This page is not intended as a substitute for the catalog.
Please consult with your advisor and the catalog for the year in which you were admitted.
JMU’s finance major belongs to the selective CFA® Institute Affiliation Program. Our rigorous curriculum incorporates a significant portion of the CFA® Institute Program Candidate Body of Knowledge, including the Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct.
One of the many benefits of CFA® Institute Affiliation Program is the ability to award scholarships to students to take the CFA® Level I exam. Students may apply for these competitive scholarships during their senior year.
Students interested in finance may also want to learn about the quantitative finance major.
*CFA® is a registered trademark owned by CFA Institute.
B.B.A. Core:
- COB 300A – Integrated Business: Management
- COB 300B – Integrated Business: Finance*
- COB 300C – Integrated Business: Operations
- COB 300D – Integrated Business: Marketing
- COB 318 – Legal and Ethical Environment of Business
Note: COB 318 must be taken before COB 487. - COB 487 – Strategic Management
Note: Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in FIN 360 during the same semester as COB 300. FIN 360 requires a minimum of a C in COB 242 and COB 291.
Major Coursework:
- FIN 360 – Analytical Methods in Finance
- FIN 365 – Intermediate Financial Management
- FIN 371 – Principles of Investments
- FIN 488 – Advanced Financial Policy
- Four FIN electives
*Students must earn a C or better in COB 300B and FIN 360 to complete upper level courses.
No more than 9 FIN credits can be taken in any one semester.
- FIN 310
- FIN/ECON 325
- FIN 362
- FIN/ECON 372
- FIN 378
- FIN 380
- FIN 434
- FIN 450
- FIN 451
- FIN 455
- FIN 460
- FIN 471
- FIN 475
- FIN 498
A student may choose up to one of the following courses to satisfy the finance elective credit hours: ACTG 313, ACTG 343, ACTG 344, ACTG 377, BLAW 360, BLAW 470,BLAW 480, BLAW 494, BLAW 495, BLAW 496, BLAW 497, BLAW 498, CIS 304, CIS 330, CIS 393, CIS 463 and BSAN 393. A finance major cannot take more than 10 credit hours of FIN prefix courses in any one semester.
Financial Analysis*
Many James Madison University finance graduates go on to careers in financial analysis and the need for financial analysts remains strong. The financial analysis concentration helps prepare students for the Chartered Financial Analyst exam and for analysis within the financial management of a firm.
Required courses:
- FIN 362 – Financial Analysis
- FIN 378 – Fixed Income Analysis
- FIN 380 – Elemental and Derivative Securities Analysis
Choose one of the following:
- FIN 475 – Financial Modeling and Risk Analysis
- ACTG 343 – Corporate Financial Reporting
*Concentration requires a minimum of a B in COB 241 and COB 242. Concentration may be declared during the semester that the student is taking COB 300.
Financial Technology and Analytics
The changing landscape of finance requires increased knowledge of technology. The financial technology and analytics concentration will prepare students to be agile in financial information systems and expose them to various analytical and visualization tools.
Required Courses- FIN 434 – Fundamentals of Financial Data Science
- FIN 471 – Portfolio Management
- FIN 475 – Financial Modeling and Risk Analysis
- BSAN 393 – Data Mining for Business Analytics
- CIS 304 – Enterprise Architecture
- CIS 330 – Database Design and Application
- CIS 393 – Data Mining for Business Analytics
Risk Management
A focus in risk management is designed for finance majors pursuing a more in-depth review of the issues facing organizations and the tools needed to address those uncertainties. In the risk management concentration, students focus on the theory of risk management, risk identification, risk measurement and applications in the form of risk modeling techniques such as Value-at-Risk and Monte Carlo simulations.
Curriculum in this concentration covers 80 to 85 percent of the curriculum for the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) Part I exam, sponsored by the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).
Required Courses:
- FIN 380 – Elemental and Derivative Securities Analysis
- FIN 450 – Financial Risk Management
- FIN 451 – Risk Management II
- FIN 475 – Financial Modeling and Risk Analysis
- Business Analytics
- Computer Information Systems
- Math
- Statistics
- Economics
The College of Business recognizes all students as individuals. The recommended academic plan for finance majors is intended as an example only. For instance, some students may be prepared to take COB 300 during the 2nd semester of their sophomore year, particularly those with numerous AP and dual enrollment hours who can complete lower core courses in the first three semesters. Students are encouraged to develop individualized academic plans in consultation with their Academic Advisor and taking into account unique skills, interests and goals. For specific course listings, please refer to the undergraduate catalog.
- Freshman – First Semester: MATH 205/235, ECON 200, GenEd, GenEd, GenEd
- Freshman – Second Semester: COB 191, COB 204, ECON 201, GenEd, GenEd
- Sophomore – First Semester: COB 202, COB 241, GenEd, GenEd, GenEd
- Sophomore – Second Semester: COB 242, COB 291, GenEd, Elective, Elective
- Junior – First Semester: COB 300A, COB 300B, COB 300C, COB 300D, FIN 360*
- Junior – Second Semester: FIN 365, FIN 371, COB 318, GenEd, Elective
- Senior – First Semester: FIN XXX, FIN XXX, Elective, Elective, Elective
- Senior – Second Semester: FIN XXX, FIN XXX, COB 487, FIN 488, Elective
* Students must earn a C or better in COB 300B and FIN 360 to complete upper level finance courses. It is highly recommended that students will take FIN360 along with COB300B.
- Bloomberg
- Excel
- Statistics (SAS)
- Finance Databases such as CRSP and Compustat
Doreen Liccione
(540) 568-5012
licciodl@jmu.edu
Advising and Support Center