Declaring the Major | Progressing in the Major
Description of the Major
As part of the nationally recognized JMU College of Business, the finance program provides the body of knowledge, tools and techniques necessary for a wide range of professions in today's competitive job market. Through state-of-the-art instruction, emphasis is placed on applications, group interaction, research techniques and tools, and problem solving skills. In addition to the required courses, we offer finance electives in derivatives, financial analysis, financial modeling, and commercial banking. Many of our graduates are employed in financial analysis, investment management, banking, security trading, and investment banking.
If you would like to major in finance, you must be admitted to the College of Business. Therefore, it is important for you to meet with your academic adviser to plan your coursework for admission into the College of Business.
Once admitted to the College of Business, we expect you to complete the finance major three semesters following the semester that you take Integrated Functional Systems (COB 300). Many of our students will also major in economics, accounting, or computer information systems. As a student of the College of Business, you are strongly encouraged to complete a summer internship between your junior and senior year.
The faculty prides itself on staying current and innovative through a commitment to excellence in education. We emphasize in our classrooms both a theoretical understanding of financial management and markets, as well as the practical application in relating financial and economic theory to real world problems. The Department of Finance and Business Law faculty members have published in journals including the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, the Financial Analysts Journal and the Journal of Futures Markets. Faculty members have also published numerous books, cases and monographs.
Degrees Offered
B.B.A.
Concentrations
None
Minors
None
Declaring the Major
New Freshmen and Transfer Students
Declare the Finance major when you register for orientation. Any student admitted to JMU can declare any major offered by the College of Business. However students are not formally admitted into the College of Business until certain requirements are met as listed in the section "Progressing in the Major."
Currently Enrolled Major Changers
If you wish to change your major to Finance you must be in good academic standing (have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher) on the date you submit a "Change or Declaration of Major" form, which is available in the Academic Services Center located in Zane Showker Hall, room 205. Declaring a College of Business major does not guarantee full admission to the major. You will not be fully admitted to the major until requirements are met as listed below.
Progressing in the Major
Full Admission to the College of Business
Declaring a business major does not guarantee full admission to the College of Business. You must formally apply for full admission to the College of Business by submitting an application for admission during the semester in which you are completing the lower-level B.B.A. core courses.
Students are formally admitted into the College of Business as a B.B.A. degree seeking major and permitted to register for COB 300, Integrated Functional Systems, when the following requirements are met:
The B.B.A. core GPA is calculated using grades earned in the B.B.A. lower-level core courses excluding calculus (MATH 205 or MATH 235). Only grades earned at JMU will be used. The university policy for calculating repeat-credit and repeat-forgiveness will be followed.
Students with a 2.7 B.B.A. core GPA are assured admission into the College of Business and COB 300. Students who meet all of the requirements above but fail to achieve a 2.7 B.B.A. core GPA will be admitted to the College of Business and COB 300 based on B.B.A. core GPA ranking, and pending resources and space availability.
