Jan 28, 2025  
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Finance, B.B.A.


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs of Study

Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance

The B.B.A. degree with a major in finance requires a minimum of 120 credit hours of undergraduate course work. Students enrolled at James Madison University who wish to change their major to finance should go to the Student Center in MyMadison to submit a request. Students must be in good academic standing to change their major to finance and, if they have taken any FIN prefix courses at the time of the change request, must meet the prerequisites for the required courses in the finance major.

Students enrolled at James Madison University who wish to change their major to finance should go to the Student Center in MyMadison to submit a request. Students must be in good academic standing to change their major to finance and, if they have taken any FIN prefix courses at the time of the change request, must meet the prerequisites for the required courses in the finance major.

Students who plan to major in finance and earn a score on the Math Placement Exam sufficient for placement into  are strongly encouraged to enroll in .

Required major courses provide finance majors with a foundation in financial management, investments and institutions. Electives within the major permit students to obtain an additional emphasis and explore other areas within the field of finance.

Transfer Credit

Each program in the CoB will accept no more than two courses of transfer credit toward the major except in extraordinary circumstances.  The major is defined as the course work required by a major field of study in addition to the lower and upper-level BBA core courses.  For a course to be considered for acceptance in the student’s major, it must have been completed in an AACSB International-accredited business program, or a similarly accredited program, at a four-year university. 

In general, all finance course work must be completed at JMU. Transfer credit for finance courses is awarded only in certain circumstances. In no case will transfer credit be awarded for . Contact the department head for more information on transfer credit.

Degree Requirements


Courses


  • B.B.A. core courses 45-46 Credit Hours 1
  • Finance major requirements 24 Credit Hours
  •  courses 41 Credit Hours 2
  • Electives 9-10 Credit Hours

Total: 120 Credit Hours


Footnotes


1 Up to seven hours of core requirements in economics and calculus may also be taken for  credit.
2 The  program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.

B.B.A. Core Component


B.B.A. Lower-Level Core Component


B.B.A. majors must complete all of the B.B.A. core components as part of their degree program. The following courses comprise the B.B.A. Lower-Level Core Component:

B.B.A. Upper-Level Core Component


The following courses comprise the B.B.A. Upper-Level Core Component:

Footnotes


1  may be substituted for .
2  or equivalent and  or equivalent are prerequisites for .
3 Calculus is required but not used in calculating the B.B.A. core GPA. Students may substitute ,  or  to fulfill the calculus requirement.  is preferred for Economics and Finance majors.
4  must be taken before .
5  is a prerequisite for COB 300 but is not used in calculating the B.B.A. core GPA.
6 All four COB 300 courses must be taken during the same semester.
7 COB 300 is a prerequisite or corequisite for .  is a prerequisite for  and .
8  must be taken during the senior year.

Major Requirements


Additional Information


In addition to these core courses, the student majoring in finance must successfully complete 12 credit hours of finance elective courses. Finance electives include any 300-level or 400-level finance course other than ,  and the finance major core courses.

A student may choose up to one of the following courses to satisfy the finance elective credit hours: , , , , , ,, , , , , , , , ,  and . A finance major cannot take more than 10 credit hours of FIN prefix courses in any one semester. In addition, three credits of FIN 499 (//) will count toward the finance electives.

Recommended Schedule for Majors


First Two Years


Students planning to major in finance must complete the 30-31 hour, lower-division B.B.A. core curriculum prior to enrolling in upper-division core courses, normally taken in the first semester of the junior year. It is expected that the lower-division core curriculum will be completed during the first two years of study along with most of the university  curriculum. Failing to complete all lower-division B.B.A. core requirements on time will delay enrollment in upper-division core and major courses.

Third and Fourth Years


Finance majors will follow the course schedule below to complete the final two years of their program. It is possible to deviate from this program, but care must be taken to ensure that all course prerequisites are met. Finance majors are encouraged to enroll in  during the same semester as COB 300 or during the semester following completion of COB 300. Note that students taking  concurrently with COB 300 will have more choices in finance electives in subsequent semesters because  is a prerequisite for most finance courses. It is anticipated that students will complete the finance requirements in three semesters following COB 300.

Third Year


Fourth Year


 is required during a student’s senior year but may be taken either semester.

First Semester


  • Finance electives 6 Credit Hours

Second Semester


Concentrations


Though not required, finance majors may elect a concentration. The concentrations are financial analysis, financial technology and analytics, and risk management. Students electing these concentrations will be taking specific electives in place of the required four electives for the major. Finance majors who wish to declare a concentration may do so once accepted into COB 300 or during any semester following. A student must earn a 2.0 in the courses designated for a concentration in order to have successfully completed the concentration.

Financial Analysis Concentration


Many James Madison University finance graduates go on to careers in financial analysis, and the need for financial analysts remains strong. The financial analysis concentration helps prepare students for these careers and also Levels I and II of the Chartered Financial Analyst exam.

Students wishing to declare and complete the financial analysis concentration must have a minimum of a “B” in  and .

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Programs of Study