Finance

Opus College of Business

Department of Finance

Samarakoon (chair), Babula, Barabanov, Baxamusa, Combs, Daugherty, Gerend, Jaiswal-Dale, Le, Reagan, Samarakoon, Spry, Vang, Zhang

Finance plays a pivotal role in business decisions across all functional areas of business. A strong foundation in finance is highly valued by employers and provides excellent career options and flexibility upon graduation. The UST finance courses and the degree program prepare students for careers in all areas of finance. Broadly, students gain in-depth knowledge and develop important analytical skills in the areas of corporate finance, investments and portfolio management, financial institutions and banking, and global finance. The finance degree program requires students to acquire training in the interrelated areas of accounting, economics and information technology as well.

Finance graduates find career opportunities in the interrelated areas of corporate finance, accounting, investments, security analysis, asset management, financial planning, commercial and investment banking, private equity and venture capital, real estate, insurance, and risk management. Typical job titles of finance graduates include financial analyst, security analyst, equity analyst, research analyst, budget analyst, financial advisor, financial planner, financial consultant, loan officer, account specialist, treasury assistant, portfolio assistant, and financial manager, among others.

Business Core Courses:

• BUSN 100: Business for the Common Good (2 credits)
• ENTR 100: Introduction to Entrepreneurship & Innovation (2 credits)
• ACCT 100: Principles of Accounting I (4 credits)
• BUSN 200: Business Learning Through Service (0 credit)
• ACCT 200: Principles of Accounting II (2 credits)
• OPMT 200: Operations & Supply Chain Management (2 credits)
• FINC 310: Core Financial Management (2 credits)
• MKTG 200: Introduction to Marketing (2 credits)
• MGMT 200: Working Skillfully in Organizations (2 credits)
• BLAW 300: Law for Business Leaders I (2 credits)
• BETH 300: Ethical Principles in Business (2 credits)

Note: The required core business courses (BUSN 100, ENTR 100, ACCT 100, ACCT 200, BUSN 200, FINC 310, OPMT 200, MKTG 200, MGMT 200, BETH 300, BLAW 300) must be completed by the end of the sophomore year. Transfer students who have not had an equivalent course must complete these courses by the end of their first semester, junior year.

Elective Courses in Business Core:

• Eight credits from undergraduate courses with designations ACCT / BETH / BLAW / ENTR / FINC / MGMT /MKTG / OPMT / REAL. These credits may be taken in courses within the department of the student's business concentration. Transfer credits with these designations must be at the 300 level or above.

Concentration Courses:

• FINC 311 Advanced Financial Management (2 credits)
• ACCT 311 Intermediate Accounting I (4 credits)
• FINC 324 Corporate Finance (4 credits)
• FINC 325 Investments (4 credits)

Plus twelve credits from the following:

• FINC 350 Finance on Wall Street (4 credits)
• FINC 351 Emerging Financial Markets – China (4 credits)
• FINC 410 Derivatives (4 credits)
• FINC 430 Financial Intermediaries (4 credits)
• FINC 440 Security Analysis and Portfolio Management (4 credits)
• FINC 442 Fixed Income Securities (4 credits)
• FINC 450 International Financial Management (4 credits)
• FINC 480 Strategic Finance (4 credits)
• REAL 380 Real Estate Finance and Investment (formerly REAL 460) (4 credits)
• FINC 490 Topics (4 credits)
• FINC 445 Investment Management I (4 credits)
• FINC 446 Investment Management II (4 credits)

Allied requirements:

• CISC 200 Introduction to Computer Technology and Business Applications (4 credits)
• ECON 251 Principles of Macroeconomics (4 credits)
• ECON 252 Principles of Microeconomics (4 credits)
• DASC 120 Introduction to Computational Statistics (4 credits)

Plus four credits from the following:

• MATH 109 Calculus with Review II (4 credits)
• MATH 111 Calculus for Business and Social Science (4 credits)
• MATH 113 Calculus I (4 credits)

Note: The math requirement must be completed by the end of the sophomore year.

Plus four credits from the following:

• ECON 311 Forecasting (4 credits)
• ECON 315 Introduction to Econometrics (4 credits)

The minor in Finance enables non-finance majors to develop their knowledge and skills in finance and thereby increase their employment and career prospects.

