2022-2023 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance
The finance program provides students with an understanding of financial definitions, concepts, relationships, and strategies involving individuals, financial institutions, and non-financial business activities. This 19 credit hours program is designed to provide fundamental knowledge for careers in banking, financial management, investments, portfolio management, and financial planning. It recognizes that finance is becoming an increasingly complex and critical area in the overall management and success of all types of organizations, institutions, business, and others, and for individuals as well.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Generally, 80 to 90 percent of finance graduates report finding jobs directly related to their major, giving them one of the highest placement rates among new Grand Valley State University graduates. Graduates obtain careers in business and personal finance, investments, banking, insurance, real estate, government, and international financial management. You may become a financial analyst, credit analyst, commercial lender, bank branch manager, mutual fund/pensions manager, project finance manager, cash manager, capital budgeting manager, or financial planner.
Seidman Investment Portfolio Organization (IPO), a student business organization, provides many opportunities to explore different avenues of finance. Students who participate in IPO will gain valuable investment experience by helping to manage a $120,000 stock portfolio.
Website: gvsu.edu/finance
Accreditation
All BBA programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
Participating Programs
Financial Planning Certificate Program gvsu.edu/seidman/fp/
The Seidman Financial Planning Certificate Program (SFPC) is a non-credit program that fulfills a growing demand among financial planning professionals for the or certified financial planner CFP® certification. Those who successfully complete this CFP Board-Registered Program will be qualified to sit for the CFP® Certification Examination.
The SFPC program consists of six non-credit courses that cover insurance, investments, retirement, personal income tax, estate planning and a capstone case course. All of the courses in the program follow guidelines established by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. Texts are selected from the bibliography provided by Certified Financial Planner Boards of Standards Inc. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing certification requirements.
Requirements for the B.B.A.
Core Courses
All business core courses acquaint you with various fields in business and help you learn to communicate, to interact, and to assume responsible positions in your chosen field.
For the B.B.A., you must complete the following courses.
- ACC 212 - Principles of Financial Accounting (3 credits)
- ACC 213 - Principles of Managerial Accounting (3 credits)
- BUS 201 - Legal Environment for Business (3 credits)
- BOTH ECO 210 - Introductory Macroeconomics (3 credits) AND ECO 211 - Introductory Microeconomics (3 credits)
OR ONLY ECO 200 - Business Economics (3 credits) - Upper-division economics course (not ECO 490) (3 credits)
- FIN 320 - Managerial Finance (3 credits)
- MGT 268 - Business Processes and Management Information Systems (3 credits)
- MGT 331 - Managing People and Organizations (3 credits)
- MGT 366 - Operations Management (3 credits)
- MGT 495 - Administrative Policy (3 credits)
- MKT 350 - Marketing Management (3 credits)
Students are required to select one class from the following list. This course may count toward the major or minor if applicable.
- ACC 333 - Corporate Governance and Accounting Ethics (3 credits)
- ECO 440 - Public Economics and Ethics (3 credits)
- FIN 330 - Ethics in Finance (3 credits)
- MGT 340 - Ethics and Business, Social Justice, and Sustainability (3 credits)
- MGT 438 - Business Ethics (3 credits)
- MKT 375 - Marketing Ethics (3 credits)
Required Business Electives
Three upper-division business courses are not applied to the major or minor (nine credits total). However, these courses can be applied toward a second business major if one is declared.
Electives Courses
Students may elect nonbusiness or business courses to fulfill their elective course requirements. Students may apply up to six hours of internship and independent research credit, in any combination, toward their degree requirements. Business majors may not take any of the major courses, except the internship and study abroad courses, on a credit/no-credit basis.
Requirements for a Major in Finance
Business Core
- FIN 321 - Investments (3 credits)
- FIN 322 - Intermediate Managerial Finance (3 credits)
- FIN 422 - Advanced Managerial Finance (3 credits)
- STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits)
Quantitative group - choose one:
- MTH 122 - College Algebra (3 credits)
- MTH 125 - Survey of Calculus (3 credits)
- MTH 201 - Calculus I (4 credits)
- PHI 103 - Logic (3 credits)
- MGT 361 - Management Science (3 credits)
Additional Courses
Include three additional finance courses at the upper level (at least one at the 400-level) that is not an internship.
Note: Some financial institutions require a minimum of 12 credits of accounting for students who plan to seek positions as credit analysts.