The honors program in finance is reserved for students of high promise and exceptional ability. Students admitted to this program are characterized by outstanding academic performance, exceptional leadership capability, high aptitude for superior academic work and exceptional ability for making meaningful contributions during a professional career.
Honors students in finance proceed through the program together in a cohort system with peers who have similar exceptional abilities. Courses reserved for honors students are advanced in nature, student-oriented, and small. Students in the program are afforded the opportunity to interact with leaders from finance and business communities in small settings.
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| Business Core Requirements | 60 |
| Liberal Studies Requirements | 72 |
| Major Requirements | 34 |
| Open Electives | 26 |
| Total hours required | 192 |
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Use analytical and reflective skills in decision making.
- Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
- Recognize legal and ethical issues confronting them.
- Contribute to the performance of a group within a business setting.
- Know the differences among global economies, institutions, business practices and cultures.
- Acquire knowledge of the functional areas of business and the interrelationships among the functional areas within a business.
- Understand financial theory and how it can be applied to financial decision making.\\n Develop appropriate cash flows and discount rate analysis of projects, and financial instruments (e.g. bonds and stocks).\\n Apply and interpret the appropriate risk measures (e.g. beta, standard deviation) to situations under uncertainty.\\n Understand the role of agents and impact of governance.
- Understand the structure of the financial markets and the roles of institutions in those markets.\\n Understand the flow of funds in the private and public markets.\\n Know the determinants of the cost of funds.\\n 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 B+ is required in FIN 310. 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, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| One Required Course (not taken as Honors Section) | ||
| ACC 304 | FINANCIAL REPORTING I | 4 |
| Seven Required Courses (must be taken as Honors sections) | ||
| FIN 311 | CORPORATE FINANCE | 4 |
| FIN 315 | DATA ANALYTICS IN FINANCE | 4 |
| FIN 330 | INVESTMENTS: THEORY & PRACTICE | 4 |
| FIN 333 | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ANALYSIS | 4 |
| FIN 380 | CASES IN FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING | 4 |
| FIN 396 | HONORS SEMINAR | 2 |
| FIN 397 | HONORS SEMINAR CONTINUATION | 0 |
| Select two Finance electives to be chosen from the following. A maximum of one may be a non-FIN course: | 8 | |
| FOUNDATIONS OF DATA SCIENCE | ||
| INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS | ||
| INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS | ||
| INVESTMENT BANKING | ||
| MONEY AND BANKING | ||
| COMMERCIAL BANKING | ||
| BANKING & CREDIT 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 | ||
| 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.
Expectations
A cumulative GPA of 3.000 is required to remain in the program.
Once admitted, students will begin the curriculum in the spring quarter of the current academic year, and will complete the curriculum in the spring quarter of the following year. The honors student cohort will be exposed to rigorous and challenging courses in corporate finance, risk management, financial statement analysis, and financial accounting. Analytical writing and teamwork skills will be emphasized throughout the program.
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 Honors 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
Finance Honors students must take FIN 396 and are exempt from FIN 250. Finance Honors Students who double major may substitute FIN 396 in place of the career course (250) in the double major.
Experiential Learning
If FIN 393 or FIN 324 is completed in the Finance Honors major consult with academic advisor regarding options for Experiential Learning.
Graduation Requirements
A minimum grade of B+ is required in FIN 310. All other 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.