Finance
The Finance minor prepares business majors and students to create value in any business type (for profit, non-profit, governmental, healthcare) by broadening their learning experience through coursework in financial topics including investments, actuarial science, corporate finance, and risk management. Elective classes allow students to tailor their minor based on their interests and acquire skills to enhance their job opportunities. Students with a finance minor not only differentiate themselves from other students in the job market but also take charge of their financial future and personal investment decisions.
MINOR
A minor must contain 15-18 semester hours of coursework, including at least 9 hours of upper-division courses at the 3000-4000 level. Courses taken to satisfy Core Areas A through E may not be counted toward completion of the minor, but courses taken in Core Area F may be used to fulfill minor requirements.
FOR BUSINESS MAJORS
| Required Courses*: | ||
| FINC 3101 | Intermediate Corporate Finance | 3 |
| FINC 3201 | Investments | 3 |
| Electives*: | ||
| Select three electives chosen in consultation with WSOB faculty advisor: | 9 | |
| Money and Banking | ||
| Real Estate Finance | ||
| Risk Management | ||
| Independent Study Finance | ||
| Special Topics in Finance | ||
| Other courses may be used as electives upon approval of the WSOB faculty advisor. | ||
| * Grade of C or higher required. | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Economics Courses
ECON 2105. Principles of Macroeconomics. 3-0-3 Units.
Describes and analyzes macroeconomic principles. Topics covered include the scope and method of economics, national income/output analysis, employment/ unemployment, inflation, fiscal policy, monetary policy, and international finance.(F, S)
Prerequisites: MATH 1101 or 1111 with a grade of "C" or better.
ECON 2106. Principles of Microeconomics. 3-0-3 Units.
Describes and analyzes microeconomic principles. Topics covered include demand and supply theory, output and price determination, market structure, income distribution, government regulation of business, labor organizations, and international trade.(F, S)
Prerequisites: MATH 1101 or 1111 with a grade of "C" or better.
ECON 3109. Managerial Economics. 3-0-3 Units.
Economics is frequently described as the science of decision-making under scarcity (at any given time we want more things than we can obtain, given available resources) and this is a good description of the subject of this course. Students will apply economic tools and basic statistics to solve managerial problems faced by entrepreneurs, managers and government regulators. Typical topics include demand analysis and estimation, consumer theory, cost functions, market structures and other microeconomics subject. (S) Co-requisite: FINC 3056.
Prerequisites: ECON 2105, ECON 2106, both with a "C" or better.
ECON 3110. International Trade. 3-0-3 Units.
An introduction to international trade, with a focus on comparative advantage and gains from trade. Covers conventional trade models, trade policy with a focus on tariffs and quotas, measurement of a nation's balance of payments, foreign exchange rate determination, and operation of the international monetary system, and global organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).(M)
Prerequisites: ECON 2105 (concurrent), ECON 2106 with a "C" or better.
ECON 3112. Money and Banking. 3-0-3 Units.
Presents a comprehensive upper-level course in financial institutions, financial markets, bank management, and money and banking. This introduction to the operation of the US financial system describes the US financial institutions, instruments and markets; explains how the financial system interacts with the rest of the economy; and considers how the system changes through time.(F)
Prerequisites: FINC 3056 with a “C” or better.
ECON 4101. Applied Econometrics. 3-0-3 Units.
Standard econometric techniques are applied to various topics in economics. Techniques include models for cross-section data, such as limited dependent variable models, selectivity techniques, count data models, and models for panel data. Students will conduct statistical analyses and model evaluation.(S)
Prerequisites: Statistics (one of the following: BUSA 2050, BUSA 2850, BUSA 3050, MATH 1401, or MATH 2200, all with a "C" or better.
ECON 4700. Independent Study Economics. 0-0-3 Units.
Supervised, in-depth individual research and study of one or more current topics in economics in conjunction with an associated major project. Students will be required to prepare a formal report and presentation of the research topic and project. Only available with coordination with economic faculty.
Prerequisites: ECON 2105, ECON 2106, and FINC 3056, all with a "C" or better.
ECON 4800. Special Topics in Economics. 3-0-3 Units.
