The Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in finance requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including 22 s.h. of work for the major. Students must have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 in all college coursework attempted, all college coursework attempted in business, all college coursework attempted in the major, all coursework attempted at the University of Iowa, all business coursework attempted at the University of Iowa, and all coursework in the major attempted at the University of Iowa.
The program provides a balance of theory, applications, and financial information technology that facilitates students' transition from classroom to workplace. Through fundamental finance principles and state-of-the-art financial market information technologies, students develop analytical abilities to interpret financial market data, implement the latest trading and investment strategies, and make effective managerial decisions in national as well as international settings.
With the goal of enhancing students' career development, the program stresses learning by doing, partnership with industry, and internships. Students receive a balanced education consistent with the globalization of business and the explosion in financial markets and information technology.
Students are not guaranteed specific elective options. The availability of courses outside the Department of Finance may be subject to prerequisites or restricted to students who have declared a second major within the respective department. For BBA common requirements, see the Bachelor of Business Administration in the catalog. The Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in finance requires the following coursework.
| Requirements | Hours |
|---|---|
| Finance Common Required Courses | 10 |
| Finance Required Electives | 12 |
Finance Common Required Courses
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| All of these: | ||
| FIN:3020 | Professional Finance Seminar | 1 |
| or FIN:3500 | Hawkinson Scholar Seminar | |
| FIN:3200 | Investment Management | 3 |
| FIN:3300 | Corporate Finance | 3 |
| ACCT:3020 | Financial Accounting and Reporting | 3 |
Finance Required Electives
Students may not earn credit for both FIN:4340 Wealth Management and FIN:4350 Applied Wealth Management due to overlap in course content.
| Course # | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 12 s.h. from these: | ||
| FIN:3400 | Principles of Risk Management and Insurance | 3 |
| FIN:4020 | Topics in Finance | 3 |
| FIN:4210 | Futures and Options | 3 |
| FIN:4220 | Fixed Income Securities | 3 |
| FIN:4230 | Real Estate Process | 3 |
| FIN:4235 | Real Estate Capital Markets | 3 |
| FIN:4240 | International Finance | 3 |
| FIN:4250 | Applied Equity Valuation | 3 |
| FIN:4310 | Advanced Corporate Finance | 3 |
| FIN:4320 | Commercial Banking | 3 |
| FIN:4330 | Investment Banking | 3 |
| FIN:4340 | Wealth Management | 3 |
| or FIN:4350 | Applied Wealth Management | |
| FIN:4450 | Risk Modeling | 3 |
| May include 3 s.h. from these: | ||
| FIN:4410 | Enterprise Risk Management | 3 |
| FIN:4420 | Property and Liability Insurance | 3 |
| FIN:4430 | Life and Health Insurance | 3 |
| FIN:4440 | Employee Benefit Plans | 3 |
| FIN:4460 | Insurer Operations and Captive Management | 3 |
| May include 3 s.h. from these: | ||
| FIN:3100 | Financial Information Technology | 2 |
| FIN:4030 | Securities Industry Essentials Exam Prep | 1 |
| FIN:4035 | ARGUS Financial Analysis | 1 |
| FIN:4040 | Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Certificates | 1 |
| FIN:4045 | Wall Street Prep: Financial and Valuation Modeling Seminar | 1 |
| FIN:4050 | Directed Readings in Finance | 1 |
| ACCT:3300 | Valuation of Financial Claims | 3 |
| BAIS:4150 | Business Analytics and Information Systems Capstone | 3 |
| ECON:3355 | Economic and Business Forecasting | 3 |
| MGMT:4325 | Team and Project Management | 3 |
| MKTG:4500 | Marketing Capstone | 3 |
Careers for students majoring in finance include corporate treasury operations, cash management, mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, sales and security trading, security analysis, commercial banking and financial services, credit analysis, mortgage lending, financial planning, consulting, public administration, insurance roles, and real estate.
Over 90% of students reported that they found permanent employment, were accepted to graduate school, or were not seeking employment within six months of graduation.
The Pomerantz Career Center offers multiple resources to help students find internships and jobs. For more information about careers, visit the Pomerantz Career Center website.
