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
- demonstrate a working knowledge of corporate finance, financial institutions, markets, and instruments.
- gather, interpret, and analyze financial information.
- demonstrate knowledge of current issues related to finance.
Examples of Outcome Assessments
- Finance-related cases that require solving unstructured problems are used to assess problem-solving ability, research skills, and mastery of finance content.
- Written examinations are used to assess knowledge of the functional areas of finance.
- Oral presentations are used to assess knowledge of current finance issues.
Requirements for the B.B.A. with a Major in Finance
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Curriculum | 60 | |
| Core Areas A-E (See VSU Core Curriculum) 1 | 42 | |
| Area F Requirements 2 | 18 | |
| 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 Curriculum | 60 | |
| Required Senior College Core 2 | 21 | |
| DATA 3100 | Introduction to Data Analytics | 3 |
| DATA 3200 | Data Visualizations and Analytics | 3 |
| FIN 3350 | Financial Management | 3 |
| MGNT 3250 | Management and Organization Behavior | 3 |
| MKTG 3050 | Introduction to Marketing | 3 |
| International Option | 3 | |
Select one of the following: | ||
| International Economics | ||
| Multinational Corporate Finance | ||
| Introduction to International Business | ||
| International Marketing | ||
| International Management | ||
| BUSA 2999 | Career Development | 0 |
| BUSA 3999 | Experiential Learning | 0 |
| BUSA 4900 | Business Policy | 3 |
| Required Finance Core 2 | ||
| FIN 3360 | Advanced Financial Management with Digital Transformation | 3 |
| FIN 4520 | Investments | 3 |
| FIN 4760 | Modern Financial Intermediaries & Risk Management | 3 |
| Finance Electives 2 | 12 | |
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 2 | 9 | |
Any 3000- or 4000-level business courses not selected above | ||
| General Electives 3 | 9 | |
Electives may be undergraduate and/or graduate business and/or non-business courses 4 | ||
| Total hours required for the degree | 120 | |
| 1 | If ECON 2105 is taken in Area E, the grade must be a "C" or better. |
| 2 | The grade in each of these courses must be a “C” or better. |
| 3 | If PERS 2799 Personal Finance is not taken in Area B, it must be taken as a general elective. |
| 4 | No more than 9 hours of MBA or MAcc courses may be counted toward the major. |
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.).
