The Bert W. Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance offers courses that enable students to prepare for careers in all areas of finance and business economics.
Economics presents theories and tools for systematic analyses of economic forces that affect everyday life. It includes microeconomics, macro-economics, and international economics. Micro-economics analyzes the actions and interactions of individual consumers, business, and government. Macroeconomics studies national income, inflation, unemployment, economic growth, and government policies. International economics builds on micro- and macro-economics to study international trade, finance, markets, and institutions.
Finance includes the study of money and capital markets, investments, and corporate finance. In addition to these traditional areas, it includes the study of modern developments in derivatives; financial market structure, such as electronic-based trading techniques and markets; and international markets and corporate finance.
The finance major prepares students for professional positions in financial institutions, including commercial, investment, and savings banks; brokerage firms; insurance companies; investment advisory services; and finance companies. Students will also be well prepared to enter the finance departments of nonfinancial corporations, nonprofit institutions, and governmental agencies.
Students who are planning on future graduate study in finance or business are strongly recommended to include advanced courses in mathematics, statistics, and econometrics in their undergraduate programs.
Required courses for the BBA degree include
ECO 1001 |
ECO 1002 |
FIN 3000 |
The finance major includes three required courses (9 credits) and five electives (15 credits).
Required Courses 9 credits
The three required courses build on the foundations of the introductory finance course. These courses are prerequisites to all 4000-level finance courses. Students must earn a GPA of 2.0 or better in the three required courses to take any of the 4000-level finance courses.
| Corporate Finance | 3 credits | |
| Investment Analysis | 3 credits | |
| Statistical Analysis for Economics and Finance | 3 credits |
Elective Courses 15 credits
The finance major includes five elective courses that students take after completing the three required courses with a 2.0 GPA or better. The five electives include five courses in finance, economics, real estate finance or insurance at the 3000 or 4000 level, subject to these specific requirements:*
Either FIN 4610 or 4710: These are the capstone courses in the finance major, and both are communication-intensive courses (CIC)
Two additional 4000-level finance (FIN) courses (Note: The choice of FIN 4610 above does not preclude FIN 4710, and vice versa. In other words, students may include both FIN 4610 and FIN 4710 in the finance major if they choose.)
Two additional 3000- or 4000-level courses in finance (FIN), economics (ECO), insurance (INS) or real estate finance (RES).*
In addition, students may include, at most, two of these courses outside finance:
| Financial Accounting I | 3 credits | |
| Financial Accounting II | 3 credits | |
| Property Investment and Financing | 3 credits | |
| Real Estate Capital Markets | 3 credits | |
| Investment Strategies in Property Markets | 3 credits | |
| Valuations and Underwriting of Securitized Real Estate | 3 credits |
An internship training program is available to qualified fulltime juniors and seniors majoring in finance, with 1 credit or 3 credits a semester for 15 to 20 weekly hours of work. These credits cannot be counted toward those needed for the major.
Students must file a Major Declaration Form by the end of their junior year.
A BBA degree with a major in economics prepares students for entry-level positions in business, nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, and private consulting. This work includes economic analysis, research, and empirical analysis.
Students choosing an economics major are advised that a position as a professional economist usually requires a graduate degree in economics. Students planning to enter a graduate program in economics are strongly recommended to include advanced courses in mathematics, statistics, and econometrics in their undergraduate programs.
Required courses for the BBA degree include and , courses that form the foundation of knowledge in micro- and macro-economics, respectively. These courses are prerequisites for all other economics courses.
The economics major includes three required courses (9 credits) and five electives (15 credits).
Required Courses 9 credits
The three required courses build on the foundations of the introductory micro- and macro-economics courses. Economics majors should plan on taking all three, especially ECO 4000, as early in their major program as possible.
| Intermediate Micro-Economics | 3 credits | |
| Intermediate Macro-Economics | 3 credits | |
| Statistical Analysis for Economics and Finance | 3 credits |
Elective Courses 15 credits
In addition to the three required courses, an economics major must take a meaningful combination of five economics, finance, or insurance courses at the 3000 level or higher. Of these five courses, at least two must be economics courses at the 4000 level or higher. FIN 3000 may not be included in the economics major. When appropriate, a student may include up to two advanced courses from other disciplines in the five electives.
An internship training program is available to qualified full-time juniors and seniors majoring in economics, with 1 credit or 3 credits a semester for 15 to 20 weekly hours of work. These credits cannot be counted toward those needed for the major.
Students must file a Major Declaration Form by the end of their junior year.
A BA degree with a major in economics deals with concepts, techniques, and cases in economics that acquaint the student with the general economic problems of modern society. This degree provides students with an excellent general background for a wide range of challenging business careers.
There are several prerequisites for the major. The major itself includes three required courses (9 credits) and five electives (15 credits).
Prerequisites to the Major 12 or 13 credits
Not Credited to the Major
Economics 6 credits | |||
| Micro-Economics | 3 credits | |
| Macro-Economics | 3 credits | |
Statistics 3 credits | |||
| Business Statistics I | 3 credits | |
Mathematics 3-4 credits* | |||
| Pre-calculus and Elements of Calculus | 4 credits | |
or |
| ||
A more advanced calculus course | 3 or 4 credits |
* Please note:
Students with credit for MTH 2000 or 2001 must complete a calculus course.
