Finance, B.S. (Abington)

Program Description

The finance major emphasizes analytic, problem solving, and computer skills which are necessary for finance and investment industry. The major prepares students for careers in corporate finance, investment and portfolio management, banking, public finance, and international finance. The major also prepares students who want to pursue graduate study in finance. Depending on their interests, graduates may then seek financial services credentials such as Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

The requirements in the major complement basic business instruction in accounting, management, marketing, and information systems. With business and non-business electives, the program is designed to develop necessary skills to be an effective financial manager. Because the Harrisburg area is the center of industry and economic development for south-central Pennsylvania, students are provided with many opportunities to experience the world of business.

What is Finance?

Finance focuses on how individuals and business organizations raise money and capital, and how those resources are allocated among competing investment and consumption opportunities. The field focuses on domestic and international financial economies and the role of financial markets and institutions key in the movement of savings and investment capital from lenders to borrowers. It also deals with how individuals and corporate managers evaluate alternative investment and savings opportunities and how they choose among various financial instruments.

You Might Like This Program If...

• You enjoy numbers and "real world" applications of math.
• You are interested in how businesses and banks manage their assets.
• You want a career in business, finance, or investment management.

Entrance to Major

Entry to the Finance major requires the completion of 8 entry-to-major courses: ACCTG 211¹, ECON 102¹, ENGL 15 or ENGL 30H, FIN 301¹, MATH 110¹ or MATH 140¹, MGMT 301, MKTG 301, SCM 200¹ or STAT 200¹; and a 2.00 or higher cumulative grade-point average.

Additional information about this major is available in the office of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, School of Business at Penn State Harrisburg.

¹

Course requires a grade of C or better.

Degree Requirements

For the Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, a minimum of 120 credits is required:

12 of the 45 credits for General Education are included in the Requirements for the Major. This includes: 6 credits of GQ courses; 3 credits of GS courses; 3 credits of GWS courses.

At least 50 percent of the business credit hours required for the degree must be taken at Capital College. No more than 60 credits should be from business and business-related courses.

Requirements for the Major

To graduate, a student enrolled in the major must earn a grade of C or better in each course designated by the major as a C-required course, as specified by Senate Policy 82-44.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Prescribed Courses
BA 364Y	International Business and Society	3
MGMT 301	Basic Management Concepts	3
MIS 390	Information Systems Management and Applications	3
MKTG 301	Principles of Marketing	3
SCM 301	Supply Chain Management	3
Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better
ACCTG 211	Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making	4
BA 462	Business Strategy	3
ECON 102	Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy	3
ECON 104	Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy	3
ECON 351	Money and Banking	3
ENGL 202D	Effective Writing: Business Writing	3
FIN 301	Corporation Finance	3
FIN 302	Introductory Financial Modeling	3
FIN 420	Investment and Portfolio Analysis	3
FIN 475	Financial Decision Making	3
Additional Courses
BA 241 & BA 242	Legal Environment of Business and Social and Ethical Environment of Business	4
or BA 243	Social, Legal, and Ethical Environment of Business
MIS 204	Introduction to Management Information Systems	3
or MIS 250	Introduction to Problem Solving with Spreadsheet Analysis and Information Systems Management
Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better
MATH 110	Techniques of Calculus I	4
or MATH 140	Calculus With Analytic Geometry I
SCM 200	Introduction to Statistics for Business	4
or STAT 200	Elementary Statistics
Select 9 credits from the following:		9
ACCTG 481	Financial Statement Analysis: Accounting Based Evaluation and Decision Making
FIN 305	Financial Management of the Business Enterprise
FIN 306W	Investment Valuation
FIN 407	Multinational Financial Management 1
FIN 408	Financial Markets and Institutions
FIN 409	Real Estate Finance and Investment
FIN 413	Risk Management of Financial Institutions
FIN 427	Derivative Securities 1
FIN 456	International Capital Markets
FIN 461	Portfolio Management and Analysis 1
FIN 496	Independent Studies
Other finance courses approved by the Program
Supporting Courses and Related Areas
Select 9 credits of 200-400 level business courses from: ACCTG, BA, ECON, FIN, MGMT, MIS, MKTG, or SCM in consultation with an academic adviser and in support of the student's interests		9

¹

For students considering CFA exam, FIN 407, FIN 427 and FIN 461 are recommended.

General Education

Connecting career and curiosity, the General Education curriculum provides the opportunity for students to acquire transferable skills necessary to be successful in the future and to thrive while living in interconnected contexts. General Education aids students in developing intellectual curiosity, a strengthened ability to think, and a deeper sense of aesthetic appreciation. These are requirements for all baccalaureate students and are often partially incorporated into the requirements of a program. For additional information, see the General Education Requirements section of the Bulletin and consult your academic adviser.

The keystone symbol appears next to the title of any course that is designated as a General Education course. Program requirements may also satisfy General Education requirements and vary for each program.

