Finance
The primary mission of the Department of Finance is to provide a quality education to students that will prepare them for leadership positions within the finance profession in business. Students acquire financial knowledge and skills that can be applied in a variety of environments.
UA’s four-year finance degree provides students with the opportunity to acquire general business and financial problem-solving skills – with a concentrated study in Financial Management, Financial Planning, or Risk Management and Insurance (RMI).
Graduates in finance develop the skills to: Succeed in financial management of both businesses and not-for-profit organizations; Make effective decisions regarding financial analysis, cash management, raising capital, funding new products, and mergers and acquisitions; Advise people in planning their personal finances to enhance their standard of living during their working years and in retirement; and Identify, analyze, and manage financial and operational risks that are inherent in both personal and business settings.
Financial Management develops students’ ability to apply the principle of finance to management of a firm. While the curriculum focuses on the corporation, the skills acquired apply to any organization requiring financial management. Career opportunities include: Chief financial officers; Bank loan officers, credit managers, operations managers and financial analysts; Corporate credit managers; and Participants in all phases of mergers and acquisitions
Financial Planners do what many people don’t like doing for themselves: Figure out how to manage their money. By meeting with clients and then helping them determine budgeting plans, investing decisions, insurance needs and other financial to-do’s, financial planners get clients on track and help them stay focused on meeting their financial goals. This major qualifies students to sit for the Certified Financial Planner™(CFP®) Exam. Career opportunities include: Financial Planner; Paraplanner; Customer Service Associate; Wealth Management; and Portfolio Manager
RMI prepares students to identify, analyze and manage financial and operational risks that are inherent in both personal and business settings. They study property, liability, health and life insurance, employee benefit programs and government insurance programs. The RMI industry is dynamic and changing rapidly and employment opportunities are high. Careers in this field encompass three broad categories: corporate risk management, corporate insurance professional and insurance sales. Career opportunities include: Loss control specialist/underwriter; Risk analyst/auditor; Claims adjuster/manager; Agency sales/service; and Bank compliance officer.
Finance (FIN)
FIN:300 Introduction to Finance (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: MATH 145 and [ECON 200 or ECON 244]. Studies the sources and uses of funds for business. Students cannot get credit for this class and FIN 301. (For non-College of Business students). (Formerly 6400:300)
FIN:301 Principles of Finance (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: [ECON 200 or ECON 244], [MATH 145 with a grade of C- or better or higher math], ACCT 201, and completion of one of the following: ACCT 250, admittance to the College of Engineering with 48 credit hours completed, or admittance to the Actuarial Sciences program with 48 credit hours completed. An overview of the financial system and the major decision areas of the financial manager such as capital budgeting, financing, and working capital management. (Formerly 6400:301)
FIN:302 Intermediate Corporate Finance (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: FIN 301 with a grade of C or better. This second course in corporate finance builds upon FIN 301 to provide students with an analytic foundation for careers in business. (Formerly 6400:302)
FIN:338 Financial Markets & Institutions (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: FIN 300 or FIN 301 with a grade of C- or better. Studies the flows of funds. Analyzes major financial intermediaries. Money and capital markets reviewed with emphasis on interest rates and their impact upon administration of specific financial intermediaries. (Formerly 6400:338)
FIN:341 Contemporary Investments (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: FIN 300 or FIN 301. Fundamentals of investing for the individual investor. Students cannot get credit for this class and FIN 343. (For non-College of Business Administration students.) (Formerly 6400:341)
FIN:343 Investments (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: [FIN 300 or FIN 301 with a grade of C- or better] and [STAT 262, STAT 461, or MGMT 304]. Range of security investment media explored, alternative investment programs considered and role of securities markets through which goals can be achieved studied. (Formerly 6400:343)
FIN:390 Real Estate Principles: Value Approach (3 Credits)
A study of real estate: the profession, the process, and the product. Emphasis is on real estate as a product and the valuation process. The measurement of value requires tool abilities in accounting, statistics and finance. (Formerly 6400:390)
FIN:402 Income Property Appraisal (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: at a minimum must have been admitted to a major in a four-year degree granting college, FIN 301, or permission of instructor. Advanced course in real property appraisal and valuation. Techniques and concepts will be covered along with the theory underlying such techniques. (Formerly 6400:402)
