Banking & Financial Institutions

The Finance Department offers a thorough preparation for a career in banking at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels. An undergraduate student may major in finance through either the College of Commerce and Business Administration (leading to a Bachelor of Science in Finance) or the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Finance). The goal of the undergraduate program is to prepare students for a wide variety of entry-level jobs at some of the best corporations and financial institutions in the country. In addition, we are currently offering two Master's level programs, leading to Masters of Science in International Finance and Masters of Business Administration with a Professional Track in Finance. Finally, our doctoral program trains graduates for jobs in research, teaching and consulting.

Students preparing for careers with a Financial Institution should have strong preparation in financial accounting and Corporate Finance.

Careers with commercial banks, finance companies, and investment banks all require skills of interpreting the financial statements of current and prospective customers and assessing financial strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, these employers look for potential employees who express themselves well in writing and orally and who have strong inter-personal skills. Customer contact is an important part of the job, and the employee is the representative of the firm.

Suggested Courses:

• Finance 561: Financial Intermediation

  Studies financial intermediation emphasizing analysis of problems faced by commercial bank managers. The three main areas covered are: the role of financial intermediation and its relation to the macro-economy, information technology, and government regulation; examination of the problems of pricing and evaluating the risk of bank financial services such as loans, loan commitments, and swaps; and consideration of bank-portfolio risk management.

• Finance 562: Macrofinance

  Overview of the workings of the financial sector of the macro economy; includes the roles of financial institutions, financial markets, macroeconomic policies, interest rates, and the flows of funds.

• Accountancy 517: Financial Statement Analysis

  An in-depth analysis of financial reporting from a user’s perspective, using a variety of tools to break apart financial reports into meaningful units for analysis, forecasting financial statements, and valuing a firm; supplements material covered in corporate finance and valuation course.

• Economics 563: Monetary Theory

  Micro- and macroeconomic theories of the supply of and demand for money; money substitutes and their significance; review of current empirical research; money in closed economy, macroeconomic, and static general-equilibrium models; and analysis of inflation and unemployment.

• Economics 564: The Theory of Monetary Policy

  Theories of money; money in dynamic models; money in open-economy macroeconomic models; stabilization policy; and international aspects of monetary theory.