DePaul's Finance program will provide you with a solid foundation in financial management and an understanding of public and private financial processes, financial markets, analysis and investments.
As a Finance major, you will take courses in:
- Corporate finance
- Analytics
- Investment theory and practice
You will also take multiple elective courses. Depending on your career goals, you may take a series of courses that focus on one of the following areas:
- Banking and financial services
- Corporate financial management
- Investment analysis/ management
- Risk management
DePaul's Driehaus College of Business is located in downtown Chicago, in the heart of the city's financial district, providing you with countless opportunities to intern and work professionally with leading companies in the business industry. You are encouraged to complete an internship with a Chicago-area business during the summer preceding either your junior or senior year.
Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
---|---|
Business Core Requirements | 60 |
Liberal Studies Requirements | 72 |
Major Requirements | 34 |
Open Electives | 26 |
Total hours required | 192 |
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand financial theory and how it can be applied to financial decision making. Develop appropriate cash flows and discount rate analysis of projects, and financial instruments (e.g. bonds and stocks). Apply and interpret the appropriate risk measures (e.g. beta, standard deviation) to situations under uncertainty. Understand the role of agents and impact of governance.
- Understand the structure of the financial markets and the roles of institutions in those markets. Understand the flow of funds in the private and public markets. Know the determinants of the cost of funds. Understand how derivative instruments work and can be used for risk management.
- Develop appropriate cash flows and discount rate analysis of projects, and financial instruments (e.g. bonds and stocks).
- Apply and interpret the appropriate risk measures (e.g. beta, standard deviation) to situations under uncertainty.
- Understand the role of agents and the impact of governance.
- Understand the flow of funds in the private and public markets.
- Know the determinants of the cost of funds.
- Understand how derivative instruments work and can be used for risk management.
College Core Requirements
Business Core Requirements
All undergraduate students in the Driehaus College of Business complete foundational courses in the areas of accountancy, economics, finance, management, and marketing. The core curriculum also includes courses that emphasize the increasingly quantitative and technological nature of business, the importance of the entrepreneurial mindset, and how students can use their business education to address important social challenges.
Course Requirements
For a student to complete the Bachelor of Science in Business, the following Business Core courses totaling at least 60.0 hours are required:
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
Business Core Courses | ||
ACC 101 | INTRODUCTION TO ACCOUNTING I 1 | 4 |
ACC 102 | INTRODUCTION TO ACCOUNTING II 1 | 4 |
BUS 101 | INTRODUCTION TO DRIEHAUS: BUSINESS FUNDAMENTALS AND THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET | 4 |
BUS 102 | BUSINESS ANALYTICS | 4 |
BUS 103 | BUSINESS FOR SOCIAL GOOD | 4 |
ECO 105 | PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS | 4 |
ECO 106 | PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS | 4 |
FIN 310 | INTRODUCTION TO FINANCE | 4 |
MAT 137 | BUSINESS STATISTICS | 4 |
MGT 300 | PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT | 4 |
MGT 301 | PRINCIPLES OF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT | 4 |
MKT 301 | PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING | 4 |
Business Technology 2 | ||
Select one of the following: | 4 | |
BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY | ||
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE I | ||
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN | ||
Business Communication 3 | ||
Select one of the following: | 4 | |
EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION | ||
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION | ||
Global Business Perspective 4 | ||
Select one of the following: | 4 | |
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC HISTORY | ||
RADICAL RESPONSES TO CAPITALISM | ||
TOPICS IN GLOBAL ECONOMIES | ||
UNDERSTANDING CHINA'S ECONOMY | ||
ECONOMICS OF LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES | ||
INTERNATIONAL TRADE | ||
INTERNATIONAL MONETARY ECONOMICS | ||
ECONOMICS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION | ||
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE | ||
GLOBAL IPOs & VENTURE CAPITAL | ||
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SEMINAR | ||
GLOBAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT | ||
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS | ||
MARKETING ACROSS CULTURES: A CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE ON MULTICULTURAL MARKETS | ||
MARKETING IN A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT | ||
INTERNATIONAL MARKETING | ||
WORK IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD | ||
A course taken as part of a term-long study abroad program |
- 1
Strobel students take specially designated sections of all required ACC classes, including ACC 101 and ACC 102 (excluding ACC 250, ACC 300, ACC 301).
- 2
Actuarial Science and Economic Data Analytics majors must take CSC 241.
MIS majors must take MIS 360.
- 3
MKT majors and Sales minors must take MKT 276.
- 4
A course taken for Global Business Perspective that is in a student's major or minor field must be completed with a minimum grade of C- .
Business Core Timeline
- BUS 101, BUS 102 and BUS 103 are intended to be completed by students during their first year of enrollment in the college.
- Business core requirements may be prerequisites to other courses.
- Planning is essential to a student’s graduation timeline.
- Academic advisors work with students to co-create customized degree completion plans and assist with balancing course load.
Business Ethics
All undergraduate students in the Driehaus College of Business complete a course in Business Ethics. It is recommended students take MGT 248 or PHL 248 in Philosophical Inquiry or MGT 228 or REL 228 in Religious Dimensions in the Liberal Studies Program (or University Honors Program) Requirements.
Second Majors and Minors
The addition of a second major or minor may affect the Business Core classes required for a student. Meet with an academic advisor to confirm requirements.
Business Technology requirement for all business majors (except Management Information Systems majors)
- Business Technology requirement may be replaced by CSC 243.
Math requirement for all business majors (except Actuarial Science majors)
Global Business Perspective
If a FIN course is shared between Global Business Perspective and the Finance major, additional hours of Open Elective credit are required.