Required courses (8 credits)

• FINC 310 Core Financial Management (2 cr)
  • Prerequisites: ACCT 100, DASC 120 (or STAT 220) or MATH 313 or STAT 314, ECON 251 or ECON 252, Sophomore standing
• FINC 311 Advanced Financial Management (2 cr)
  • Prerequisite: FINC 310

Plus one of the following:

• FINC 324 Corporate Finance (4 cr)
  • Prerequisites: FINC 311
• FINC 325 Investments (4 cr)
  • Prerequisites: FINC 311

Plus 10 credits from the following electives (at least 2 credits from FINC):

• FINC 201 Personal Financial Planning (2 cr) or FINC 401 Financial Advising (2 cr)
• FINC 314 Introduction to Financial Technology (4 cr)
• FINC 315 Cryptocurrency and Blockchain (2 cr)
• FINC 316 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Finance (2 cr)
• FINC 324 Corporate Finance (4 cr) or FINC 325 Investments (4 cr)
• FINC 350 Finance on Wall Street (4 cr)
• FINC 351 Emerging Financial Markets (4 cr)
• FINC 410 Derivatives (4 cr)
• FINC 430 Financial Intermediaries (4 cr)
• FINC 440 Security Analysis and Portfolio Management (4 cr)
• FINC 442 Fixed Income Securities (4 cr)
• FINC 450 International Financial Management (4 cr)
• FINC 475 Financial Modeling and Analytics (4 cr)
• FINC 480 Strategic Finance (4 cr)
• FINC 490 Topics (4 cr)
• REAL 200 Real Estate Principles (4 cr)
• REAL 380 Real Estate Finance and Investment (4 cr)
• ACCT 311 Intermediate Accounting I (4 cr)
• ACCT 312 Intermediate Accounting Il (4 cr)
• ENTR 370 Entrepreneurial Financial Resource Management (4 cr)
• ENTR 385 Venture Capital and Early Stage Deal Analysis (4 cr)
• ECON 341 International Monetary Systems (4 cr)
• ECON 335 Money, Financial Markets and Economy (4 cr)
• ACSC 264 Theory of Interest (4 cr)

Courses may have additional prerequisites not covered by minor requirements.

Students pursuing a major in Financial Management are not eligible for the Finance minor.

Financial planning and wealth management is the process of identifying and setting financial goals and developing a plan to achieve them. This involves establishing investment objectives and goals, determining the investment time horizon and appropriate level of risk tolerance, creating an investment portfolio, and monitoring its performance and reporting. This also involves providing investment advice and recommendations. The key areas of study in investment planning include Principles of Financial Planning, Insurance Planning, Investment Planning, Tax Planning, Retirement Savings and Income Planning, Estate Planning, and Financial Plan Development.

Curriculum:

Required courses (6 - 8 cr):

• FINC 310 Core Financial management (2 cr)

OR

• FINC 300 Finance for non-business majors (4 cr)

• FINC 304 Principles of Investments** (2 cr)
  • (pre-req: FINC 300 or FINC 310)

OR

• FINC 325 Investments**** (4 cr)

Financial Technology encompasses the use of new technology to deliver products and services in the financial services industries such as banking, investments, trading, insurance, accounting, and risk management. FinTech companies use innovative technology to streamline, automate, and deliver more convenient, secure, and affordable services to consumers and businesses than conventional financial institutions.

Curriculum

Financial Technology Total 12 Credits

Required courses (8 cr):

• FINC 314 Introduction to Financial Technology (4 cr)
• FINC 315 Cryptocurrency and Blockchain (2 cr)
• FINC 316 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Finance (2 cr)

Choose 4 credits from the following:

• FINC 475 Financial Modeling and Analytics (4 cr)
• ECON 311 Forecasting (4 cr)
• ECON 315 Introduction to Econometrics (4 cr)
• CISC 130 Intro. to Programming & Problem Solving in the Sciences (4 cr)
• CISC 131 Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving (4 cr)
• CISC 200 Introductory Computer Technology & Business Applications (4 cr)