Finance, BS
Overview
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Finance
The field of finance is primarily concerned with the acquisition and management of funds by business firms, governments, and individuals. A business seeks financial advice when considering the purchase of new equipment, the expansion of present facilities, or the raising of additional funds. Determining the value of financial and real assets and derivatives is a key activity in finance.
As the study of finance is designed to provide the student with both the theoretical background and the analytical tools required to make effective judgments in finance, many students select careers in business financial management, commercial and investment banking, investments, government finance, insurance, and real estate. In addition to the finance major requirements, students in finance must meet the University General Education requirements and the Gies College of Business core requirements (for more detail, see the Gies College of Business undergraduate section).
Degree Requirements
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Finance
Graduation Requirements
Minimum hours required for graduation: 124 hours.
University Requirements
Minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework, generally at the 300- or 400-level. These hours can be drawn from all elements of the degree. Students should consult their academic advisor for additional guidance in fulfilling this requirement.
The University and residency requirements can be found in the Student Code (§ 3-801) and in the Academic Catalog.
General Education Requirements
Follows the campus General Education (Gen Ed) requirements. Some Gen Ed requirements may be met by courses required and/or electives in the program.
University Composition Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Composition I | 4-6 | |
| Advanced Composition | 3 | |
| Humanities & the Arts (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences & Technology (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 hours) | 6 | |
| Cultural Studies: Non-Western Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: US Minority Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures (1 course) | 3 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses, at least one course must be Quantitative Reasoning I) | 6-10 | |
| Language Requirement (Completion of the third semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required) | 0-15 | |
Business Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCY 201 & ACCY 202 | Accounting and Accountancy I and Accounting and Accountancy II | 6 |
| BUS 101 | Professional Responsibility and Business | 3 |
| BUS 201 | Business Dynamics | 3 |
| BUS 301 | Business in Action | 3 |
| BUS 401 | Crafting Your Purpose in Business | 3 |
| BADM 210 & BADM 211 | Business Analytics I and Business Analytics II | 6 |
| BADM 275 | Introduction to Operations and Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| BADM 300 | The Legal Environment of Bus | 3 |
| BADM 310 | Mgmt and Organizational Beh | 3 |
| BADM 320 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| BADM 449 | Business Policy and Strategy | 3 |
| CMN 101 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| CS 105 | Intro Computing: Non-Tech | 3 |
| ECON 102 & ECON 103 | Microeconomic Principles and Macroeconomic Principles | 6 |
| FIN 221 | Corporate Finance | 3 |
| Business Core Math | 3-5 | |
| Choose one course from list below: | ||
| Preparation for Calculus | ||
| Calculus | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus II | ||
| Calculus for Business I | ||
| Statistics | ||
| Minimum Total Hours | 57 | |
Finance, BS major requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| FIN 300 | Financial Markets | 3 |
| FIN 321 | Advanced Corporate Finance | 3 |
| FIN 411 | Investment & Portfolio Mngt | 3 |
| Four additional full-semester, 3 hour 400 level-Finance courses except FIN 494 or FIN 495 (Senior Research). A maximum of 3 credit hours of FIN 490 (Special Topics) can count toward this requirement. | 12 | |
| One additional full-semester, 3-hour Finance course at the 200-level or above. | 3 | |
| Minimum Total Hours | 24 | |
Sample Sequence
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Finance
This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this four-year plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.
Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a third level of a language other than English. For more information, see the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.
First Year
| Requirements | Hours |
|---|---|
| BUS 101 - Professional Responsibility and Business | 3 |
| ECON 102 - Microeconomic Principles | 3 |
| Language Other Than English (3rd level) | 4 |
| General Education course | 3 |
| Composition I or CMN 101 | 4 |
| Semester Hours | 17 |
| Requirements | Hours |
|---|---|
| ECON 103 - Macroeconomic Principles | 3 |
| CS 105 - Intro Computing: Non-Tech | 3 |
| FIN 221 - Corporate Finance | 3 |
| Business Core Math course | 3 |
| CMN 101 - Public Speaking (or Composition I) | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 15 |
Second Year
| Requirements | Hours |
|---|---|
| FIN 300 - Financial Markets | 3 |
| ACCY 201 - Accounting and Accountancy I | 3 |
| BADM 210 - Business Analytics I | 3 |
| BUS 201 - Business Dynamics | 3 |
| General Education course | 4 |
| Semester Hours | 16 |
| Requirements | Hours |
|---|---|
| FIN 321 - Advanced Corporate Finance | 3 |
| ACCY 202 - Accounting and Accountancy II | 3 |
| BADM 211 - Business Analytics II | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 4 |
| Semester Hours | 16 |
Third Year
| Requirements | Hours |
|---|---|
| BADM 300 - The Legal Environment of Bus | 3 |
| BUS 301 - Business in Action | 3 |
| FIN 411 - Investment & Portfolio Mngt | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 15 |
| Requirements | Hours |
|---|---|
| 400-level FIN course | 3 |
| 200-level, 300-level, or 400-level FIN course | 3 |
| BADM 275 - Introduction to Operations and Supply Chain Management | 3 |
| BADM 310 - Mgmt and Organizational Beh | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 15 |
Fourth Year
| Requirements | Hours |
|---|---|
| 400-level FIN course | 3 |
| BUS 401 - Crafting Your Purpose in Business | 3 |
| BADM 320 - Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| General Education course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 15 |
| Requirements | Hours |
|---|---|
| 400-level FIN course | 3 |
| 400-level FIN course | 3 |
| BADM 449 - Business Policy and Strategy | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 |
| Free Elective course | 3 |
| Semester Hours | 15 |
Total Hours
Total hours for all requirements: 124
Learning Outcomes
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Finance
- Discipline-based competency: Students will acquire sufficient discipline based competency to address current and future corporate and investment finance problems. Such competency includes using finance knowledge and tools necessary to value real and financial assets, analyze a company’s financial performance, and identify risk factors underlying such valuations or analysis.
- Written and verbal communication competency: Students will be able to effectively integrate information into a coherent, well-organized, professional report.
- Proficiency in the tools of the trade: Students should be able to demonstrate proficiency in the tools of the trade. First and foremost is Excel, but proficiency in Bloomberg, Morningstar, Capital IQ and the other tools of our trade.
- Professional practice and ethics: Students should be familiar with professional practice and demonstrate consistent ethical behavior.
Contact Information
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Finance
Department of Finance
Finance department website
340 Wohlers Hall
1206 S. Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 244-2239
Gies College of Business
Gies College of Business website
515 East Gregory Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 300-7327
Office of Undergraduate Programs
Gies College of Business Undergraduate Degrees
1055 Business Instructional Facility
515 East Gregory Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-2740
undergrads@business.illinois.edu
Undergraduate Admissions
Gies Undergraduate Admissions
1055 Business Instructional Facility
515 East Gregory Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 244-3890
admissions@business.illinois.edu
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
901 West Illinois Street, Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-0302
admissions@illinois.edu