Finance, Bachelor of Science
Program Purpose
The Bachelor of Science degree program in Finance is designed to prepare students for careers in: finance, both at the corporate and small business level; financial planning; stock brokerage firms; and financial institutions. The program focuses on providing the student with both practical and theoretical training in the field of finance.
Program of Study
Course offerings focus on skills and competencies that enhance students’ knowledge of finance. The program provides a balanced array of course work in finance at the junior and senior levels. Students also have opportunities to pursue internships in various areas of finance. In addition, the general education requirements provide a well-rounded academic foundation.
Wilmington University students benefit from the training and experience of finance professionals who serve as faculty. The classroom atmosphere is conducive to information sharing, creative thinking, and the exploration of areas of personal interest.
Cooperative Learning Experiences
Cooperative learning experiences (co-op) are available in the Finance program for FIN 301 Personal Finance and FIN 302 Financial Planning. Depending on the co-op experience available and the student’s course completion schedule, other courses such as BBM 301 Organizational Behavior may also be completed as co-ops. Elective courses may also be structured as co-ops. Each co-op experience is expected to last for two consecutive semesters and earn the student six credits toward their 120-credit degree.
To be eligible for the co-op the student must have completed 60 credits and have a minimum 2.5 GPA. The student must contact the office of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) one semester before they would like to begin their co-op assignment. Once an opportunity description is secured, the WIL office will seek credit approval of the experience from the Finance Program Chair.
Program Competencies
In addition to achieving the Wilmington University undergraduate graduation competencies given in the Academic Information section of this catalog, this program will provide students a comprehensive curriculum in financial studies (both domestic and international) that includes the theories, principles, and applications of modern financial management.
Graduating students will:
- Demonstrate effective information literacy and communication with valid and reliable research.
- Apply ethical standards as required by finance professionals.
- Integrate financial terms, concepts and theories affecting corporations, brokerage firms, insurance companies and financial institutions (banks, credit unions, pension funds, etc.).
- Exercise critical thinking skills in the analysis and evaluation of financial information in order to formulate appropriate decisions and recommendations.
Minimum Grade Policy
Students pursuing a degree in Finance are required by College of Business policy to attain a minimum grade of “C” for all program core courses. For the purpose of this policy, program core courses are all finance courses. These courses are designated by the prefix “FIN.”
Curriculum - General Education Requirements (39 credits)
English Composition (12 credits)
Humanities (6 credits)
| VFP 313 | Aesthetics of Film | 3 |
| DSN 110 | Fundamentals of Drawing | 3 |
| TEC 215 | Basic Photography | 3 |
| COM 245 | Writing for the Media | 3 |
| | Culinary Arts Elective | 3 |
| | Drama Elective | 3 |
| | Ethnic Studies Elective | 3 |
| | Fine Arts Elective | 3 |
| | Foreign Language Elective | 3 |
| | History Elective | 3 |
| HUM | Humanities Elective | 3 |
| | Literature Elective | 3 |
| | Music Elective | 3 |
| | Philosophy Elective | 3 |
| | Religion Elective | 3 |
Social Science (6 credits)
Mathematics (3 credits)
| MAT 205 | Introductory Survey of Mathematics | 3 |
Natural Science (3 or 4 Credits)
| | Natural Science Elective | 3 or 4 credits |
Computer Operations (3 credits)
| CTA 326 | Integrating Excel into Business Problem Solving | 3 |
Critical Analysis (3 credits)
| PHI 100 | Introduction to Critical Thinking | 3 |
Citizenship (3 credits)
Business Core (30 credits)
BBM 301: available as a co-op
FIN 305: Upper Level finance (FIN) courses are not offered every semester. Students should plan ahead by completing all pre-requisites as soon as possible in order to take the junior and senior level finance courses when they are offered.
Finance Program Core (33 credits)
FIN 301: available as a co-op
FIN 301, FIN 302, FIN 410: Upper Level finance (FIN) courses are not offered every semester. Students should plan ahead by completing all pre-requisites as soon as possible in order to take the junior and senior level finance courses when they are offered.
FIN 306: FIN 305 is the Prerequisite to FIN 306, with the exception of the Organizational Management program, which has the Prerequisite of FIN 300.
