Business Administration—Finance Concentration, BA

College of Business and Economics

What Is the Study of Business Administration?

The Business Administration program has been designed to prepare students for leadership roles in business and the community. One program objective is to provide students with the perceptual and analytical skills necessary in making decisions and evaluating policy in business; another is to develop student understanding of the social, economic and regulatory environment of business. The program is designed for students with a variety of career goals, including opportunities with financial institutions, manufacturing and retail firms, service industries and the public sector.

Why Should I Consider this Major?

The field of Finance encompasses many different areas including investments, financial institutions, corporate finance and real estate. Coursework is offered in each of these areas as well as courses in options and futures, multi-national finance and insurance. A graduate with a concentration in Finance may work as a financial securities or loan officer analyst, as well as a business financial manager, portfolio manager, or financial planner stockbroker.

How to Declare:

Pre-major: Status is granted to students who have confirmed admission to WWU, completed 45 credits, and earned a GPA of 2.5 overall or 2.75 in the foundation courses they have completed.

 
Full major: Students must have completed the following requirements:
  • Confirmed admission to WWU and have 45 credits or be in the CBE Distinguished Scholars program.
  • Be in good academic standing with the University and meet one of the following GPA requirements: Either: 1) a minimum GPA of 2.75 in the eight Foundation Courses listed below, including grades from transfer courses and Advanced Placement credit or 2) a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 in all college-level course work including transfer work.
  • Foundation courses:
    • MATH 157 Calculus with Applications to Business and Economics
    • ACCT 240 Financial Accounting
    • ACCT 245 Managerial Accounting
    • DSCI 205 Business Statistics
    • MIS 220 Intro: Business Computer Systems w/lab (or equivalent, or exam)
    • ECON 206 Introduction to Microeconomics
    • ECON 207 Introduction to Macroeconomics
    • MGMT 271 Law and the Business Environment
 
Provisional major: Major status is granted provisionally to students who are completing their
last foundation course(s) and would be eligible for full major status upon successful completion of
their current course work.
 
How to apply: For consideration as a pre-major, provisional major or full major, complete the
 
Advising tips: 1) Complete MATH 157 and DSCI 205 requirements early; 2) For information
regarding the MIS 220 Equivalency Exam see the Department of Decision Sciences website for

Coursework

Foundation Courses

  • ACCT 240 Financial Accounting
  • ACCT 245 Managerial Accounting
  • DSCI 205 Business Statistics
  • ECON 206 Introduction to Microeconomics
  • ECON 207 Introduction to Macroeconomics
  • MATH 157 Calculus with Applications to Business and Economics
  • MGMT 271 Law and the Business Environment
  • MIS 220 Introduction to Business Computer Systems (or equivalent)

Core Courses

  • DSCI 305 Applied Business Statistics
  • FIN 341 Principles of Finance
  • MGMT 311 Intro to Management & Organizational Behavior
  • MGMT 382 Business and Its Environment
  • MIS 320 Principles of Management Information Systems
  • MKTG 380 Principles of Marketing
  • OPS 360 Operations Management

Advanced Core

  • One course from:
    • MGMT 492 Entrepreneurial Problems
    • MGMT 495 Strategic Management

Finance Concentration Sources

  • FIN 440 Investments
  • FIN 441 Intermediate Financial Management
  • FIN 444 Financial Institutions and Markets
  • One course from:
    • FIN 448 Investment Analysis and Management
    • FIN 449 Cases in Financial Management
  • Take one Communication Focus (CF) course and a minimum of three writing proficiency points in approved upper-division writing proficiency courses (WP) at WWU with a minimum grade of C-. The CF and WP courses must be taken within CBE and can be completed as part of the above required and elective courses, prior to graduation. Consult the Timetable of Classes for the specific course sections that fulfill the CF and WP requirements.
  • Accounting and Business majors must complete a minimum of 90 credits in areas other than accounting, business administration and economics beyond the principles

 

Two courses from the list below

One of these courses must be a 400-level course. (FIN 448 or FIN 449 may be used as one of these courses but cannot meet the requirement for FIN 448 or FIN 449 stated above)
  • FIN 345 - Real Estate
  • FIN 442 - Multinational Corporate Finance
  • FIN 443 - Topics in Finance
  • FIN 446 - Derivatives Markets
  • FIN 447 - Commercial Bank Management
  • FIN 454 - Risk Management and Insurance
  • FIN 456 - Commercial Real Estate Investment
  • FIN 466 - Option Trading Strategies

One course from the list below:

  • ACCT 331 - Cost Management
  • ACCT 341 - Intermediate Accounting Theory and Practice I
  • ACCT 375 - Income Taxation I
  • ECON 306 - Intermediate Microeconomics
  • ECON 307 - Intermediate Macroeconomics
  • ECON 310 - Public Finance
  • ECON 411 - Monetary Economics
 
  • One course from:
    • FIN 460 - Finance Apprenticeship
    • FIN 490 - Internship in Finance
 
  • Or any FIN course listed above (FIN 345, 442, 443, 446, 447, 454, 456, 466) except any duplication of finance courses.

GURs:

 

The courses below satisfy GUR requirements and may also be used to fulfill major requirements.

  • QSR: MATH 157
  • SSC: ECON 206, 207; MGMT 271

Sample Careers

  • Mutual Fund Manager
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Investment Banker
  • Financial Planner
  • Claims Adjuster/Examiner
  • Actuary
  • Financial Analyst
  • Appraiser

Department

Contact

CBE Admissions & Scholarships

Dean's OfficeParks Hall 419360-650-3896cbe@wwu.edu

Major Information

Academic Department Manager

Sandy Stratton
PH 415
360-650-4202Sandra.Stratton@wwu.edu

Department Chair

Dr. Sandra Mottner
PH 417
360-650-2403
Sandra.Mottner@wwu.edu

 

Related Majors

Business Administration—Marketing Concentration, BA
Business Administration—International Business Concentration, BA
Business Administration—Management Concentration, BA
Business Administration, BA
Business Administration—Operations Management, BA
Business Administration—Management Information Systems, BA