Required Courses in the Major 9 credits
The three required courses build on the foundations of the introductory micro- and macro-economics courses,
ECO 1001 |
ECO 1002 |
ECO 4000 |
| Intermediate Micro-Economics | 3 credits | |
| Intermediate Macro-Economics | 3 credits | |
| Statistical Analysis for Economics and Finance | 3 credits |
Elective Courses 15 credits
The BA economics major includes five elective courses, at least two of which must be at the 4000 level or higher, chosen from the following list:
| Black Economic Development: 1860 to the Present | 3 credits | ||
| Urban Economic Structure (
| 3 credits | ||
| Industrial Organization and Public Policy | 3 credits | ||
| Money, Banking, and Monetary Policy | 3 credits | ||
| International Economics and Finance | 3 credits | ||
| Principles of Public Finance | 3 credits | ||
| Evolution of Economic Thought | 3 credits | ||
| Economics of Labor | 3 credits | ||
| Financial Econometrics | 3 credits | ||
| Advanced Micro-Economics | 3 credits | ||
| Advanced Macro-Economics | 3 credits | ||
| Monetary Economics | 3 credits | ||
| Mathematical Economics | 3 credits | ||
| Advanced Labor Economics (3503) | 3 credits | ||
| History of American Business Enterprise | 3 credits | ||
| Public Finance/Managing Public Resources | 3 credits | ||
| Economic Analysis and Public Policy | 3 credits | ||
| Ethics, Economics, and the Business System | 3 credits | ||
| Political Economy | 3 credits | ||
| Government and the American Economy | 3 credits |
As with all BA majors, the Tier III minor must be completed outside the department of the students major. A student majoring in economics cannot minor in finance.
The Bert W.Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance recently introduced a Tier III minor in economics. The Tier III minor is 9 credits (three courses) and consists of two 3000-level courses and a relevant 4000-level, communication-intensive economics capstone course. All 4000-level economics courses, with the exception of ECO 4000, are communication-intensive courses. Finance majors are eligible to take the Tier III minor in economics, but they must remember that courses used to fulfill the Tier III minor may not be used to fulfill the 24-credit major requirement.
A minor in economics and finance consists of any three courses listed below. Each course is 3 credits, for a total of 9 credits.
| Intermediate Micro-Economics | |
| Intermediate Macro-Economics | |
| Money, Banking, and Monetary Policy | |
| International Economics and Finance | |
| Principles of Public Finance | |
| Economics of Labor | |
| Statistical Analysis for Economics and Finance | |
| Advanced Micro-Economics | |
| Advanced Macro-Economics | |
| Monetary Economics | |
| Corporate Finance | |
| Investment Analysis |
| Micro-Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Macro-Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Current Economic Problems | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Intermediate Micro-Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Industrial Organization and Public Policy | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Managerial Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| "Field Study of the Economics of the Environment, Business, Culture and Global Sustainability" | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Intermediate Macro-Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| "Money, Banking, and Monetary Policy" | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| International Economics and Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Economics of Regulation | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Public Enterprise Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Principles of Public Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Urban Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Economic Geography and Spatial Theory | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Evolution of Economic Thought | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Economics of Labor | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Advanced Labor Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Contemporary Economic Development | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Statistical Analysis for Economics and Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Economic and Business Forecasting | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Financial Econometrics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Special Topics in Economics | 1 hours; 1 credits | |
| Special Topics in Economics | 2 hours; 2 credits | |
| Special Topics in Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Special Topics in Economics | 1.5 hours; 1.5 credits | |
| Advanced Micro-Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Advanced Macro-Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Monetary Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Mathematical Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Contemporary Economic Thought | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Advanced Labor Economics | "3 hours, 3 credits" | |
| Independent Research in Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Internship in Economics I | 15 - 20 work hours; 3 credits | |
| Internship in Economics II | 15 - 20 work hours per week; 3 credits | |
| Current Problems in Mathematical Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Economic Problems in Linear Regression Analysis | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Current Problems in Micro-Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Current Problems in Macro-Economics | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Current Problems in Public Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Micro Econ | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Macro Econ | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Intermd Micro | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Intermd Macro | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Money & Banking | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Int'l Eco & Fin | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Stat Analysis | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Fin Econometrics | 3hours; 3credits | |
| Hon Adv Labor Econ | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Economics I | 3 hours: 3 credits | |
| Hon Economics II | 3 hours; 3 credits |
| Personal Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Principles of Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Corporate Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Financial Management for Small Business and Entrepreneurs | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Investment Analysis | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Management of Financial Institutions | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Financial Markets and Intermediaries | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Special Topics in Finance | 1 hours; 1 credits | |
| Special Topics in Finance | 2 hours; 2 credits | |
| Special Topics in Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Special Topics in Finance | 1.5 hours; 1.5 credits | |
| Advanced Corporate Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Advanced Investment Analysis | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Futures Markets | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Equity Markets: Trading and Structure | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Options | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Technical Analysis | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Special Topics in Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Introduction to Microfinance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Risk Management in Financial Institutions I | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Risk Management in Financial Institutions II | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| International Financial Markets | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| International Corporate Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Mergers and Acquisitions | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Independent Research in Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Current Problems in Corporate Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Internship in Finance I | 15 - 20 work hours per week; 3 credits | |
| Internship in Finance II | 15 - 20 work hours per week; 3 credits | |
| Current Problems in Investments | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Special Topics in Futures and Options | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Current Problems in Capital Markets and Institutions | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Prin of Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Corp Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Invest & Analys | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Adv Corp Fin | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Spec Top Finance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Hon Finance I | 2 terms; 6 credits | |
| Hon Finance II | 2 terms; 6 credits |
| Risk and Risk Management | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Life and Health Insurance | 3 hours; 3 credits | |
| Property and Liability Insurance | 3 hours; 3 credits |