Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Finance
The B.S. degree with a major in quantitative finance is designed to prepare students for careers in financial engineering, structured finance, financial modeling, securitization, actuarial science, financial analysis and portfolio management. The quantitative finance major is classified as a STEM program. The focus of this major is on problem solving in the quantitative areas of finance with an added emphasis on the application of complex securities to a variety of financial situations.
The quantitative finance program, which is a cross disciplinary major with many courses co-listed with the math department, is a highly structured program requiring minor fields in both mathematics and economics, though many students choose to double major in mathematics and quantitative finance. If the double major is selected, students are required to take ECON 200 , ECON 201 and ECON 331 , but are not required to complete the economics minor. Students electing this program should consult with their major adviser as early as possible to identify the appropriate course sequencing. Students electing to double major in mathematics and quantitative finance should also consult with a mathematics adviser as soon as possible.
Students enrolled in James Madison University who wish to change their major to quantitative 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 quantitative 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 quantitative finance major.
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 FIN 480 -. Contact the department head for more information on transfer credit.