FIN:403 Real Estate Finance (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: at a minimum must have been admitted to a major in a four-year degree granting college, and FIN 301. Advanced course in real estate covering financing of and investment in real property. Included are investment techniques, methods, institutions, instruments, valuation, appraisal and policy issues. (Formerly 6400:403)
FIN:436 Commercial Bank Management (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admission to a major in a four-year degree granting college, ACCT 250, [FIN 300 or FIN 301], and FIN 338. Study of administrative policy determination and decision making within the commercial bank. Analysis of policy making in areas of liquidity, loan and security investment and sources of funds. (Formerly 6400:436)
FIN:437 International Business Finance (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admission to a major in a four-year degree granting college, and [FIN 300 or FIN 301] with a grade of C- or better. Theory and practice of financial wealth maximization in the international business enterprise. (Formerly 6400:437)
FIN:438 International Banking (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admission to a major in a four-year degree granting college and [ECON 461 or FIN 437]. Examination of recent trends in the expansion of international banking activities and associated revenue maximizing strategies. (Formerly 6400:438)
FIN:448 Advanced Portfolio Management (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: FIN 343 and [ECON 325 or MGMT 305]. Advanced Portfolio Management is a semester long case course. The case is the management of the UA Student-Managed Investment Fund. This course's primary activity will be the active management of the Fund. Current and selected topics relating to investments and financial markets will be discussed as needed in the rapidly changing world economy. The course will give the student practical experience in portfolio construction, management and evaluation by managing real money on a real time basis. (Formerly 6400:448)
FIN:473 Financial Statement Analysis (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admitted to a major in a four-year degree granting college, [FIN 301 with a grade of C- or better and ACCT 321], or FIN 302. Analysis and interpretation of the financial position and performance of the business firm from the perspective of the credit and financial analyst. Emphasizes mechanics and art of financial analysis. (Formerly 6400:473)
FIN:485 Financial Strategy (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: FIN 302 with grade of C or better and admission to a major in a four-year degree granting college. Pre/Corequisite: FIN 473. Case study based course with applications of financial management theories and tools to make decisions in capital budgeting, capital structure, and working capital management. (Formerly 6400:485)
FIN:489 Advanced Financial Analytics (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admitted to a major in a four-year degree granting college, senior standing, [FIN 302 with a grade of C or better], FIN 338, FIN 343 and [MGMT 305 or ECON 325]. Capstone course with analysis of financial models using advanced spreadsheet techniques. Models from personal finance, corporate finance and investments are incorporated, with applications in financial planning, forecasting, portfolio theory and security valuation, option valuation, capital investment and cost of capital. (Formerly 6400:489)
FIN:490 Selected Topics in Finance (1-3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admission to a major in a four-year degree granting college, ACCT 250, and FIN 301. Provides opportunity for study of special topics not covered in current finance courses. (Formerly 6400:490)
FIN:492 Internship in Financial Management (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: Permission of designated faculty member. On the job experience with public or private sector organizations in the financial services field. Individual assignments are approved and supervised by the designated member of the faculty in the student's major field. Periodic reports and term papers required. (Formerly 6400:492)
FIN:495 Research Project in Finance (1-3 Credits)
Prerequisites: FIN 302, FIN 338, FIN 343 and admission to a major in a 4-year degree granting college. Pre/Corequisite: FPL 411 or RMI 414 or RMI 415 or FPL 417 or RMI 418 or FPL 432 or FIN 436 or FIN 437 or FIN 438 or FIN 448 or RMI 461 or FIN 473 or FIN 485 or FIN 489. Taken concurrently with or following a 400-level field Finance course. Involves independent out-of-class work on a project designed in consultation with the designated 400-level course instructor. (Formerly 6400:495)
FIN:499 Independent Study: Finance (1-3 Credits)
Prerequisite: Permission of department head. Provides means for individualized in-depth study of finance problem or problems from which student can derive significant benefit. (Formerly 6400:499)
Financial Planning (FPL)
FPL:200 Foundations of Personal Finance (3 Credits)
Explores application of finance concepts in personal finance with emphasis on the personal financial planning process. (Formerly 6400:200)
FPL:332 Foundations of Financial Planning (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: [FIN 300 or FIN 301] with a grade of C or better. Introduction to financial planning, including goal setting, cash management, credit, housing, education planning, and selected professional issues. (Formerly 6400:332)
FPL:411 Estate and Financial Planning (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admission to a major in a four-year degree granting college, [FIN 300 or FIN 301] with a minimum grade of C- or better, or permission of Finance Department Chair. Pre/Corequisite: ACCT 330. Application of estate planning methodologies and policies to financial planning. (Formerly 6400:411)
