Message
from from Banking and Finance:
Dear Students,
As a Director of the Banking and Finance program, I am delighted to be collaborating with you supporting your educational journey.
The Banking and Finance program is equipped to provide you with the knowledge, skills, and experiences required to succeed in your future professions and make valuable contributions to the banking and financial sector in Saudi Arabia. Our curriculum was designed in collaboration with top national and international universities. Developed by HASS School of Business, University of California Berkeley, USA and tailored specifically to the Saudi market by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
I am fully committed to supporting your success, assisting your achievements, and allocating time for extra-curricular activities, side by side with your classes. In exchange, I expect you to work hard in your class and to participate in the department's various activities and look for opportunities to give back to our community.
I'm excited to follow your development and successes as you start along this fascinating financial career path.
Sincerely
Dr. Layla Khoja,
Assistant Professor
Director of the Banking and Finance program
About the Finance Islamic Track
Islamic finance has been introduced as a track in the banking and finance program to meet the requirements of the labor market and bridge the skill gap in this field. The Islamic financial industry has significantly grown attracting funds from all over the world and becoming a strong competitor to the conventional sector. Nevertheless, this growth has not been matched with the availability of qualified professionals. Hence, this new track will provide students with the necessary skills to academically and professionally prepare them to be able to handle the challenges faced by this dynamic field. Accordingly, the curriculum was developed using courses and teaching strategies which develop the students' analytical knowledge and skills.
Program Mission
Graduating professionals equipped with knowledge, skills, and values in the areas of banking, investment, and finance within an academic environment that encourages scientific research and community engagement.
Program Goals
- Expand the Banking and Finance program in alignment with job market needs.
- Enrich the Banking and Finance profession by graduating qualified professionals.
- Increase research opportunities in the area of Banking and Finance.
- Renew NCAAA accreditation for the Banking and Finance program.
- Promote Banking and Finance profession to the community.
Why Choose the Banking and Finance Program at Dar Al-Hekma University
- The banking and finance curriculum combines theory and concepts with practical skills needed in the job market.
- The program associates itself with the industry through strong links with prominent employers and prepares its graduates to meet the requirements of the industry.
- The curriculum was designed in collaboration with top national and international universities and developed by the Hass School of Business at the University of California Berkeley, USA and tailored specifically to the Saudi market by King Fahd University.
- The program is accredited by the National Commission of Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA).
- The faculty of the program are a mix of highly qualified international and national scholars who hold degrees from reputable world-class universities.
Admission Requirements
Programs
| Linguaskill Score
| Required Certificate Percentage
| Qudurat Test Score
| Othe Admission Requirement
|
|---|
Bachelor of Banking and Finance
(Islamic Finance Track)
| 162 or above
| 80%
| 65%
| None
|
For further details about admissions,click here
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, graduates will be able to:
Knowledge
- Explain concepts, principles, and practices related to Business.
- Identify fundamentals and theories related to Banking and Finance.
- Recognize the implications of domestic and foreign influences on financial markets and financial institutions.
Skills
- Demonstrate the ability to critically analyze, manage, and make decisions to deal with the challenges and complexities of the national and global business environment.
- Use techniques and methods of inquiry to collect, manage, and interpret data that would support strategic decisions.
- Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills.
- Apply appropriate techniques to evaluate various scenarios related to corporate finance, investment, commercial and Islamic banking, and risk management.
- Demonstrate analytical and research-based problem-solving skills to formulate financial decisions and recommendations.
Value
- Demonstrate an understanding of community engagement, and professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities.
- Work independently and/or as part of a team.
