Finance

College: Business
Degree: BS
Specialized Admission: No

Description of Major

*Please Note: Face-to-face/in-person instruction of this program is available ONLY at the main campus in Tallahassee, FL. This program is NOT available via Online/Distance Learning.*

Finance is considered one of the basic functions of our private enterprise system. Each of the many firms, businesses, institutions, and governmental agencies in our economic system has the problem of obtaining, administering, and managing its funds efficiently and wisely. Finance is designed as preparation for a variety of financial careers.

In the first two years at FSU, students should take courses to complete the following: General Education requirements, Writing requirement, Diversity Course requirements, and Prerequisite Coursework requirements. Some courses may fulfill requirements in multiple areas. Electives in the first two years should focus on gaining additional exposure to the social and behavioral sciences, and on improving communication and analytical reasoning skills.

Prerequisite Coursework

Prerequisite Coursework (21 hours)

Each of the following courses must be completed with a final grade of C minus or better:
ACG X021 (3) Introduction to Financial Accounting
ACG X071 (3) Introduction to Managerial Accounting
* CGS X518 (3) Spreadsheets for Business or CGS X100 (3) Microcomputer Applications for Business or CGS X060 (3) Computer Fluency
ECO X013 (3) Principles of Macroeconomics
ECO X023 (3) Principles of Microeconomics
MAC X233 (3) Calculus for Business and Non-Physical Sciences (Higher level Calculus courses will be accepted.)
STA X023 (3) Business Statistics (Higher level Statistics courses will be accepted)

* Students taking CGS X100 or CGS X060 or other approved course will also need to take CGS 2518 at FSU.

Note: State-wide common prerequisites are always under review. For the most current information and for acceptable alternative courses, visit the “Common Prerequisites Manual.” This is available from the “Student Services” section of http://www.flvc.org .

Requirements

Admission Requirements to the Upper-Division Major
Admission to the Finance major requires the following:
1) completion of at least 52 semester hours;
2) a combined GPA on all prerequisite attempts of at a 2.500 or higher; and
3) satisfactory completion of all required prerequisite coursework.

Major Program of Studies at FSU: (49-52 hours) depending on whether CGS 2518 was taken as a prerequisite or not

*Courses taken at a community college may not be substituted for 3000/4000 level courses.*

Lower-Division Requirements (4 hours)
These courses are Term 5 milestones. Transfer students must complete them in their first term of enrollment at FSU.

RMI 2302 (3) Risk in Business and Society
GEB 1030 (1) Intro. to Professional Development

General Business Core Requirements for Finance majors (18 hours)
A final grade of C minus or better is required in each of the following (except FIN3403, which requires a B minus or better):

BUL 3310 (3) The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business
FIN 3403 (3) Financial Management of the Firm
GEB 3213 (3) Business Communications
ISM 3541 (3) Introduction to Business Analytics
MAN 3240 (3) Organizational Behavior
MAR 3023 (3) Basic Marketing Concepts

General Business Breadth Requirements for Finance Majors (9 hours)
Each of the following must be completed with a final grade of C minus or better.

FIN 3244 (3) Financial Markets, Institutions, and International Finance Systems
QMB 3200 (3) Quantitative Methods for Business Decisions
MAN 4720 (3) Strategic Management and Business Policy

Major Area Requirements for Finance Majors (18 hours)
Students must earn a final grade of B minus or better in FIN 3403 and a C minus or better in both FIN3244 and CGS 2518 to be eligible to enroll in any 4000 level FIN courses.

A final grade of C minus or better must be earned in FIN 4424, FIN 4504, and the two additional finance electives used to satisfy the finance major area requirements. A minimum GPA of 2.00 must be earned in courses used to satisfy the finance major area requirements.

All of the following (12 hours)
FIN 4424 (3) Problems in Financial Management
FIN 4504 (3) Investments
*ACG 3171 (3) Analysis of Financial Statement Presentation
*ACG 3331 (3) Cost Accounting & Analysis for Business Decisions

Plus any two (2) electives from the following list of courses (6 hours)
FIN 4324 (3) Commercial Bank Administration
FIN 4433 (3) Venture Capital and Private Equity
FIN 4453 (3) Financial Modeling and Forecasting
FIN 4514 (3) Security Analysis and Portfolio Management
FIN 4540 (3) Fixed Income
FIN 4730 (3) Strategic Consulting Finance
FIN 4934r (3) Senior Seminar in Finance
GEB 4455 (3) Perspectives on Free Enterprise
Either REE 4204 (3) Real Estate Finance or REE 4313 (3) Real Estate Feasibility Investment

*The two course sequence, ACG 3101 (Financial Accounting and Reporting I) and ACG 3111 (Financial Accounting and Reporting II), may be substituted for ACG 3171. ACG 3341 (Cost Accounting) may be substituted for ACG 3331.

Digital Literacy: (0 hours beyond prerequisites)
CGS 2060 (3) / CGS 2100 (3) and/or CGS 2518 (3) may be taken for admission. CGS2518 is a required pre-requisite for some upper-level coursework.

Oral Communication Competency: (0 beyond other requirements)
Business majors complete GEB 3213.

Minimum Program Requirements - Summary
Total Hours Required 120
General Education* 36
Prerequisite Coursework* 21
Major Coursework 49-52
Minor Coursework 0
Digital Literacy 0 beyond prerequisites
Oral Competency 0 beyond major

Electives to bring total hours to 120 (must complete at least 60 hours outside of Business)

*Some Prerequisite courses may also be counted as part of General Education requirements.

Mapping

Mapping is FSU’s academic advising and monitoring system. Academic progress is monitored each Fall and Spring semester to ensure that students are on course to earn their degree in a timely fashion. Transfer students must meet mapping guidelines to be accepted into their majors. You may view the map for this major at www.academic-guide.fsu.edu/.

Remarks

1. A minimum of 45 hours at the 3000 level or above, at least 30 of which must be taken at this University.
2. At least half of the major course semester hours must be completed in residence at this University. After enrolling at this University, all remaining major course requirements must be completed at this University.
3. The final 30 hours must be completed in residence at this University.

Employment Information

Salary Information: For more information go to: National Association of Colleges and Employers (www.naceweb.org) or the Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm) provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Representative Job Titles Related to this Major: Related to this Major: Comptroller, Bank Examiner, Director of Internal Finance, Securities Broker, Financial Manager, Treasurer, Financial Planner, Staff Analyst, Bank Trust Officer, Financial Associate, Financial Analyst, Commercial Loan Officer, Bank Branch Manager, Consumer Loan Officer, Commercial Associate, Cash/Treasury Management.

Representative Employers: Banks, Governmental Agencies, Consulting Firms, Brokerage Houses, Corporations, Small Businesses, Credit Unions, Non-profit Organizations.