FPL:417 Retirement Planning (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admission to a major in a four-year degree granting college, and [FIN 300 or FIN 301] with a grade of C- or better, or permission of the instructor. An in-depth examination of retirement and estate planning objectives, methods, and strategies including the study of employee benefits plans, public and private pension funds, and lifetime strategies for maximization of estate assets. (Formerly 6400:417)
FPL:432 Financial Planning Capstone (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Must have been admitted to a major in a four-year degree granting college, ACCT 330, [ACCT 410 or FPL 411], FPL 417, [FPL 332 with a grade of C or better], and [FIN 341 or FIN 343]. Pre/Corequisite: RMI 415 and RMI 414. Explores financial planning function, including contact, data acquisition, plan development and implementation; addressing planning techniques and financial planning ethical issues. (Formerly 6400:432)
FPL:493 Internship in Financial Planning (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: Permission of designated faculty member. On the job experience with public or private sector organizations in the financial services field. Individual assignments are approved and supervised by the designated member of the faculty in the student's major field. Periodic reports and term papers required. (Formerly 6400:493)
Business Law (BLAW)
BLAW:220 Legal & Social Environment of Business (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: A minimum academic standing of a Sophomore or greater. Explores the legal and social environment in which modern business must function. The legal system, public and private law, and contemporary social and ethical issues are addressed. (Formerly 6400:220)
BLAW:321 Business Law I (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: completion of 64 credits. Discussions designed to develop legal reasoning within substantive areas of contractual obligation, agency relationships, partnerships, corporations, accountant's legal responsibility, federal securities regulation and antitrust law. (Formerly 6400:321)
BLAW:322 Business Law II (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: BLAW 321 and completion of 60 credits. Applications of Uniform Commercial Code in sales, commercial paper and secured transactions. Additional discussions include property, wills, estates, trusts, bailments, insurance, suretyship, bankruptcy, and labor law. (Formerly 6400:322)
BLAW:323 International Business Law (3 Credits)
The law and international commercial transactions. Among the subjects covered are sovereignty; treaties; agreements; antitrust practices; property rights; international arbitration. (Formerly 6400:323)
BLAW:424 Legal Concepts of Real Estate (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: at a minimum must have been admitted to a major in a four-year degree granting college. Study of concepts of law governing the many interests in real estate including acquisition, encumbrance, transfer, rights and obligations of parties, and the various state and federal regulations. The legal concepts of the business of real estate are likewise examined. Emphasis is on a managerial approach utilizing the case method. (Formerly 6400:424)
Risk Management and Insurance (RMI)
RMI:414 Risk Managment: Property and Casualty (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admission to a major in a four-year degree granting college, [FIN 300 or FIN 301] with a grade of C- or better, or permission of instructor. Addresses tools for managing risk, legal concepts of insurance contracts, personal insurance and commercial property and casualty insurance policies as well as other risk issues. (Formerly 6400:414)
RMI:415 Risk Management: Life and Health Insurance (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admission to a major in a four-year degree granting college, and [FIN 300 or FIN 301] with a grade of C- or better. Concepts of life and health insurance and risk management are addressed. (Formerly 6400:415)
RMI:418 Insurance Operations (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: RMI 414 or RMI 415 or permission. This course provides a detailed examination of the composition, financial structure, and operation of the property-casualty insurance industry. (Formerly 6400:418)
RMI:460 Risk and Insurance Analytics (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admission to a major in a four-year degree granting college, and [MGMT 305 or ECON 325]. Pre/Corequisites: RMI 414, RMI 415 and RMI 418. The primary objective of this course is to provide an introduction to risk and insurance analytics and the application of analysis techniques to insurance underwriting, fraud detection and risk management. Topics to be covered include: 1. An overview of the application of analytics to risk management and insurance 2. Basic Data Modeling Concepts 3. Traditional Analysis Techniques 4. Modern Analysis Techniques 5. Application to Underwriting 6. Application to Claims 7. Application to Risk Management (Formerly 6400:460)
RMI:461 Enterprise Risk Management (3 Credits)
Prerequisites: Admission to a major in a four-year degree granting college, RMI 414, RMI 415, and RMI 418. Explores risk issues at the firm level with emphasis upon identification and management of risk to enhance firm value. (Formerly 6400:461)
RMI:494 Internship in Risk Management and Insurance (3 Credits)
Prerequisite: Permission of designated faculty member. On the job experience with public or private sector organizations in the financial services field. Individual assignments are approved and supervised by the designated member of the faculty in the student's major field. Periodic reports and term. papers required. (Formerly 6400:494)