Select one of the following two courses:
| BBM 411 | Operations and Systems Management | 3 |
| HRM 311 | Human Resource Management | 3 |
Select one of the following two courses:
| FIN 411 | Investments and Security Analysis | 3 |
| FIN 412 | Financial Institution Management | 3 |
FIN 411, FIN 412: Upper Level finance (FIN) courses are not offered every semester. Students should plan ahead by completing all pre-requisites as soon as possible in order to take the junior and senior level finance courses when they are offered.
Select one of the following two courses:
| FIN 308 | Financial Economics and Instruments | 3 |
| FIN 309 | Introduction to Global Derivatives | 3 |
Business Electives (6 credits)
Suggested electives:
BAC 201 Intermediate Accounting I
BAC 301 Cost Accounting I
| | Business Elective | 3 |
| | Business Elective | 3 |
Certain courses may be available as a co-op
Free Electives (12 credits)
| | Free Elective | 3 |
| | Free Elective | 3 |
| | Free Elective | 3 |
| | Free Elective | 3 |
Students with less than 16 transfer credits are required to take
FYE 101 as one of their electives.
Finance with a Concentration in Nonprofit Management
The nonprofit industry is one of the fastest growing employers. The industry is seeking out marketers, HR professionals, and managers with an interest in strategic planning within the nonprofit industry. This nonprofit concentration will focus on the following content areas: Introduction to nonprofits, fiscal management, advocacy and public policy, and one specific identified nonprofit course in the student’s program. There are four core courses in the concentration and one specific program course or an internship. Two of the courses are shared between the College of Behavioral Science and the College of Business. This is a concentration for bachelor’s degrees in Business Management, Finance, Marketing, and Human Resource Management.
Core requirements (12 credits)
| NFP 301 | Intro to Nonprofit Agencies | 3 |
| NFP 302 | Management of the Nonprofit Organization | 3 |
| NFP 303 | Foundations of Fiscal Management for Nonprofit | 3 |
| NFP 304 | Advocacy and Public Policy | 3 |
Program specific requirements (3 credits)
Students can choose ONE of the following 4 courses:
| FIN 331 | Finance for Nonprofit | 3 |
| HRM 361 | HRM in Public and Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| NFP 307 | Fundraising for Nonprofits | 3 |
| SPM 309 | Sport and Athletics Fundraising | 3 |
Students may substitute any program specific course for an alternate NFP course of their choosing or an internship.
Total concentration courses are five courses equaling 15 credits.
Finance Completion Degree
What is a Completion Degree?
A completion degree is a personalized version of a bachelor's degree created exclusively for students who have completed an associate degree at an accredited institution. Completion degrees are available for most Wilmington University Bachelor of Science degrees. A student who expects to transfer a completed associate's degree should communicate with a Wilmington University academic advisor before registering for courses. A transcript with documentation of the conferred degree must be received by Wilmington University to confirm eligibility.
Curriculum
Transfer students who hold an associate degree from a partner institution are required to take the following Finance courses.
The College of Business programs require a minimum grade of "C" for Business Finance Program Core Courses. Students receiving a grade lower than "C" in any required program core course must retake that course. For the purpose of this policy, program core courses are all Finance courses. These courses are designated by the prefix "FIN."
Business Finance Program Core Courses
| BBM 319 | Business Ethics | 3 |
| BLA 305 | Business Law for Accounting and Finance Majors | 3 |
| FIN 302 | Financial Planning | 3 |
| FIN 306 | Corporate Finance | 3 |
| FIN 308 | Financial Economics and Instruments | 3 |
| FIN 410 | Financial Reporting and Analysis | 3 |
Choose one of the following two courses:
| BBM 411 | Operations and Systems Management | 3 |
| HRM 311 | Human Resource Management | 3 |
Choose one of the following two courses:
| FIN 411 | Investments and Security Analysis | 3 |
| FIN 412 | Financial Institution Management | 3 |
Completion Degree Required Courses
Dual-Credit ADVANTAGE™ Accelerated Option
Through Dual-Credit ADVANTAGE™, this accelerated program option allows eligible College of Business students to take up to four selected graduate-level courses in place of selected undergraduate courses and provides the opportunity to be formally accepted into the M.S. in Management or MBA graduate program prior to completion of their bachelor’s degree.
In order to be eligible, students must have completed 75 undergraduate credits and obtained an overall GPA of 3.0 or better and have specific undergraduate courses remaining in their program. Please schedule an appointment with an Academic Advisor to learn if you are eligible to participate in this program and determine your concentration-specific course substitutions and requirements.
Note: These graduate-level courses will fulfill requirements for both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Students are required to maintain a 3.0 in all graduate programs.