Sample Plan of Study
Sample plans represent one way to complete a program of study. Actual course selection and sequence will vary and should be discussed with an academic advisor. For additional sample plans, see MyUI.
Finance, BBA
| Academic Career | ||
|---|---|---|
| Any Semester | Hours | |
| Students are required to complete 52 s.h. of non-business coursework. Courses with a prefix of ACCT, BAIS, BUS, ECON, ENTR, FIN, MGMT, and MKTG will not count towards non-business hours. Check degree audit for non-business hours or confer with academic advisor. | ||
| Students who need to complete the World Language requirement should consult with their academic advisor about when to add courses to plan of study. World Language counts as non-business coursework. | ||
| To fulfill the Tippie RISE experiential learning requirement, complete an approved course in at least one of the following categories: research with faculty, internship course, study abroad, experiential course. a | 0 - 3 | |
| Students must satisfy the Tippie College of Business residence requirement: 45 s.h. of UI coursework after admission to Tippie. | ||
| Hours | 0-3 | |
| First Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| MATH:1350 | Quantitative Reasoning for Business b | 4 |
| RHET:1030 | Rhetoric | 4 |
| ECON:1100 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4 |
| GE: Social Sciences c | 3 | |
| CSI:1600 | Success at Iowa | 2 |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| STAT:1030 | Statistics for Business | 4 |
| ECON:1200 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 4 |
| BAIS:1500 | Business Computing Essentials | 2 |
| ENGL:1200 | The Interpretation of Literature | 3 |
| GE: Understanding Cultural Perspectives c | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ACCT:2100 | Introduction to Financial Accounting | 3 |
| BAIS:2800 | Foundations of Business Analytics | 3 |
| MGMT:2100 | Introduction to Management | 3 |
| BUS:2200 | Foundations for Success in Business d | 1 |
| GE: Natural Sciences without Lab c | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| FIN:3000 | Introductory Financial Management e | 3 |
| FIN:3500 or FIN:3020 |
Hawkinson Scholar Seminar or Professional Finance Seminar |
1 |
| ACCT:2200 | Managerial Accounting Analytics and Data Visualization | 3 |
| BUS:3000 | Business Communication and Protocol f | 3 |
| GE: International and Global Issues c | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 2 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| FIN:3200 | Investment Management | 3 |
| ACCT:3020 | Financial Accounting and Reporting | 3 |
| BAIS:3000 | Operations Management | 2 |
| BAIS:3005 | Information Systems | 2 |
| GE: Historical Perspectives c | 3 | |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| FIN:3300 | Corporate Finance | 3 |
| MGMT:2000 | Introduction to Law | 3 |
| Major: Finance elective g | 3 | |
| GE: Values and Society c | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Major: Finance elective g | 3 | |
| Major: Finance elective g | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 2 | |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| MKTG:3000 | Introduction to Marketing Strategy | 3 |
| Major: Finance elective g | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 3 | |
| Minor, certificate, or non-business elective | 2 | |
| Degree Application: apply on MyUI before deadline (typically in February for spring, September for fall) h | ||
| Hours | 14 | |
| Total Hours | 120-123 | |
- a
- See degree audit for course options.
- b
- Enrollment in math courses requires completion of a placement exam.
- c
- GE courses may be completed in any order unless used as a prerequisite for another course. Students should consult with an advisor about the best sequencing of courses.
- d
- BUS:2200 should be completed in the second year before FIN:3020.
- e
- This Accelerated Four-Year Plan outlines coursework to prepare for two finance internships after the second and third years. For a Standard Four-Year Plan, with one internship between the third and fourth years, see the Tippie College of Business website.
- f
- Must be admitted to Tippie to enroll in BUS:3000. Generally completed during the second year, but should be taken no later than the third year.
- g
- Select from list of approved courses in the General Catalog or on degree audit. Students may not earn credit for both FIN:4340 and FIN:4350 due to overlap in course content.
- h
- Please see Academic Calendar, Office of the Registrar website for current degree application deadlines. Students should apply for a degree for the session in which all requirements will be met. For any questions on appropriate timing, contact your academic advisor or Degree Services.