Finance Major
The field of Finance consists of the following five interrelated areas of study: (1) Financial Markets and Institutions. Deals with financial markets, institutions, laws, regulations and techniques through which securities are traded, interest rates determined and financial services produced and delivered. (2) Investment Management. Focuses on the decisions by individuals and financial institutions as they choose securities for their investment portfolios. It also deals with how these securities are managed to achieve set investment goals. (3) Corporate Finance. Deals with how firms of various sizes raise capital, manage their financing and investment activities so as maximize the value of the firm for the owners. (4) Risk Management. Involves the use of techniques such as futures, options, swaps and various forms of derivative contracts and tools to mitigate downside risk as well as offer opportunities to leverage expected returns. (5) Personal Finance. Deals with techniques to manage an individual’s own finances effectively so as accomplish set financial goals.
Finance is an important field within business administration and management. In Finance, we focus on the optimal use of financial resources, including capital, credit, loans, and savings. The value of the practice of Finance is measured by how the expected gains of any financial decision are balanced by the risk involved in the process of achieving those gains. The many advances made in modern financial theory and practice in the global economy make the field as exciting as it is as challenging. The opportunities for the practitioner are great. We invite you to view the Program Requirements as well as visit the Job Opportunities link for a description of the major careers in Finance.
