| Department: | Accounting, Finance, & Economics / Rankin College of Business |
| Hours Required: | 120 |
| Categories: | Major, Minor, Undergraduate |
| Delivery: | On-Campus |
Finance majors learn money management skills valuable to businesses, organizations, and individuals. Finance graduates consistently rank among the highest average starting salary for any undergraduate major. In addition, opportunities exist in a wide range of specific financial fields. For example, real estate and personal financial planning are ideal for those with strong interpersonal skills who enjoy working with people. Meanwhile, financial analysis and risk management cater to those with strong analytical and mathematical backgrounds.
Topics Covered
In the first two years, students take a broad range of classes both in the College of Business and across campus. Upper-level courses focus on developing finance knowledge and skills.
- Classes include areas related to: Financial Management, Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits, Estate Planning, Insurance, Individual Tax, and Investment.
- Students are encouraged to obtain an internship related to their career plans. In the past, some of our students worked as interns for Ameriprise, BancorpSouth, Edward Jones, Farmers Bank & Trust, Mustard Seed Wealth Management, and State Farm Insurance.
- Students are encouraged to obtain an internship related to their career plans.
- Students are assigned a member of the finance faculty as an advisor to help with class scheduling, professional mentoring, and career placement.
Financial Planning Careers
- Personal Financial Advisor – assists clients with advice on investments, taxes, and even manage their finances. Job growth is predicted to be high. Can work in the finance and insurance industries or be self-employed. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/personal-financial-advisors.htm
- Our finance graduates are working as financial advisors for the following firms:
Edward Jones | Ameriprise | Merrill Lynch | Mustard Seed Financial
Student Engagement
- Students can join ENACTUS, a community of student, academic and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better more sustainable world. ENACTUS members are afforded numerous opportunities to network and participate in a variety of projects and trips.
- Students can participate in the Finance and Economics Society to meet other students, and network with financial professionals.
- Student can also participate in the Student Investment Advisory Council to manage endowment funds.
Faculty Expertise
- Some of our faculty possess extensive industrial experiences as a financial advisor.
- The finance faculty in the Rankin College of Business are highly skilled professionals, with doctorate degrees in the field or years of professional experience.
- Our faculty are strong scholars, having conducted research in banking, financial markets, small business management, asset valuation, and finance and economics education.
Learning Goals
- Graduates from the College of Business can communicate effectively.
- Our graduates are prepared to be socially responsible citizens.
- Our graduates can think critically, solve problems, and make informed decisions.
- Our graduates can use technology effectively in their fields.
- Our graduates have content knowledge in their chosen fields and the necessary skills to be successful.
University Requirement (2 hours)
GSTD 1002 – Freshman Seminar
General Education (35 hours)
Note: ECON 2103 – Principles of Microeconomics is required.
Business Core (54 hours)
ACCT 2113 – Survey of Accounting
ACCT 2003 – Principles of Accounting
FIN 2003 – Personal Finance
ECON 2203 – Principles of Macroeconomics
GBUS 2003 – Legal Environment of Business
GBUS 2013 – Statistics and Analytics I
IS 2053 – Business Information Systems
MGMT 2003 – Business Communications
Admission to the College of Business is required to enroll in the following courses:
FIN 3003 – Financial Management
GBUS 3183 – Statistics and Analytics II
IS 3023 – Introduction to Data Visualization
IS 3053 – Managing Information Systems
MGMT 3023 – Organizational Theory and Behavior
MGMT 3073 – Professional Communication Strategies
MGMT 4063 – Operations and Supply Chain Management
MGMT 4093 – Management Strategy and Policy
MKTG 3033 – Principles of Marketing
Select 3 hours from the following:
MGMT 4043 – International Business
MGMT 4313 – International Studies and Field Experience
MGMT 4101 – International Studies and Field Experience and MGMT 4102 – International Studies and Field Experience
Wealth Management (27 hours)
FIN 3023 – Financial Institutions and Markets
FIN 3053 – Investments
FIN 4003 – Advanced Financial Management
FIN 4023 – Life and Health Insurance
FIN 4063 – Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits
FIN 4073 – Estate Planning and Taxation
Select 9 hours from the following:
ACCT 3003 – Intermediate Accounting I
ACCT 3101 – VITA Experience
ACCT 3023 – Individual Income Tax
ECON 3093 – Economic Analysis for Decision-Making
ECON 4153 – History of Economic Thought
FIN 3013 – Enterprise Risk Management
FIN 3033 – Entrepreneurial Finance
FIN 4043 – Property and Casualty/Liability Insurance
FIN 4143 – International Finance
FIN 4153 – Finance Field Experience
GBUS 3983 – General Business Internship or FIN 3983 – Business Internship in Finance
Electives (2 hours)
2 hours of unrestricted electives
Total Hours – 120
Minor Requirements:
Finance Minor for Business Majors (15 Hours)
9 hours of upper-level Finance electives (may include ACCT 3133 – Fraud Examination and Prevention)
Select 6 hours from the following:
ACCT 3003 – Intermediate Accounting I
ACCT 3023 – Individual Income Tax
ACCT 3133 – Fraud Examination and Prevention
ECON 3093 – Economic Analysis for Decision-Making
Additional upper-level Finance electives
Total Hours – 15
AACSB International business and accounting accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Institutions that earn accreditation confirm their commitment to quality and continuous improvement through a rigorous and comprehensive peer review process.
