66 units

The finance major is designed for students interested in the stewardship of the financial resources of individuals, corporations, or financial institutions. As future managers, students learn the principles and applications of financial analysis, management, and strategy, and gain experience in portfolio construction; applications of derivatives in financial management, asset management, and international financial management; and case studies in corporate finance.

This program equips students with the theoretical understanding and practical skills necessary to evaluate and direct decisions regarding the allocation of financial resources among a variety of competing opportunities, with the goal of maximizing the value of the resources managed.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

As a business club hosted by Azusa Pacific University’s School of Business and Management and led by a faculty advisor and a board of finance professionals, the Student Investment Fund (SIF) involves the practical application of classroom knowledge. Students practice hands-on investment strategies and are engaged to manage a portion of the university endowment through fundamental valuation.

Students joining SIF have the opportunity to compete in the CFA Institute Research Challenge, a competition between university-sponsored teams that research a designated publicly traded company, prepare a written report on that company, and present their findings. SIF and the CFA competition provide students with hands-on training and mentoring in financial analysis.

Credentials and Microcredentials

In this program, students have the opportunity to earn microcredential badges certifying their mastery of certain skills or abilities and showcasing them to future employers. Microcredentials can be added to résumés and uploaded to online portfolios. 

In addition, the Seminar in Finance course (FIN 439) provides students the opportunity to earn the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Certification, one of the FINRA qualification exams.

Career Opportunities

This program prepares students for employment in a variety of fields, such as corporate financial management, investment analysis and planning, financial institution management, and risk management. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, such occupations are expected to experience strong rates of growth. Moreover, these occupations generally offer attractive starting salaries and working conditions.

To complete the finance major in four years, students are encouraged to complete FIN 300 by the end of their sophomore year.

Requirements

The finance major comprises 66 units. Students must achieve an average GPA of 2.5 or higher in their major courses (this includes the Business Core).

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Business Core Courses
ACCT 120	Principles of Accounting I	3
ACCT 121	Principles of Accounting II	3
BUSI 100	Personal Finance 1	3
BUSI 111	Business Statistics 2	3
BUSI 240	Introduction to Information Systems and Business Applications	3
BUSI 244	Data Analytics, Spreadsheets, and Data Visualization	3
BUSI 296	Business Law	3
BUSI 311	Quantitative Analysis for Management	3
BUSI 370	International Business 3	3
ECON 200	Survey of Economics 4	3
FIN 300	Business Finance for Managers	3
MGMT 210	Principles of Management 5	3
MGMT 448	Organizational and Administrative Behavior 1	3
MGMT 450	Strategic Management 5	3
MKTG 260	Principles of Marketing 3	3
Finance Courses
FIN 372	International Trade and Finance S	3
FIN 330	Financial Analysis F	3
FIN 433	Applied Portfolio Management F	3
FIN 352	Financial Markets and Institutions F	3
FIN 432	Investment Analysis S	3
FIN 436	Financial Risk Management F	3
FIN 439	Seminar in Finance S	3
Total Units		66

¹

Meets the General Education Civic Knowledge and Engagement requirement.

²

Meets the General Education Quantitative Literacy requirement.

³

Meets the General Education Intercultural Competence requirement.

⁴

Meets the General Education Social Sciences requirement.

⁵

Meets the General Education Integrative and Applied Learning requirement.

Term Hours

F	Offered in Fall only
S	Offered in Spring only
F/S	Offered in both Fall and Spring terms
EF	Offered in Fall in even years
ES	Offered in Spring in even years
OF	Offered in Fall in odd years
OS	Offered in Spring in odd years

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this program shall be able to:

1. Competent Business Knowledge: Demonstrate knowledge in multiple business disciplines, including management, finance, marketing, accounting and economics.
2. Critical Thinking: Identify and solve business problems using analytical and critical thinking skills.
3. Christian Business Ethics: Demonstrate the ability to evaluate business decisions based on a Christian perspective.
4. Written Communication: Convey ideas clearly through professional written communication.
5. Oral Communication: Express ideas effectively through professional oral presentations.
6. Collaborative Teamwork: Demonstrate the ability to function as an effective business team member.
7. Comprehensive Global Awareness: Identify cultural, economic and political aspects of business in a global environment.
8. Discipline Knowledge: Demonstrate knowledge of finance concepts.
9. Discipline Problem Solving/Strategy: Solve core finance problems, or analyze finance situations and provide strategy for effectiveness.