Plan of Study
|
Year One |
|---|
|
Semester – Fall |
Semester – Spring |
|---|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
| BBUS 1301 | Introduction to Business | 3 | MATH 1303 | Calculus | 3
|
| MATH 1301 | College Algebra | 3 | BECO 1201 | Principles of Microeconomics | 2 |
| BMKT 1301 | Principles of Marketing Management | 3
| BACC 1301 | Principles of Financial Accounting | 3 |
| ICTC 1301 | Information and Communication Technology | 3 | BBIS 1301 | Information Systems Foundations
| 3 |
| COMM 1301 | Communication Skills I
| 3 | BMGT 1301 | Principles of Management | 3 |
| ARAB xxxx | Arabic Studies | 3 | ISLS xxxx | Islamic Studies | 3 |
|
Total Credit Hours |
18 |
Total Credit Hours |
17 |
|
Year Two |
|---|
|
Semester – Fall |
Semester – Spring |
|---|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
| BFIN 2302 | Financial Management | 3 | BBUS 2302 | Quantitative Analysis for Management | 3 |
| BACC 2301 | Principles of Managerial Accounting | 3 | IBNF 2302 | Introduction to Islamic Banking and Finance
| 3 |
BECO 2301
| Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 | BMGT 2301 | Principles of Organizational Behavior
| 3 |
| BSTA 2301 | Statistics for Business | 3 | ARAB xxxx | Arabic Studies | 3 |
| COMM 1302 | Communication Skills II | 3
| ISLS XXXX | Islamic Studies | 2 |
| ITAI1201 | Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
| 2 | XXXX xxxx | Required General Ed Electives (HUMN, NASC, SBSC) | 3 |
|
Total Credit Hours |
17 |
Total Credit Hours |
17 |
|
Year Three |
|---|
|
Semester – Fall |
Semester – Spring |
|---|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
| BMGT 3301 | International Business Management | 3 | BMGT 3304 | Strategic Management | 3
|
IBNF 3302
| Intermediate Islamic Banking and Finance
| 2 | BNFN 3304 | Investment Banking | 3 |
BFIN 3301
| Financial Modeling | 3 | BBUS 3302
| Research Methodology | 3 |
| BNFN 3302 | Commercial Bank Management | 3 | EMOI 1201 | Emotional Intelligence | 2 |
| BNFN 3303 | Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management | 3 | IBNF 3303
| Islamic Commercial Law | 3 |
| ENTR 3301 | Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking | 3 | XXXX xxxx | Required General Ed Electives (HUMN, NASC, SBSC) | 3 |
|
Total Credit Hours |
17 |
Total Credit Hours |
17 |
|
Year Four |
|---|
|
Semester – Fall |
Semester – Spring |
|---|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
| BBUS 4301 | Risk Management of Islamic Financial Institutions | 3 | IBNF 4204
| Sukuk - Structuring, Practices and Operations | 3 |
IBNF 4302
| Islamic Capital Markets and Asset Management | 3 | BNFN 4303 | Internship: Banking and Finance | 3 |
| XXXX xxxx | School/Program Elective | 3 | BNFN 4304 | Financial Policy | 3 |
| BBBF 1101 | Basic Body and Brain Fitness | 1 | XXXX xxxx | Free Electives | 3 |
| ISLS xxxx | Islamic Studies | 2 |
| XXXX xxxx | Free Electives | 3 |
|
Total Credit Hours |
15 |
Total Credit Hours |
12 |
Career Prospects
The program equips students with the necessary skills that qualify them for a variety of career paths/jobs in the market including, but not limited to:
- Financial analyst
- Banker
- Financial manager/officer
- Financial markets analyst
- Fund/Investment manager
- Financial advisor/consultant
- Financial planner
- Investment analyst
- Investment banker
- Insurance specialist/officer
- Real estate manager
- Stock broker
- Portfolio manager
- Bank manager/officer
- Development banks/Institutions officer
- Venture capital professionals
- Sharia compliant specialist (Students from the Islamic track)
Islamic Finance Track Course Descriptions
BSBF 2310 Principles of Financial Accounting (3) Prerequisites: BSMK 1300This course provides students with the fundamentals of financial accounting. It explains accounting concepts, theory and procedures for proprietorships, partnerships and corporations. The course covers the accounting cycle as reflected in the sequence of accounting procedures used to record, classify and summarize accounting information in financial reports. All these topics and other advanced topics of financial accounting are discussed in relation to the Saudi business environment.
BSBF 1320 Principles of Microeconomics (3) Prerequisites: MATH 1301This course introduces the basic economic concepts related to individual decision makers in the economy: households, businesses and governments. It focuses on the definition of economic problems and market systems and addresses factors of production and public expenditures issues. The course analyzes consumer and firm behaviors in different market structures.
BSBF 2311 Principles of Managerial Accounting (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 2310This course provides an overview of the fundamentals of managerial accounting, with emphasis on the accumulation and usage of cost data. It also covers accounting systems, decision making, cost analysis, budgeting, management evaluation and control.