Foundations (grade of C or better is required and Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

• Quantification (GQ): 6 credits
• Writing and Speaking (GWS): 9 credits

Breadth in the Knowledge Domains (Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

• Arts (GA): 3 credits
• Health and Wellness (GHW): 3 credits
• Humanities (GH): 3 credits
• Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS): 3 credits
• Natural Sciences (GN): 3 credits

Integrative Studies

• Inter-Domain Courses (Inter-Domain): 6 credits

Exploration

• GN, may be completed with Inter-Domain courses: 3 credits
• GA, GH, GN, GS, Inter-Domain courses. This may include 3 credits of World Language course work beyond the 12th credit level or the requirements for the student’s degree program, whichever is higher: 6 credits

University Degree Requirements

First Year Engagement

All students enrolled in a college or the Division of Undergraduate Studies at University Park, and the World Campus are required to take 1 to 3 credits of the First-Year Seminar, as specified by their college First-Year Engagement Plan.

Other Penn State colleges and campuses may require the First-Year Seminar; colleges and campuses that do not require a First-Year Seminar provide students with a first-year engagement experience.

First-year baccalaureate students entering Penn State should consult their academic adviser for these requirements.

Cultures Requirement

6 credits are required and may satisfy other requirements

• United States Cultures: 3 credits
• International Cultures: 3 credits

Writing Across the Curriculum

3 credits required from the college of graduation and likely prescribed as part of major requirements.

Total Minimum Credits

A minimum of 120 degree credits must be earned for a baccalaureate degree. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 credits. Students should consult with their college or department adviser for information on specific credit requirements.

Quality of Work

Candidates must complete the degree requirements for their major and earn at least a 2.00 grade-point average for all courses completed within their degree program.

Limitations on Source and Time for Credit Acquisition

The college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of course work in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned. Credit used toward degree programs may need to be earned from a particular source or within time constraints (see Senate Policy 83-80). For more information, check the Suggested Academic Plan for your intended program.

Program Learning Objectives

• Demonstrate the necessary skills and abilities to effectively communicate.
• Apply contemporary tools of information technology to include business software applications.        
• Apply leadership, team building, and project management skills.
• Compare, contrast and differentiate the business environment of both their local community and the globalized world economy.
• Demonstrate an awareness of ethical issues, social responsibilities and conflict resolution.
• Utilize and apply fundamental business concepts, principles and contemporary business practices.
• Recognize, analyze and solve business problems using quantitative and qualitative measures.

Academic Advising

The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.

READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY

Abington

Tom Stone
Program Chair
1600 Woodland Rd.
Abington, PA 19001
215-421-0030
tws16@psu.edu

Harrisburg

Indrit Hoxha, Ph.D.
Program Coordinator
Olmsted Building E355
Middletown, PA 17057
717-948-6344
ixh16@psu.edu

Suggested Academic Plan

The suggested academic plan(s) listed on this page are the plan(s) that are in effect during the 2024-25 academic year. To access previous years' suggested academic plans, please visit the archive to view the appropriate Undergraduate Bulletin edition.

Finance, B.S. at Abington Campus

The course series listed below provides only one of the many possible ways to move through this curriculum. The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. This plan should be used in conjunction with your degree audit (accessible in LionPATH as either an Academic Requirements or What If report). Please consult with a Penn State academic adviser on a regular basis to develop and refine an academic plan that is appropriate for you.

*

Course requires a grade of C or better for the major

‡

Course requires a grade of C or better for General Education

#

Course is an Entrance to Major requirement

†

Course satisfies General Education and degree requirement

University Requirements and General Education Notes:

US and IL are abbreviations used to designate courses that satisfy Cultural Diversity Requirements (United States and International Cultures).

W, M, X, and Y are the suffixes at the end of a course number used to designate courses that satisfy University Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.

General Education includes Foundations (GWS and GQ), Knowledge Domains (GHW, GN, GA, GH, GS) and Integrative Studies (Inter-domain) requirements. N or Q (Honors) is the suffix at the end of a course number used to help identify an Inter-domain course, but the inter-domain attribute is used to fill audit requirements. Foundations courses (GWS and GQ) require a grade of 'C' or better.

¹

Select courses in consultation with an academic adviser and in support of the student's interests.

²

Select 200-400 level business courses from BA, FIN, MIS, MGMT, MKTG, SCM, or ACCTG in consultation with an academic adviser and in support of the student's interests. FIN 495 (Finance Internship) can satisfy a business support requirement. For more information, contact the Business Program Chair.

Career Paths

The Finance major prepares students for careers in corporate finance, investment and portfolio management, banking, public finance, and international finance. The major also prepares students who want to pursue graduate study in finance. Depending on their interests, graduates may then seek financial services credentials such as Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE FINANCE PROGRAM

Opportunities for Graduate Studies

The School of Business Administration offers a limited number of academically superior Bachelor of Science in Finance candidates the opportunity to enroll in an integrated, continuous program of study leading to both the Bachelor of Science in Finance and the Master of Business Administration.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

Contact

Abington

DIVISION OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
1600 Woodland Rd.
Abington, PA 19001
215-421-0030
tws16@psu.edu

https://www.abington.psu.edu/academics/majors-at-abington

Harrisburg

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Olmsted Building E355
Middletown, PA 1705
717-948-6139
cxs879@psu.edu

https://harrisburg.psu.edu/business-administration/finance-bs