Grade Minimum Requirements for Finance Major
A minimum grade of C- is required for the following: ACC 101, ACC 102, BUS 101, BUS 102, BUS 103, BUS 202, ECO 105, ECO 106, FIN 310, MAT 137, and any FIN course used for Global Business Perspective.
Liberal Studies Requirements
Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.
First Year Program | Hours | |
---|---|---|
Chicago Quarter | ||
LSP 110 or LSP 111 | DISCOVER CHICAGO or EXPLORE CHICAGO | 4 |
Focal Point | ||
LSP 112 | FOCAL POINT SEMINAR | 4 |
Writing | ||
WRD 103 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 | 4 |
WRD 104 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 | 4 |
Quantitative Reasoning | ||
Not Required | ||
Sophomore Year | ||
Race, Power, and Resistance | ||
LSP 200 | SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE | 4 |
Junior Year | ||
Experiential Learning | ||
Required | 4 | |
Senior Year | ||
Capstone | ||
BUS 392 | SENIOR SEMINAR 1 | 4 |
- 1
Students must earn a C- or better in this course.
Learning Domains
Arts and Literature (AL)
- 3 AL Courses Required
Historical Inquiry (HI)
- 2 HI Courses Required
Math and Computing (MC)
- Not Required
Philosophical Inquiry (PI)
- 2 PI Courses Required1
Religious Dimensions (RD)
- 2 RD Courses Required1
Scientific Inquiry (SI)
- 1 Lab Course Required
Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)
- 1 SCBI Course Required
Notes
Specified required courses within Liberal Studies may have grade minimums (e.g. C- or better). Please consult your advisor or your college and major requirements.
Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a general elective or the Experiential Learning requirement.
In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.
Major Requirements
Course Requirements
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
FIN 250 | CAREER EXPLORATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT | 2 |
FIN 311 | CORPORATE FINANCE | 4 |
FIN 315 | DATA ANALYTICS IN FINANCE | 4 |
FIN 330 | INVESTMENTS: THEORY & PRACTICE | 4 |
Select five elective courses from the following: A maximum of one may be a non-FIN course: | 20 | |
FINANCIAL REPORTING I | ||
FOUNDATIONS OF DATA SCIENCE | ||
INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS | ||
INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS | ||
INVESTMENT BANKING | ||
MONEY AND BANKING | ||
COMMERCIAL BANKING | ||
BANKING & CREDIT ANALYSIS | ||
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANALYSIS | ||
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT | ||
EQUITY RESEARCH | ||
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE | ||
REAL ESTATE ANALYSIS 1 | ||
GLOBAL IPOs & VENTURE CAPITAL | ||
ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT | ||
DERIVATIVES: PRICING & APPLICATIONS | ||
PRINCIPLES OF RISK & INSURANCE | ||
FINANCIAL MODELING | ||
CASES IN FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING | ||
BEHAVIORAL FINANCE | ||
FINANCE INTERNSHIP (see note below) | ||
INVESTMENT SEMINAR | ||
SPECIAL TOPICS (multiple topics may be used) | ||
INDEPENDENT STUDY | ||
INTRODUCTION TO APPLIED PROGRAMMING | ||
STATISTICAL METHODS USING SAS | ||
APPLIED PROBABILITY | ||
REAL ESTATE LAW | ||
URBAN PLANNING AND PUBLIC POLICY | ||
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION | ||
REAL ESTATE ANALYSIS 1 | ||
REAL ESTATE FINANCE | ||
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT | ||
REAL ESTATE VALUATION | ||
SPECIAL TOPICS | ||
INDEPENDENT STUDY |
The Department of Finance enforces all course prerequisites; exceptions will not be made.
Students are encouraged to seek an internship with a Chicago-area business during the summer preceding either their junior or senior year.
Open Electives
Open elective credit (26.0 hours) is needed to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours.
Global Business Perspective
If a FIN course is shared between Global Business Perspective and the Finance major, additional hours of Open Elective credit are required. Any FIN course used toward Global Business Perspective must be passed with C- or higher.
Career Management Course
Students are required to complete the Career Course (250) associated with the major. Students who double major may choose the Career Course (250) associated with either major provided that hours for graduation are satisfied. Students should take the Career Course as soon as possible.
Experiential Learning
If FIN 393 or FIN 324 is completed in the Finance major consult with academic advisor regarding options for Experiential Learning.
Graduation Requirements
All Finance (FIN) courses and any courses used toward the Finance major must be completed with a minimum grade of C- and with a combined GPA of 2.000 or higher.
Curricular Specializations
The Department offers four recommendations for students who would like to focus their studies on one area of expertise. These areas are optional; no curricular specialization is required for the major.
Banking
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
INVESTMENT BANKING | ||
MONEY AND BANKING | ||
COMMERCIAL BANKING | ||
BANKING & CREDIT ANALYSIS | ||
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANALYSIS | ||
GLOBAL IPOs & VENTURE CAPITAL | ||
ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT | ||
FINANCIAL MODELING |
Corporate Finance
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
MONEY AND BANKING | ||
BANKING & CREDIT ANALYSIS | ||
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANALYSIS | ||
INTERNATIONAL FINANCE | ||
GLOBAL IPOs & VENTURE CAPITAL | ||
ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT | ||
FINANCIAL MODELING |
Risk Management
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANALYSIS | ||
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT | ||
ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT | ||
DERIVATIVES: PRICING & APPLICATIONS | ||
FINANCIAL MODELING |
Investment/Financial Analysis
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
BANKING & CREDIT ANALYSIS | ||
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANALYSIS | ||
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT | ||
ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT | ||
DERIVATIVES: PRICING & APPLICATIONS | ||
FINANCIAL MODELING | ||
BEHAVIORAL FINANCE | ||
INVESTMENT SEMINAR |