Financial Risk Management with R — Duke University

Duke University

Offered by Duke University on the course platform, this course teaches you how to calculate portfolio returns and quantify market risk using the R programming language. Covering Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES), the course provides essential skills for financial market analysts in banks, hedge funds, insurance companies, and investment firms.

Duration

16 hours

Level

Intermediate

Deadline

No Deadline

🌐 Available Languages: English
📅 Last Updated: 2026-03-24

📋 Prerequisites

A beginner-level understanding of R programming is required to complete assignments. Basic knowledge of statistics and probability is helpful. Some learners report that intermediate R skills may be needed.

👥 Who Should Take This Course

  • Financial analysts seeking quantitative risk management skills
  • Data scientists interested in financial applications of R
  • Finance students preparing for careers in risk management
  • Investment professionals at banks, hedge funds, and insurance firms

📚 What You Will Learn

1

Introduction to R, RStudio, and Financial Data Sources

2

Calculating Portfolio Returns from Multiple Securities

3

Value-at-Risk (VaR) Under Normal Distribution Assumptions

4

Expected Shortfall (ES) and Tail Risk Measurement

5

Volatility Clustering and GARCH Models

6

Advanced Risk Metrics and Real-World Applications

🏛️ About the Institution — Duke University

Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina, consistently ranked among the top 25 universities worldwide. Duke's Fuqua School of Business and its finance programs are highly regarded in the financial industry.

Founded

1838

Location

Durham, North Carolina, USA

Recognition

#21 Global University — QS World University Rankings

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What programming language does this course use?
The course uses R with Microsoft Open R and RStudio. You will retrieve financial data from sources like FRED and Yahoo Finance, and perform risk calculations using R packages.
What is Value-at-Risk (VaR)?
Value-at-Risk is a statistical measure that estimates the maximum potential loss of a portfolio over a given time period at a specified confidence level. It is one of the most widely used risk metrics in the financial industry.
Is this course part of a specialization?
Yes, this course is part of Duke University's Financial Management Specialization on the course platform, which includes additional courses on financial theory, accounting, and corporate financial decision-making.

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