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    Mar 29, 2024  
American University Catalog 2014-2015 
    
American University Catalog 2014-2015 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Finance (BS)


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Offered by the Kogod School of Business , the BS in Finance program meets the needs of students pursuing professional financial careers in industrial, financial, governmental, not-for-profit, and consulting organizations. In addition to completing the university writing, mathematics, and general education requirements, students complete the business undergraduate core and 24 credits of advanced-level courses providing an in-depth knowledge of finance. Students successfully completing these requirements should be well prepared for professional financial careers, to sit for the first level of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) or the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exams, to continue their education in one of KSB’s master’s programs, or to pursue additional study towards a graduate degree at other institutions.

Admission to the Program


Freshman applicants should have demonstrated above average performance in their college preparatory courses in secondary school. Scores on the SAT or ACT should indicate that the applicant has the potential for success in a rigorous quantitative university degree program. Due to the quantitative emphasis of the business administration and finance curricula, it is strongly recommended that applicants take the SAT II Math test for placement purposes.

In addition to university requirements for transfer admission, transfer applicants to KSB should have a minimum grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale). This also applies to students transferring from nondegree status at American University. All transfer students are required to take MGMT-458  and at least 21 upper-level credit hours toward their major requirements in residence. Transfer credits for 300-level and above business courses are subject to validation by the appropriate department chair and may be conditional on successful completion of a more advanced course at American University. Transfer students may transfer into American University up to 18 credit hours of their general business core including FIN-365 Business Finance  and FIN-464 Financial Markets and Institutions  with a B or better from an AACSB-accredited institution. Final determination of valid transfer credit will lie with the department chair.

University Requirements


  • 120 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better
  • Completion of college writing requirement
  • Completion of university mathematics requirement

General Education Requirements


  • A total of ten courses, consisting of two courses from each of the five foundational areas.
  • At least one course from Area Five: The Natural and Mathematical Sciences must include a laboratory science component.
  • No more than two courses may be taken in the same discipline.

Note: Foundational Area 4 should be fulfilled by ECON-100 Macroeconomics FA4  and ECON-200 Microeconomics FA4 .

Major Requirements


  • A total of 120 credit hours with a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher.
    • Students must complete at least 50 percent of their coursework (60 credit hours) outside of KSB. Student may take more than 60 credit hours of business courses as long as 50 percent of their total credit hours are earned in non-business coursework.
    • IBUS-200  and FIN-200  are considered business courses and may not count toward the non-business course requirement even if they are taken for General Education credit.
    • No more than 3 credit hours of FIN-576 Student-Managed Investment Fund  may be applied to the major, and no more than a total of 6 credit hours of FIN-576  may be applied to a combination of undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Kogod School of Business.
  • At least 50 percent of the business credit hours required for the BS in Finance must be earned at American University.
  • Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 to be eligible to enroll in business courses.
  • A total of 68 credit hours with grades of C or better for the major requirements.
  • Business core courses: 36 credit hours with grades of C or better (pass/fail grades are not permitted).
  • Finance requirements: a minimum of 24 credit hours with grades of C or better (pass/fail grades are not permitted).
  • Math requirement: 8 credit hours in MATH-211  or MATH-221  (recommended) and STAT-202  or   with grades of C or better (pass/fail grades are not permitted).
  • A student may count no more than three internship credits in total towards the 120 credit graduation requirement for an undergraduate business degree.

Course Requirements


The sequencing of courses is particularly important in the case of the BS in Finance. For this reason, students are responsible for consulting with advisors in the KSB Office of Academic Programs as they plan their overall programs and semester class schedules.

Business Core Courses (36 credit hours)


AT = analytical tool emphasis; provides a strong foundation in business analytical software

C = case analysis emphasis; provides growth opportunities for students to evaluate cases

O = oral communication emphasis; assists in the development of oral presentation skills

T = teamwork emphasis; focuses on teamwork and the importance of interpersonal relationships and communication

W = written communication emphasis; develops business writing skills, written assignments account for a significant part of the course grade

Finance Elective Courses (9 credit hours)


Suggested course selections for a desired professional track:


CF = Corporate Finance

RE = Real Estate

SA = Security Analysis, Trading, and Portfolio Management

WM = Wealth Management

University Honors Program


To graduate with University Honors in the major through the University Honors Program, students must meet the requirements detailed on the Honors website and have been enrolled as either a first-year student between Fall 1989 and Spring 2014, or as a transfer or self-nominated student through Spring 2015. The University Honors Program should not be confused with the AU Honors Program, which begins in Fall 2014 and has separate requirements, also detailed on the Honors website.

Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees


American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. Advanced undergraduates admitted to a combined degree program that includes a master’s degree from Kogod are eligible to take graduate-level courses and may apply up to 9 graduate credit hours earned as an undergraduate toward the requirements for both degrees. See Combined Bachelor’s and Kogod School of Business Master’s Programs  for more information.

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