and M&A, so I was looking for a program that would provide me with the basics since I do not have a degree in finance. All of the sessions were rich in terms of content, delivery, and perspective, but I got the most from those on financial management, corporate valuation and M&A. I now have a much better understanding of the factors that are influencing the market and the sector that I work in, as well as the motivations and dynamics involved in different capital strategies. Many of the companies I work with are getting ready to sell, or are focused on buying other companies, so it is very helpful to better understand the mechanics of what they are going through. I’m now able to have conversations around why they are taking the steps they are taking, and how the financial dimension works in terms of reaching their strategic objectives. The real strength of the program is that it provides both the broad framework of understanding the capital structure of companies and many specific examples of the decision-making associated with that capital structure in all phases of a business’s life cycle. Only three of the participants in the program were from the United States, the rest were from around the world. I really enjoyed hearing their viewpoints, particularly about global economic trends. We spent five days in the classroom, and Wharton made it easy to stay focused on the material because distractions were eliminated. Everything was provided for you in terms of meals and accommodations. You never had to even think about where to get a coffee during a break."

Paul Ingholt

Senior Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton

"I have deep knowledge of finance and business strategy, and have been involved in M&A for 25 years. Despite this experience, there is always room for greater professional development. In fact, you can never know enough, given the pace of change in business. That is what led me to Wharton. The content delivered by the finance faculty in this program is already adding value for our clients."

William Fink

Executive Vice President, Head of US Middle Market Banking, TD Bank

"The program is a must for senior executives to appreciate the intricacies of competing globally, to gain a sophisticated understanding of universal trends such as the current macroeconomic environment and fintech, and to acknowledge the business risks and know to mitigate them through proper valuation. I was fully inspired by the course, and ready to drive global success for my firm. I also appreciated the opportunity to network with highly experienced and diverse professionals."

Geraldine Longid

Director of Finance—Asia Pacific, Russell Reynolds Associates

Testimonial Source