This is an archived copy of the 2021-2022 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.valdosta.edu.

The courses in the finance program: (1) provide an understanding of the importance of financial information and decision-making for businesses, government, investors, and creditors; (2) teach students how to acquire, process, and analyze information; (3) provide rigorous training for finance careers in industry, financial institutions, and government.

Educational Objectives of Finance Majors

A finance graduate will be able to

  1. demonstrate a working knowledge of corporate finance, financial institutions, markets, and instruments.
  2. gather, interpret, and analyze financial information.
  3. demonstrate knowledge of current issues related to finance.

Examples of Outcome Assessments

  1. Finance-related cases that require solving unstructured problems are used to assess problem-solving ability, research skills, and mastery of finance content.
  2. Written examinations are used to assess knowledge of the functional areas of finance.
  3. Oral presentations are used to assess knowledge of current finance issues.

Requirements for the B.B.A. with a Major in Finance

Core Curriculum60
Core Areas A-E (See VSU Core Curriculum) 142
Area F Requirements 218
Applied Business Statistics
The Environment of Business
Fundamentals of Computer Applications
Principles of Microeconomics
Principles of Accounting I
and Principles of Accounting II
Finance Major Curriculum60
Required Senior College Core 221
DATA 3100Introduction to Data Analytics3
DATA 3200Data Visualizations and Analytics3
FIN 3350Financial Management3
MGNT 3250Management and Organization Behavior3
MKTG 3050Introduction to Marketing3
International Option 3
Select one of the following:
International Economics
Multinational Corporate Finance
Introduction to International Business
International Marketing
International Management
BUSA 2999Career Development0
BUSA 3999Experiential Learning0
BUSA 4900Business Policy3
Required Finance Core 2
FIN 3360Advanced Financial Management with Digital Transformation3
FIN 4520Investments3
FIN 4760Modern Financial Intermediaries & Risk Management3
Finance Electives 212
Any 3000- or 4000-level ACCT, BUSA, ECON, FIN, HCAD, IB, MGNT, or MKTG courses not listed above. At least 6 hours must be FIN 4000-level courses.
Business Electives 29
Any 3000- or 4000-level business courses not selected above
General Electives 39
Electives may be undergraduate and/or graduate business and/or non-business courses 4
Total hours required for the degree120

Accelerated Undergraduate-to-Graduate Track

Contingent upon acceptance in to the Accelerated Undergraduate-to-Graduate Track, students wishing to pursue a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) or a Master of Accountancy (M.Acc.) at Valdosta State University may take up to 9 semester hours of graduate-level coursework (courses numbered 5000 or above) that will count toward Business electives for their major or toward general electives for the undergraduate degree.

Acceptance in to the Accelerated track requires:

1.  written notification by an LCOBA professional advisor from the Student Engagement Center to the LCOBA Director of Graduate Programs of her/his willingness to serve as the student's Accelerated Undergraduate-to-Graduate Track advisor.

2.  completion of 75 credit hours of undergraduate coursework: 

a.  at least 15 hours must be LCOBA courses, with at least a 3.0 GPA for those LCOBA credits; and

b.  a grade of “C” or better must be earned in each of those LCOBA courses.

3.  an overall GPA in undergraduate course work of at least 3.0.

Graduate courses taken as an undergraduate will count toward the 120-hour graduation requirement but will not count toward the student’s undergraduate GPA or the calculation of academic honors.

Upon acceptance into the Accelerated Undergraduate-to-Graduate Track in the M.B.A. or M.Acc., students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 to remain in good standing. Students who do not maintain good standing or who do not wish to continue with the Accelerated Undergraduate-to-Graduate Track may revert to their original track to complete the remaining requirements for their undergraduate business degree (B.B.A.).