BSBF 2340 Financial Management (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 2310This course focuses on the basic theories, concepts and analytical techniques in Financial Management. It focuses on goals, objectives and functions of the financial manager as well as analysis of financial statements. It interprets the different risk and return measures which are deemed to serve as the basis for making financing and investment decisions. The course also emphasizes on financial assets valuation and the evaluation of capital budgeting projects for making investment decisions. All topics are discussed in relation to the Saudi business environment.
BSMK 4305 Operation management (3) Prerequisites: BSMK 1300, BSBF 3331The course provides a broad introduction to operations management and the associated tools and techniques that support the design, planning and improvement of systems or processes. The course develops awareness of the different aspects of operations, including; process flow, scheduling, inventory, layout and risk, and explores ways in which these can be represented to improve business decision making. Students will develop systematic and critical thinking skills essential to understanding, managing and improving operations in a broad range of industries and business contexts.
BSBF 2321 Principles of Macroeconomics (3) Prerequisites: MATH 1301This course introduces macroeconomic analysis related to economic relationships. It covers national income accounting and determination, business cycles, aggregate demand, aggregate supply, inflation, unemployment, fiscal and monetary policies, money and banking, economic growth and development, and international trade. It focuses on the characteristics of the Saudi business environment in business operations.
BSBF 2330 Data Analytics and Visualization (3) Prerequisites: STAT 2301This course aims to provide the necessary tools to analyze statistical information critically. It describes the data analysis process involving collecting, wrangling, mining, and visualizing data. A foundation for employing tools for data visualization and story development is also provided by the course. This course also covers business applications using statistical inference and hypothesis-testing techniques for business problem-solving and decision-making.
BSBF 3331 Business Analysis (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 2330This course provides an overview of business quantitative analysis methods. The course further emphasizes how managers can use this approach to design and control business processes to increase profitability and decrease costs for the organization. Quantitative procedures are introduced through situations that include both problem formulation and technique application integrated with computer software.
BSMK 4307 Strategic Management (3) Prerequisites: BSMK 2302, BSMK 230This course provides an overview of strategic management concepts and theories, and their importance to the organization, industry and society. It covers the analyses, decisions and actions an organization undertakes in order to create and sustain competitive advantage. It presents an insight into the successful operation of an organization in a complex global economy. This course addresses these operational issues in the Saudi business environment.
BSMK 2303 Business Ethics and Social Responsibility (3) Prerequisites: BSMK 1300, BSMK 1301This course introduces ethical issues and dilemmas which arise in business contexts. It provides ethical concepts and frameworks that are relevant to resolving business problems. The course covers moral principles in business, ethical dilemmas and issues facing individuals and organizations, and safeguards to maintain ethics in business.
BSMK 1301 Principles of Marketing Management (3) Prerequisites: NONEThis course focuses on marketing principles and the basic marketing decisions facing a firm. It emphasizes the assessment and understanding of the marketplace, marketing strategies, including segmentation, targeting and positioning, product, price, place, and promotional strategies. The course also provides a framework for understanding and implementing these strategies in the local market.
BSMK 4306 Legal Environment of Business (3) Prerequisites: BSMK 1300The course provides essential information concerning the legal environment in which businesses operate. It introduces legal concepts that affect business activities with emphasis on legal reasoning and problem-solving skills that can be applied in a business context. All the aspects of law covered in this course are examined from both international and Saudi law perspectives.
BSMK 1300 Introduction to Business Administration (3) Prerequisites: NoneThis course gives an understanding of the aims of business activity and overview of the environment in which business works. All course topics are covered in relation to both the international business environment, in general, and to Saudi business environment, specifically. It outlines major local, regional and international groups within and outside business and their influences on business organizations. It also addresses the different forms of business organizations. The course also covers the main components of a typical business plan.
BSMK 2304 International Business Management (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 2321, BSMK 1300This course focuses on the nature and scope of international business and introduces the three environments in which international business managers must operate. It also provides an understanding of domestic, international, and foreign environments. It addresses the concepts of international business in local market conditions.
BSMK 2302: Strategic Human Resource Management (3) Prerequisites: BSMK 1300This course introduces the field of human resources management and its main functions. It identifies the influence of internal and external forces on human resource practices of firms, with a focus on the Saudi business environment. It also covers the strategic role of human resources management in achieving an organization’s competitive advantage. The course emphasizes the main success measures for human resource activities, job analysis and design, recruitment and selection, performance and evaluation management, training and development, and career planning. The course also introduces the increasing role of technology in the field of human resource management, in terms of human resource information systems internally and social media, externally.
