Program Overview

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Business Administration — Finance Concentration, BA

Introduction

The Business Administration program has been designed to prepare students for leadership roles in business and the community. One program objective is to provide students with the perceptual and analytical skills necessary in making decisions and evaluating policy in business; another is to develop student understanding of the social, economic and regulatory environment of business. The program is designed for students with a variety of career goals, including opportunities with financial institutions, manufacturing and retail firms, service industries and the public sector.

Learning Competency Goals

• Demonstrate breadth of business knowledge
• Produce quality business documents
• Analyze problems using an ethical perspective
• Analyze the legal implications of business decisions
• Critically analyze problems and defend resolutions
• Solve business problems using quantitative techniques
• Apply a global perspective in conducting business
• Identify and analyze social consequences of business activities
• Understand the importance of environmental sustainability

Why Consider a Finance Concentration in the Business Administration Major?

The field of Finance encompasses many different areas including investments, financial institutions, corporate finance and real estate. Coursework is offered in each of these areas as well as courses in options and futures, multi-national finance and insurance. A graduate with a concentration in Finance may work as a financial securities or loan officer analyst, as well as a business financial manager, portfolio manager, or financial planner stockbroker.

Student Resources

• Department website: Finance and Marketing
• Degree Works: Current students should also log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.
• Career Services Center: Connect major to a career
• Sample careers: Mutual Fund Manager, Chief Financial Officer, Investment Banker, Financial Planner, Claims Adjuster/Examiner, Actuary, Financial Analyst, Appraiser

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process)

How to apply

Students who meet the requirements will be assured of admission if space is available in the department program of choice. For consideration as a pre-major, provisional major or full major, complete the online application form.

Pre-major

Students who have not completed their foundation course work may apply to the College and be given pre-major status. Pre-major status is granted to students who are at least sophomore level, or who have been identified as top quintile students, and who, at the time of application, meet the following requirements:

• Minimum of a 2.50 cumulative college-level GPA including all previous institutions.
• Minimum of 2.50 cumulative GPA in all courses taken at Western.
• Students must have a WWU cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher to be considered in good academic standing with the University.

Students with pre-major status may only enroll for foundation or core courses listed. Their progress will be monitored by the College and they will attain full major status upon successfully completing the foundation courses and meeting the admission criteria above.

Full major

For admission to the College of Business and Economics as a full major (except majors in economics and manufacturing and supply chain management) a student must meet the following requirements:

• Minimum of 2.50 cumulative GPA after having completed all foundation courses. The cumulative GPA is calculated on all college-level course work completed by the student, including any transfer work.
• Minimum of 2.50 cumulative GPA in all courses taken at Western.
• Students must be in good academic standing with the University.

Students who meet the requirements will be assured of admission if space is available in the department program of choice. For economics and manufacturing and supply chain management admissions requirements, see the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Grade Requirements

A grade of C- or better is required for a student’s major or minor courses, and supporting courses for majors and minors.

Requirements (86-88 credits)

Foundation Courses (30 credits)

• ACCT 240 - Financial Accounting (4 credits)
• ACCT 245 - Managerial Accounting (4 credits)
• DSCI 205 - Business Statistics (4 credits)
• ECON 206 - Introduction to Microeconomics (4 credits)
• ECON 207 - Introduction to Macroeconomics (4 credits)
• MATH 157 - Calculus with Applications to Business and Economics (4 credits)
• MGMT 271 - Law and the Business Environment (4 credits)
• MIS 220 - Introduction to Business Computer Systems (2 credits) (or equivalent)

Core Courses (26 credits)

• BUS 310 - Introduction to Professional & Career Readiness (1 credit)
• BUS 410 - Professional & Career Readiness as a College Graduate (1 credit)
• DSCI 305 - Applied Business Statistics and Analytics (4 credits)
• FIN 341 - Principles of Finance (4 credits)
• MGMT 311 - Introduction to Management and Organizational Behavior (4 credits)
• MIS 320 - Principles of Management Information Systems (4 credits)
• MKTG 380 - Principles of Marketing (4 credits)
• OPS 360 - Operations Management (4 credits)

Advanced Core (4 credits)

• One course from:
  • MGMT 492 - Entrepreneurial Problems (4 credits)
  • MGMT 495 - Strategic Management (4 credits)

Finance Concentration Courses (28 credits)

• FIN 440 - Investments (4 credits)
• FIN 441 - Intermediate Financial Management (4 credits)
• FIN 444 - Financial Institutions and Markets (4 credits)
• One course from:
  • FIN 448 - Portfolio Analysis and Management (4 credits)
  • FIN 449 - Cases in Financial Management (4 credits)
  • FIN 455 - Equity Analysis (4 credits)
• Take one Communication Focus (CF) course and a minimum of three writing proficiency points in approved upper-division writing proficiency courses (WP) at WWU with a minimum grade of C-. The CF and WP courses must be taken within CBE and can be completed as part of the above required and elective courses, prior to graduation.
• Accounting and Business majors must complete a minimum of 90 credits in areas other than accounting and business administration.

Two courses from the list below:

One of these courses must be a 400-level course. (FIN 448, FIN 449 or FIN 455 may be used as one of these courses if not used for the requirement above.)

• FIN 345 - Real Estate (4 credits)
• FIN 442 - Multinational Corporate Finance (4 credits)
• FIN 443 - Topics in Finance (4 credits)
• FIN 446 - Derivatives Markets (4 credits)
• FIN 447 - Commercial Bank Management (4 credits)
• FIN 450 - Financial Analytics (4 credits)
• FIN 454 - Risk Management and Insurance (4 credits)
• FIN 455 - Equity Analysis (4 credits)
• FIN 456 - Commercial Real Estate Investment (4 credits)

One course from the list below:

• FIN 460 - Finance Apprenticeship (4 credits)
• FIN 490 - Internship in Finance (1-4 credits)
• Or any FIN course listed above (FIN 345, 442, 443, 446, 447, 450, 454, 455, 456) except any duplication of finance courses. FIN 455 may be used for this elective as long as it has not been used for either the concentration courses requirement or other elective requirements.
• ACCT 331 - Cost Management (4 credits)
• ACCT 341 - Intermediate Accounting Theory and Practice I (4 credits)
• ACCT 375 - Taxation and Business Decisions (4 credits)
• ECON 306 - Intermediate Microeconomics (4 credits)
• ECON 307 - Intermediate Macroeconomics (4 credits)
• ECON 310 - Public Sector Economics (4 credits)
• ECON 411 - Monetary Economics (4 credits)

University Graduation Requirements

• General University Requirements
• Writing Proficiency Requirement (WP)
• 180 Minimum Total Credits
• 60 Minimum Upper Division Credits
• Residency Requirement
• Minimum Grade Requirements
• Final Quarter Requirement