Business Administration, Finance Concentration, BS + Financial Analytics, MS

Admissions Requirements
Graduate Standing Requirements
Program Requirements (144 units)
Advising Roadmap

The Finance Spartan Accelerated Graduate Education (SAGE) Program provides students the opportunity to earn their Business Administration, Finance Concentration, BS and Financial Analytics, MS degrees simultaneously, completing both degrees in five years, rather than the usual six years when completing them individually.The SAGE Scholars Program Coordinator works closely with the students to ensure a seamless transition from undergraduate to graduate status, without students having to file a formal application for admission to the graduate program.

Total SAGE Program Units (BS + MS) 144

Admission Requirements

All finance undergraduates are eligible to apply for, and be admitted to, the SAGE Finance program in Spring semester of their junior year if they fulfill the following requirements by June 1 of that year:

Completed a minimum of 90 units towards the BS degree;
Completed BUS1 170 (Fundamentals of Finance) and BUS2 90 (Business Statistics) with grades of B or better;
Have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or better, or GPA of 3.2 or better in the last 60 semester units;
Completed all lower division GE requirements.

In cases where demand from qualified applicants exceeds available placements in the program, admission decisions will be determined by evaluating student GPAs, performance in prerequisite courses, and conducting interviews.

Those who qualify for the SAGE program but are not admitted are eligible for regular MSF admission.

Graduate Standing Requirements

Requirements for program continuation and advancement to candidacy in the graduate program, include:

Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher with no individual course grade below a C.
Students not maintaining these standards will be placed on probation initially, followed by disqualification if grades are not improved.
A GPA of 3.0 is required to earn the SAGE Finance degree.

Culminating Experience

The culminating experience will take place in the capstone course BUS 270D . The course focuses on the study of corporate finance problems integrating finance theory and business practice. Topics include assessing financial condition; valuation, cash flow and capital budgeting analysis; and decision-making pertaining to working capital, capital expenditures, capital allocation, capital structure, payout policy, IPOs, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and corporate governance. The students are assigned a complex case study based on publicly available data which integrate accounting & financial knowledge, technology, and corporate strategical considerations. Students may propose themselves a case study based on actual private or publicly available data, conditional on the approval of the course instructor and program director. Students work on the case study and write a report in a professional format summarizing their analysis and findings. An oral presentation is also required.

Program Requirements (144 units)

Business Administration, Finance Concentration, BS (114 units)

Students must satisfy all of the major and Undergraduate University Graduation Requirements , which includes unit, GPA, and residency requirements as well as the below identified General Education , American Institutions, Graduation Writing Assessment, and Physical Education requirements. Courses that meet Undergraduate University Graduation Requirements are noted with an area designation (see Course Note Abbreviations ).

University Requirements (30 units)

The Lower and Upper Division General Education requirements may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. To satisfy the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) , students must pass ENGL 100WB , COMM 100W , or LLD 100WB with a grade of “C” or better (“C-” not accepted).

GE Areas 1A, 1C, 5A, 5B, 5C, 3A, 3B, 4/2 American Institutions (123) and,6 25 unit(s)

UD GE 2or5 3 unit(s)
Physical Education 2 unit(s)

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)
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 , MATH 31 , MATH 32 , or MATH 71 .)
COMM 100W - Writing Workshop: Writing for Influence 3 unit(s) OR ENGL 100WB - Written Communication: Business 3 unit(s) OR LLD 100WB - Writing Workshop for Business Students 3 unit(s) (all WID)

Major Requirements (58 units)

The following Major Requirement courses must be completed with a grade of “C or better”: BUS1 20 , BUS1 21 , BUS2 90 , BUS1 170 . All courses in the Concentration Requirements for Finance must be completed with a grade of “C or better”.

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)
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)
BUS3 186 / 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)
Required Concentration 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 Elective (3 units)

Complete one course from:
BUS1 127A - Honors Practicum in Corporate Financial Management 3 unit(s)
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)

University Electives (11 units)

Financial Analytics, MS (30 units)

Core Courses (21 units)

BUS 200F - Leadership Communication for Finance Professionals 2 unit(s)
BUS 220 - Financial Accounting 3 unit(s)
BUS 220A - Financial Statement Analysis 3 unit(s)
BUS 265F - Silicon Valley Experience for Finance Professionals 1 unit(s)
BUS 270 - Financial Management 3 unit(s)
BUS 270A - Financial Planning and Analysis 3 unit(s)
BUS 270C - Financial Modeling and Data Visualization 3 unit(s)
BUS 270E - Advanced Corporate Finance 3 unit(s)

Elective Courses (6 units)

Students may include up to two BUS elective courses in the MBA or MSA programs subject to approval by program directors. Students in the standalone MSF degree complete BUS 270 . Students in the SAGE program may complete BUS 270 or another elective course.

Complete one course (3 units):

BUS 273 - Business Valuation 3 unit(s)

Complete one course (3 units):

BUS 222 - Profit Planning and Control 3 unit(s)
BUS 270 - Financial Management 3 unit(s)
BUS 270B - Financial Derivatives for Corporate Finance 3 unit(s)

Culminating Experience (3 units)

BUS 270D - Case Studies in Corporate Finance 3 unit(s) (GWAR)

Total Units Required (144 units)

Note: The standalone Business Administration, Finance Concentration, BS program requires the completion of 9 units of required electives. Students satisfy 6 of these elective units in this SAGE Scholars Program by completing BUS 220A and BUS 273 . BUS 220A is a required course in the Financial Analytics, MS program while BUS 273 is an elective option. These 6 units are considered to count toward both the graduate and undergraduate degrees, thus allowing SAGE students to meet the minimum unit requirements for both degrees.

Students in the standalone MSF degree complete BUS 270 . Students in the SAGE program may complete BUS 270 or another elective course.