BSBF 3350 Commercial Bank Management (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 2340This course focuses on the skills and competencies necessary for understanding, analyzing, and applying the concepts and theories of investment in the Business environment. It provides an understanding of the return generating process of assets, including stocks and bonds, and the measurement of relevant risks. In addition, it details how various assets can be combined in efficient portfolios within the mean variance framework and how investment performance can be evaluated. The course also provides an insight into the operations of the stock market and the approaches to investment decisions, namely technical and fundamental analysis.
BSBF 3351 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 2340This course introduces the management theory and practice relevant to banking institutions. It focuses on the evaluation of commercial banks' financial statements and performance. It assesses the asset-liability management strategies applied in commercial banks. It also evaluates the management strategies of different uses and sources of funds in commercial banks. The course emphasizes on the Saudi Commercial Banking practices and laws.
BSBF 3342 Risk Management of Financial Markets and Institutions (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3350This course provides an understanding of the process of financial intermediation. It identifies the role of financial institutions and financial markets in the process of capital formation in the economy. It emphasizes the operations of money versus capital markets and the operations of key financial institutions. It also provides a deep understanding of how to identify, measure and manage risks in financial institutions. The focus is on interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, foreign exchange risk and liquidity risks.
BSBF 3352 Islamic Banking and Finance (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3350
This course aims to introduce students to the main principles of Islamic banking and finance and Islamic contract law. It shows the difference between Islamic and conventional banking models. It offers an insight into the regulatory framework and governance structure in Islamic banks. The course focuses on the major Islamic products and services offered by Islamic banks. It also provides an insight into the current practices of Islamic banking and finance industry and emphasizes on the Islamic risk management practices. All topics are discussed in relation to the Saudi business environment.
BSBF 3353 Financial Technology (FinTech) (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3350This course provides the necessary skills to solve financial problems. The course emphasizes on the use of MS Excel for developing financial models related to building, analyzing, and forecasting financial statements, common stock and bond valuation, capital budgeting for project appraisal, and portfolio management. The course also covers a variety of methods for risk modeling such as sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis and Monte Carlo simulation.
BSBF 4355 Investment Banking (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3350, BSBF 4343This course introduces the concepts and scope of investment banking. It focuses on the primary functions of investment banking such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A), initial public offering (IPO), leveraged buyouts (LBO) and corporate restructuring and the different valuation methods. It also covers ethical issues and the regulatory framework of investment banking. All topics are discussed with reference to the Saudi Market.
BSBF 3341 Financial Modeling (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3331, BSBF 3350This course provides the necessary skills to solve financial problems. The course emphasizes on the use of MS Excel for developing financial models related to building, analyzing, and forecasting financial statements, common stock and bond valuation, capital budgeting for project appraisal, and portfolio management. The course also covers a variety of methods for risk modeling such as sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis and Monte Carlo simulation.
BSBF 3354 Internship: Banking and Finance (Completed in summer) (3) Prerequisites: Co-BSBF 3341, Co-BSBF 3342This course provides the opportunity to gain knowledge through actual job experience in the profession. Internships represent job experience which is aimed at supplementing the classroom learning process to allow familiarization with real world experiences related to the Banking and Finance profession. The internship program period covers 360 hours of working experience applied at a bank or a related financial institution locally or internationally.
BSBF 4343 Corporate Finance (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3351This course discusses the goals of the financial manager and presents the analytical methods and practices of modern financial management. It addresses in more depth, various financial management topics and issues. Major finance concepts and theories are presented together with their applications. Analytical tools are to be used to determine the ways in which the value of a corporation is maximized.
BSBF 4344 Senior Project I (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3350, BSBF 3351, GERM 3301This course is a comprehensive capstone designed for final-year students to apply their academic and professional skills in a major project relevant to their field. It allows for the integration of interdisciplinary knowledge to address real-world challenges or conduct significant research. Under the supervision of the faculty member, students may work alone or in teams to plan, design, execute, and present their projects, demonstrating mastery of their subject. The process includes developing a proposal, conducting a literature review, choosing methodologies, analyzing data, and culminating in a detailed report and presentation.
