Apr 19, 2025

DRAFT 2025-2026 Academic Catalog

Business Administration, Finance Concentration, BS

Students studying finance learn to make decisions in three areas: corporate finance, investments and financial institutions. Corporate finance courses prepare students for financial analysis and planning. The investments area emphasizes decision-making processes required to value securities such as stocks or bonds and teaches principles of managing an investment portfolio. Students study financial institutions, including commercial banks, savings and loan associations, mutual funds, and insurance companies, to understand the function of U.S. and international money and capital markets. Offered by the Department of Accounting and Finance , the curriculum prepares students for careers as financial officers responsible for investment and financing decisions for corporations or financial institutions.

Program Learning Outcomes

Program Roadmaps

The 4-Year Roadmap is available online. Roadmaps should be used in consultation with the catalog and your advisor to identify additional requirements for completing the major (for example, course grade minimums). Associate Degrees (ADT) Pathways are also available online.

Major-Specific Graduation Requirements

All courses in the Concentration Requirements for Finance must be completed with a grade of “C or better”. The following Preparation for the Major and Required for the Major courses must be completed with a grade of “C or better”: ECON 1A , ECON 1B , ENGL 2 , MATH 70 , BUS1 20 , BUS1 21 , BUS2 90 , BUS1 170 .

1. Complete the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

Students must satisfy the specific degree requirements for their undergraduate major and fulfill the following University degree requirements:

Academic (program total units with an average 2.0 GPA - “C” or better)
General Education (GE) (34 Lower Division + 9 Upper Division)
American Institutions (AI) (0-6 units) (may be satisfied in GE Areas 3A, 3B, 4, UD 3, or UD 4)
Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) 3 units (see Writing in the Disciplines)
Physical Education (PE) (0-2 units)
Units in Residence (30 units, including 24 upper division and 12 in major)
Upper Division Units (40 units, including 12 upper div in major for BA, 18 upper div in major for BS)
Undergraduate Policies & Procedures

Apply for Graduation
Information about the Commencement Ceremony and Conferral of the Degree

Summary of Degree Units

Core Lower Division General Education: 19 (9 units may be satisfied by major coursework)

American Institutions/ US123 Requirements: 6 (Note: may be satisfied by GE coursework)

Upper Division General Education: 3 (6 units may be satisfied by major coursework)

Physical Education: 2

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR): 0 (3 units satisfied in Major Preparation by Writing in Disciplines)

Major Preparation: 15

Major Requirements: 46

Concentration Requirements: 18

University Electives: 11

Total: 120

2. Major Preparation (15 units)

All of the following courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or better prior to taking any upper division major coursework.

ECON 1A - Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics 3 unit(s)
ECON 1B - Principles of Economics: Microeconomics 3 unit(s) (GE Area 4 / Formerly Area D)
ENGL 2 - Critical Thinking and Writing 3 unit(s) (GE Area 1B / Formerly Area A3) (or equivalent)
MATH 70 - Mathematics for Business 3 unit(s) (GE Area Area 2 / Formerly Area B4) (Students who complete any of the following with a C or better may substitute it for MATH 70 : MATH 30 , 30X , 31 , 31X , 32 , 32X , 70X , 71 , or 71X .)

Writing in the Disciplines (3 units)

Complete one course from:

COMM 100W - Writing Workshop: Writing for Influence 3 unit(s) (WID)
ENGL 100WB - Written Communication: Business 3 unit(s) (WID)
LLD 100WB - Writing Workshop for Business Students 3 unit(s) (WID)

3. Major Requirements (64 units)

Core Courses (46 units)

Lower Division Courses (16 units)

BUS1 20 - Financial Accounting 3 unit(s)
BUS1 21 - Managerial Accounting 3 unit(s)
BUS3 80 - Legal Environment of Business 3 unit(s)
BUS2 90 - Business Statistics 3 unit(s) (Transfer students with STAT 95 (C or better) may use this in lieu of BUS2 90 .)
BUS4 91L - Computer Tools for Business 1 unit(s)
BUS3 12 - Business First Year Experience 3 unit(s) (
BUS3 10
can be substituted for Transfer Students)

Upper Division Business Fundamentals Courses (15 units)

BUS1 170 - Fundamentals of Finance 3 unit(s)
BUS2 130 - Introduction to Marketing 3 unit(s)
BUS5 140 - Fundamentals of Operations Management 3 unit(s)
BUS3 160 - Fundamentals of Management and Organizational Behavior 3 unit(s)
BUS2 190 - Fundamentals of Business Analytics 3 unit(s)

Upper Division Business Integration and Perspectives Courses (15 units)

BUS5 187 - Global Dimensions of Business 3 unit(s)
BUS4 188 - Business Systems and Policy 3 unit(s)
BUS3 189 - Strategic Management 3 unit(s)
PHIL 186 - Professional and Business Ethics 3 unit(s) (GE UD Area 4 / Formerly Area S)
One non-business global perspectives course in GE UD Area 3 (Formerly Area V) 3 unit(s)

Concentration Requirements (18 units)

Must achieve a grade of “C” or better in the following required courses

Required Courses (9 units)

BUS1 171A - Financial Institutions and Markets 3 unit(s)
BUS1 172A - Investment Analysis 3 unit(s)
BUS1 173A - Financial Management: Theory and Policy 3 unit(s)

Concentration Electives (9 units)

Complete three courses from:

Choose BUS1 127A or BUS1 127B do not take both

BUS1 127A - Honors Practicum in Corporate Financial Management 3 unit(s) OR
BUS1 127B - Advanced Honors Practicum
3 unit(s)
BUS1 171B - Commercial Banking 3 unit(s)
BUS1 172B - Portfolio Management 3 unit(s)
BUS1 172C - Futures and Options 3 unit(s)
BUS1 172D - Student Managed Investment Fund 3 unit(s)
BUS1 173B - Problems in Financial Management 3 unit(s)
BUS1 173C - Entrepreneurial Finance 3 unit(s)
BUS1 175 - Real Estate Finance 3 unit(s)
BUS1 176 - Business Valuation 3 unit(s)
BUS1 177 - International Business Finance 3 unit(s)
BUS1 179B - Selected Topics in Business Finance 3 unit(s)

About