Examines current, relevant topics in field of Economics. Each special topics course will cover a new current topic. Co-requisite: FINC 3056
ECON 4900. Economics Internships. 0-0-3 Units.
Provides students with on-site work experience in economics through a coordinated academic internship experience with a pre-approved employer. A portfolio chronicling the work experience, a project relating relevant academic literature to the economic internship experience, and a final presentation encompassing the entire internship experience are required to receive academic credit. By permission of the Internship Coordinator.(F,S)
Prerequisites: FINC 3056 (Grade "B" or Better), plus an additional 3 credit hours of upper division FINC or ECON, and 3 credit hours of any upper division business course, all with a "C" or better.
Finance Courses
FINC 3056. Principles of Finance. 3-0-3 Units.
Introduces students to financial management. Topics include the structure and analysis of financial statements, cash flow, time value of money, investment valuation, capital budgeting, long and short term financial decision making. (F, S) Co-requisite: BUSA 2850.
Prerequisites: ACCT 2102, COMM 1110, ECON 2105, ECON 2106, ENGL 1102, all with a "C" or better.
FINC 3101. Intermediate Corporate Finance. 3-0-3 Units.
The course introduces students to financial management. Topics include the structure and analysis of financial statements, cash flow, financial forecasting, determination of the cost of capital and the profitability of proposed investments in fixed assets, portfolio theory, and risk return tradeoffs that must be considered in using financial leverage.(F)
Prerequisites: BUSA 2850 and FINC 3056, both with a "C" or better.
FINC 3201. Investments. 3-0-3 Units.
Introduces financial assets and markets. Topics include an overview of security types, the role of risk in asset pricing, the capital asset pricing model, the efficient markets hypothesis, portfolio theory, characteristics of mutual funds in retirement accounts, stock options, future contracts, and valuation models for stocks and fixed income securities.(F)
Prerequisites: BUSA 2850 and FINC 3056, both with a "C" or better.
FINC 4112. Real Estate Finance. 3-0-3 Units.
Application of theoretical aspects of financial economics to explain real estate financial institutions and markets. Financial and economic methods are applied to residential and commercial real estate. Special topics include real estate in a portfolio, agency problems, and the influence of the legal environment.(F)
Prerequisites: BUSA 2850 and FINC 3056, both with a "C" or better.
FINC 4301. Risk Management. 3-0-3 Units.
The types, payoff and pricing of derivative securities and contracts and their application in managing financial risks faced by corporations. Topics include options, forwards, futures and swaps; managing foreign currency risk, interest rate risk, stock price risk, and commodity price risk; and risk management techniques.(S)
Prerequisites: FINC 3201 with a "C" or better.
FINC 4700. Independent Study Finance. 0-0-3 Units.
Supervised, in-depth individual research and study of one or more current topics in finance in conjunction with an associated major project. Students will be required to prepare a formal report and presentation of the research topic and project. Only available with coordination with Finance faculty.(F, S)
Prerequisites: FINC 3056 with a "C" or better.
FINC 4701. Finance Case Studies. 3-0-3 Units.
Empirical case studies in corporate finance. The modern theories of capital structure, dividend policy, corporate control, investment banking, and capital budgeting, emerging areas of research such as market microstructures, venture capital financing, and comparative international corporate finance.(S)
Prerequisites: ECON 3112, FINC 3101 and FINC 3201, all with a "C" or better.
FINC 4800. Special Topics in Finance. 3-0-3 Units.
Examines current, relevant topics in field of Finance. Each special topics course will cover a new current topic.
Prerequisites: FINC 3056 with a "C" or better.
FINC 4900. Finance Internships. 0-0-3 Units.
Provides students with on-site work experience in finance through a coordinated academic internship experience with a pre-approved employer. A portfolio chronicling the work experience, a project relating relevant academic literature to the finance internship experience, and a final presentation encompassing the entire internship experience are required to receive academic credit. By permission of the Internship Coordinator.(F,S)
Prerequisites: FINC 3056 (Grade "B" or Better), plus an additional 3 credit hours of upper division FINC, and 3 credit hours of any upper division business course, all with a "C" or better.