Finance Major, B.B.A.

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Description

Finance is concerned with the process, institutions, markets, and instruments involved with the transfer of money among individuals, businesses, and governments.

What careers can this major prepare you for?

Graduates with a finance major enjoy a high rate of employment in leadership positions at all levels of financial management for careers in public or private corporations, not-for-profit organizations, and government. Finance majors typically embark on careers in asset management, commercial banking, corporate finance, financial planning, investments, insurance, real estate, or risk management. Samples of jobs held by CSU graduate with a finance degree include: Bank Trust Officer, Bond Analyst, Bond Trader, Budget Analysts, Cash Accountant, Chief Financial Officer, Commercial Banker, Comptroller, Credit Analysts, Currency Analyst, Derivatives Trader, Equity Analyst, Financial Analyst, Financial Manager, Financial services sales agent, Import/Export Facilitator, Insurance Underwriters, International Project Manager, Investment Underwriters, IPO Manager, Loan Officers, Merger & Acquisition Specialist, Mutual Fund Manager, Personal financial advisor, Project Manager, Research Analyst, Financial Consultant, Risk Management Specialists, Treasurer, Venture Capitalist, Currency Trader.

What skills are developed within this major?

Skills developed within this major include: Analytical and quantitative skills; professionalism and ethics; critical thinking; and communication.

Specialization Areas:

Investment Management
Management of Financial Institutions
Real Estate
Financial Management

Admission to Major

No requirement other than good academic standing in the College of Business Administration.

Hours Required for Degree

Minimum hours required for degree: 120

Minimum hours required for major: 33 credit hours: 30 credit hours of Finance courses and one additional non-Finance elective are required beyond the College Core requirements.

Major-Field Requirements

The requirements for a major in Finance are as follows: complete 9 credit hours of Finance core courses (FIN 353 - Introduction to Investments , FIN 360 - Financial Markets & Institutions and FIN 362 - Introduction to Corporate Finance ) beyond FIN 351 , 21 credits of finance elective courses and one 3-credit course from a department-approved list of courses. Please consult with a department chair for specific recommended courses. The Finance major must earn at least a grade of C or better in FIN 351 - Introduction To Financial Management and in the three required core courses in the major (FIN 353 , FIN 360 , and FIN 362 ). The Finance major must also earn a grade of C or better in the finance elective courses.

Required Courses - 9 credit hours

Electives - Choose seven courses (21 credit hours) from below

Non-Finance Elective - Choose one course (3 credits) from the list below

Honors Program/University Scholars Requirements

The following upper-division requirements apply for honors/scholars students who select a major in either the BBA or BSCS programs in the Monte Ahuja College of Business Administration.

Students will be required to take a minimum of 15 credit hours of upper-division (i.e., 300- and 400-level) honors courses in the College of Business Administration. General guidelines for these credit hours are given below. However, the specific courses that each student takes will be agreed upon by the student and the student’s honors/scholars advisor.

Honors Courses

A minimum of 15 hours of honors credits will be taken as follows:

Honors Thesis (required in senior year, three credit hours). Each honors/scholars student will conduct a piece of original research and write and present a thesis in his or her major area under the supervision of a faculty member from that department. This new Honors Thesis course will be available in each department and designated with the following titles and course numbers for each major as appropriate: ACT 499H - Honors Thesis in Accounting ; CIS 499H - Honors Thesis ; FIN 499H - Honors Thesis in Finance ; INB 499H - Honors Thesis in International Business ; IST 499H - Honors Thesis in Information Systems ; MGT 499H - Honors Thesis in Management and Labor Relations ; MKT 499H - Honors Thesis in Marketing ; and OSM 499H - Honors Thesis in Operations and Supply Chain Management .
Honors Internship (required in either junior or senior year, three credit hours). Each honors/scholars student will engage in an internship experience in which the student will gain work experience in an organizational environment related to the student’s area of interest. The student may choose to either sign up for the regular internship experience within the departments that offer such courses already (i.e. ACT 490 , FIN 490 , INB 490 , MGT 490 , MKT 490 , or OSM 490 ), or enroll in a new course, BUS 490 , that will serve those majors that do not already have an internship available.
Honors Courses (minimum of nine credits). Honors/Scholars students in business will also be required to take at least three honors courses within the College of Business Administration, with at least one course (minimum of three credit hours) within the major. These honors courses will be created via a contract between honors/scholars student and a cooperating faculty member. The contract allows for any 300- or 400-level business or computer science course to be modified to become an honors course. The honors/scholars student and the faculty member agree to a contract that spells out how the course will be modified to provide an appropriate learning experience for the honors student. The contract, including a copy of the revised syllabus and an explanation of how the honors version of the course differs from the regular version, is then submitted to the department chair for approval. The student then registers for the honors version of the course, but attends a regular section of the course that the cooperating faculty is teaching. The honors section of the course is designated with the regular course number with the letter H added to designate that the student is enrolled in the honors version of the course (e.g., MKT 301H - Introduction to Marketing). Only the approved honors/scholars student is allowed to register for the course under the honors number. The designation of an H course needs to be approved by the director of the university’s honors/scholars program.
Honors credits can be used to replace a maximum of 16 credit hours of required major courses, major electives, or free electives, with the approval of the honors advisor.

Honors/Scholars Advisor

Each honors student will select an advisor from among the approved honors/scholars advisors in the department. The advisors will advise honors students and supervise the honors thesis course as well as the honors internship. The honors/scholars advisors will assist the students in designing their honors experience, including choosing their honors courses, identifying a thesis topic, and arranging for an internship.