BSBF 4345 Senior Project II (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 4344This course is an advanced course that follows Senior Project I. This course focuses on the implementation, completion, and presentation of the project initiated in Senior Project I, emphasizing the application of theoretical knowledge to practical, real-world situations.
Program Elective
Year 1: Semester One
BSBF 4348 International Finance (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3350, BSBF 3342This course provides the foundation of financial management of organizations operating in a multinational setting. It introduces the operations of foreign exchange market. It evaluates the use of derivatives in the foreign exchange market, and the differences between foreign exchange exposures. It will also evaluate the different financing strategies for firms operating globally. The course additionally discusses the operations of international trade finance.
BSBF 4347 Real Estate Investment (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 2321, BSBF 3351This course introduces the relationships among real estate market, and the macroeconomic environment. The course identifies the main variables that influence the real estate financing. It evaluates different real estate financial vehicles and real estate investment projects. Also, it implements various valuation methods of real estate properties.
BSBF 4349 Selected Topics in Banking and Finance (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3350, BSBF 3351The goal of this course is to achieve an understanding of current topics in the field of Banking and Finance. It investigates different issues and areas in finance at an advanced level. An emphasis will be put on the link between theory, practice and the profession and industry needs. The specific topics to be discussed in the course may vary from year to year.
BSBF 4322 International Macroeconomics (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 1320, BSBF 2321This course teaches students how to develop the models relating to international macroeconomics introduced in prior courses. It examines national income accounting, money and financial assets, labour markets, inflation, economic growth, monetary and fiscal policy, and financial crises. The course utilizes this analysis to illustrate the ways in which issues in macroeconomics affect the relationship between states and other international actors.
BSBF 4333 Advanced Data Analytics (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3331This course introduces a variety of Machine Learning techniques using Python to tackle real-world business problems. This course provides both supervised and unsupervised learning, as well as develops dimensionality reduction, and creates software and algorithms that can generate data-driven predictions and decisions.
BSBF 4312 Intermediate Accounting I (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 2311This course introduces the conceptual framework of financial accounting, which rules the basics of accounting treatments for various enterprises' transactions on the basis of IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards). It also covers the problem of accounting measurement of different types of assets, their evaluation, and their disclosure in financial statements.
BSBF 4346 Financial Policy (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 4343This course introduces the application of the theory, tools and methods acquired in finance and other business courses to real finance problems. It evaluates the financial health of the firm based on financial analysis and forecasting techniques. It focuses on setting appropriate financial policies for making financial decisions in relation to capital budgeting projects, mergers and acquisitions and IPOs. It also emphasizes on the effects of changes in the capital structure, cost of capital and dividend policy on the firm’s value. It mainly utilizes the case method of instruction.
Islamic Finance Track
BSBF 4361 Intermediate Islamic Banking and Finance (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3352
The course is an extension of the course Introduction to Islamic Banking and Finance. It explores the Islamic finance principles, practices, performance, problems and prospects in a deeper manner. It exposes the students to more advanced concepts and specific issues in the practice of Islamic banking and finance. It also provides an insight into topical issues relating to Islamic financial instruments, Islamic asset and fund management and related risk management issues. This course offers a comprehensive insight into the regulatory framework that comprises Islamic capital markets.
BSBF 4362 Islamic Capital Markets and Asset Management (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 4361, BSBF 3342, BSBF 3352
This course provides an overview of the application of Islamic finance principles in developing the Islamic capital markets. It also discusses the global capital market instruments such as Sukuk, securitization, structured finance, and project finance. It explains the structure, governance, dynamics and operations of Islamic capital markets in general as well as Islamic capital market instruments. It provides an up-to-date analysis of current Islamic investment techniques. It addresses important products and instruments for hedging Islamic investment portfolios in order to protect and preserve the wealth in a Shariah-compliant manner. The course examines these concepts and their applications in the context of Saudi Arabia.
BSBF 4363 Islamic Commercial Law (3) Prerequisites: BSBF 3350
This course introduces students to the concepts, principles and applications of Islamic commercial law known as Fiqh Mua’malāt and the corresponding Shariah maxims (القواعد الفقھیة). It highlights the core principles of Islamic commercial transactions. It also examines the applications of Islamic contracts by Islamic financial institutions. The course also covers the Sharia standards issued by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and regulations/guidelines issued by the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB). All topics are discussed in relation to the Saudi and Gulf business environment.
