Finance

Finance Fundamentals

The discipline of finance prepares individuals to utilize established principles of financial management to efficiently meet the financial goals of the entity or individual involved. The finance degree offers the student two paths. 

• Corporate Financial Management utilizes financial principles to efficiently manage the assets of an organization, whether for profit or not-for-profit. 

• The Financial Services path provides students with the skill sets to apply those same financial decision making principles to properly deliver financial services and products to consumers. Within the Financial Services path, there are two opportunities to specialize and obtain pertinent professional designations and licensing.
  • Ohio State Real Estate Sales License and Ohio State Real Estate Broker License
  • Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)

In addition to education in the fundamentals of finance, students enhance skill sets needed for career success, including verbal and written communication, leadership, group dynamics, computer and other technology, and interpersonal relationships.

Professional Preparation

Corporate Financial Management focuses on the management of the financial resources of a firm. Students learn to efficiently manage assets of a firm by taking additional required finance and accounting courses. Elective courses permit further study in such areas as firm asset management, investment management and capital budgeting.

Examples of corporate financial management positions include:

• Chief Financial Officer
• Treasury Management
• Cash Manager
• Debt Manager
• Foreign Currency Manager
• Pension Manager
• Investor relations analyst
• Real estate analyst/manager
• Risk and Insurance
• Financial analyst
• Planning and budgeting analyst
• Merger & Acquisition analyst
• Financial engineering and risk management

 

Financial Services focuses on how to apply the principles of finance to the firms, services and products that serve the individual and business consumers. Such services include banking, securities brokerage, investment advisors, real estate, insurance and personal financial planning.

Students choosing to specialize in real estate or personal financial planning have the opportunity to sit for and be licensed as an Ohio real estate agent or to sit for the Certified Financial Planner Certification Examination to earn the CFP® designation, respectively.

Examples of financial services career opportunities include:

• Personal financial planner / financial advisor
• Security analysts
• Portfolio managers
• Securities / mutual funds
• Banking trust / asset management
• Insurance sales agents
• Insurance underwriters
• Loan officers
• Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
• Real estate brokers and sales agents
• Appraisers and assessors of real estate

Our Faculty

• are highly trained in their areas and highly motivated to provide students with sound theory and application of finance principles
• are dedicated to providing the best possible education for their students

For more information on our faculty, visit Finance Faculty.

Akron Advantage

All College of Business Administration programs are accredited at the highest possible level by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. In addition, the CBA is one of only 171 schools that has earned separate accounting accreditation. The College has been consistently rated as one of the best business schools in the nation by the Princeton Review and ranked in the top 6 percent of all undergraduate programs by BusinessWeek magazine.

Our close ties to regional businesses provide many benefits for our students. Business executives share their expertise as mentors and guest lecturers in classes, and provide valuable advice on program and course content, helping to keep our curricula fresh, relevant and rigorous. Students gain valuable hands-on experience through group projects that assign them to solve problems for local businesses and by participating in co-op and internship programs at regional companies.

We are able to provide our students with training in cutting-edge technology as a result of our academic alliances with technology vendors such as Microsoft, and Oracle.

Our active student organizations enable our students to enrich their college experience by providing opportunities for them to apply knowledge and skills gained in the classroom, and by opening doors to new friendships, networking, professional growth, and even jobs.  Many of our student organizations have excelled in regional and national competitions, often against highly regarded colleges and universities across the country. 

Hands-on Research

Applications-based courses allow students to develop real world decision-making skills through the introduction of relevant business issues into the classroom and the use of expert guest speakers, case-based analysis and integration of current events.

Real-World Experience

Paid-for credit internship and cooperative work experience opportunities are available where students see how their education is applied in real-world settings. Guest speakers expose students to experiences of key members of the business community.

Recent Placements Include:

Corporate Financial Management

• The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
• The Timken Company
• Diebold, Inc.
• Burt Manufacturing
• The J.M. Smucker Company
  

Financial Services

• Merrill Lynch
• Ameriprise
• UBS
• PNC (formerly National City Bank)
• FirstMerit Bank
• KeyBank
• Northwest Mutual Insurance
• ValMark Securities, Inc.
• Capital Partners, Ltd.
• Scottrade
• Charles Schwab

Finance Student Organizations

The College of Business Administration offers major-specific student groups as well as a variety of general business groups:

• Financial Management Association
• Financial Management Association Honors Society
• Beta Gamma Sigma — an honorary fraternity
• Delta Sigma Pi — a professional fraternity
• Student Toastmasters
• International Business Association
• Financial Planning Association (FPA)

Curriculum Guide

• Financial Services — B.B.A.
• Corporate Financial Management — B.B.A.

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