Bachelor of Business Administration with a Major in Finance
The B.B.A. program in finance provides students with a high-quality liberal arts based educational foundation to either secure entry level finance positions in local, regional, or national organizations or to continue studies at the masters level. More information is available on-line using the tabs below. A printable program map is also available for download.
For more information, please see the Academic Catalog. A program map, which provides a guide for students to plan their course of study, is available for download in the Courses tab below.
The finance program consists of seven upper-level courses (21 hours) in the department designated as major courses and a three-hour capstone course in strategic management which is required of all B.B.A. programs. Three required courses in finance are Intermediate Corporate Finance, Investment Analysis, and Bank Management. There are three finance electives, one accounting course in either financial statement analysis or management accounting. Finance electives include courses in international finance, problems in corporate finance, portfolio management, and derivative markets. An internship course is also available to those students who secure a qualifying internship.
Program Location
Carrollton Campus
Method of Delivery
Partially online: Courses below the 4000 level are available online.
Accreditation
The University of West Georgia is accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
The Richards College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business - International (AACSB-I).
Credit and transfer
Total semester hours required: 120
This program may be earned more than 50% online but not entirely online - multiple campus visits are required (varying by course).
Save money
UWG is often ranked as one of the most affordable accredited university of its kind, regardless of the method of delivery chosen. In addition, online courses and programs can mean a cost-savings in many non-evident ways: No more high gas charges. No childcare needed. The flexibility can allow one to maintain a job while attending school. Regardless of state residency, out-of-state non-resident students are not charged non-resident tuition for online course credit hours.
Details
- Total tuition costs and fees may vary, depending on the instructional method of the courses in which the student chooses to enroll.
- The more courses a student takes in a single term, the more they will typically save in fees and total cost.
- Face-to-Face or partially online courses are charged at the general tuition rate and all mandatory campus fees, based on the student's residency (non-residents are charged at a higher rate).
- Fully or entirely online course tuition rates and fees my vary depending on the program. Students enrolled in exclusively online courses do not pay non-Resident rates.
- Together this means that GA residents pay about the same if they take all face-to-face or partially online courses as they do if they take only fully online courses exclusively; while non-residents save money by taking fully online courses.
- One word of caution: If a student takes a combination of face-to-face and online courses in a single term, they will pay both all mandatory campus fees and the higher eTuition rate.
- For the cost information, as well as payment deadlines, see the Student Accounts and Billing Services website
There are a variety of financial assistance options for students, including scholarships and work study programs. Visit the Office of Financial Aid's website for more information.
Coursework
Students must take FINC 4531, FINC 4541, FINC 4561, and MGNT 4660.
Choose either ACCT 4202 OR ACCT 3232
Students getting a finance degree will need to take three (3) major selectives (at least two (2) of the courses must be in FINC or FTA). Choose three (3) major selectives from the list below. At least two (2) of these MUST be FINC or FTA: FINC 4521, FINC 4532, FINC 4542, FINC 4571, FINC 4585, ACCT 3212, ACCT 3251, ECON 3460, ECON 4410, ECON 4440, ECON 4450, FTA 4001, FTA 4002, FTA 4003, FTA 4005, FTA 4100.
Choose one (1) International Selective:
FINC 4521, ECON 4450, MGNT 4625, MKTG 4866
Downloads
General
A study of written and oral business communication to develop process and theory skills including writing, speaking, listening, business meetings, teamwork, presentations, and cross-cultural communication. Students write standard business letters and deliver oral and written presentations and reports. Management concepts of business ethics and problem analysis are integrated with communication process and theory.
A study of the underlying theory and application of financial accounting concepts. Requires overall GPA of 2.0.
A study of underlying theory and application of managerial accounting concepts. Requires overall GPA of 2.0.
An introduction to the legal, regulatory, and ethical environment of business, considering the interrelationship and impact of political, social, cultural, environmental, technological, international, and diversity issues. Requires overall GPA of 2.0
This course is designed to accomplish three primary goals: (1) Introduce you to basic and intermediate concepts in Excel, (2) Provide you with skills designed to make you more successful in the RCOB, and (3) Give you an introduction to the different majors in the RCOB.
A study of the economy as a whole including production, economic fluctuations, inflation, unemployment, public policy, and international economics. Requires overall GPA of 2.0.
A study of the individual elements of an economy, including demand, supply, price, firms, production, costs, profits, market structures, income determination and international trade. Requires overall GPA of 2.0.
Course emphasis is on applications of statistics in business. Topics include methods of presenting data, numerical measures and correlation, probability theory and probability distributions, sampling distributions, estimation, and hypothesis testing.
This course covers basic quantitative tools for use in strategic and business decision making. Topics include decision analysis, linear regression, forecasting, linear programming and waiting line models.
Financial functions in the modern corporation with emphasis on its managerial aspects.
This course is designed to help students understand the major functions and skills required by managers. Emphasis is placed on management's role in planning, organizing, leading, and controlling organizational resources.
This course is designed to emphasize the strategic importance of operations management to the overall performance of the organization. Students will study the basic principles required to organize and manage both service and manufacturing firms. Topics include issues such as work design, inventory control, supply chains, scheduling, quality control, lean operating systems, and project management.
Study of marketing policies and practices in the flow of goods and services to the customer/consumer.
Major Required
Choose either ACCT 4202 OR ACCT 3232. Students must take FINC 4531, FINC 4541, FINC 4561, and MGNT 4660.
Cost Accounting principles and techniques applied to job order and process types of industry, planning, and control of the elements of production costs, and preparation of cost reports. Includes an introduction to standard costing concepts and variance analysis. Use of cost information for business policy implementation and cost topics.
A study of the use of financial statements and managerial reports by managers and investors in decision making for day to day operations and long range planning.
An in-depth study of financial planning and management with emphasis on capital structure and dividend payout policies, cost of capital and capital budgeting, and working capital management. The course serves as a framework for understanding a broad range of corporate financial decisions. Cases and directed readings are used extensively.
A study of the investment process with concentration on the formulation of a sound investment program for both individuals and institutions.
Analysis of functions and operations of commercial, investment, and savings banks. Primary emphasis is on investment, financial structure and the bank's role in determining financial variables and resource allocation.
An integrative approach to the study of the total enterprise from the executive management's point of view--the environment in which it operates, the direction management intends to head, management's strategic plan and the task of implementing and executing the chosen strategy. Must be taken no earlier than one semester before graduation and provided completion of Core Area F business courses and MGNT 3600, MKTG 3803, FINC 3511 and ECON 3402. Must have senior standing.
Major Selects
Students getting a finance degree will need to take three (3) major selectives (at least two (2) of the courses must be in FINC or FTA). Choose three (3) major selectives from the list below. At least two (2) of these MUST be FINC or FTA: FINC 4521, FINC 4532, FINC 4542, FINC 4571, FINC 4585, ACCT 3212, ACCT 3251, ECON 3460, ECON 4410, ECON 4440, ECON 4450, FTA 4001, FTA 4002, FTA 4003, FTA 4005, FTA 4100.
An in-depth study of the accounting and reporting processes and accounting theory together with current problems in reporting financial position and determining income. Includes study of valuation problems involving current assets; and property, plant, and equipment. AICPA Level I test fee is required.
A study of the Internal Revenue Code as it relates to individuals. Updated each offering to incorporate new tax laws, regulations, and rulings in print.
This course introduces new Business Intelligence and Data Analytics students to methods used for creating, handling, and processing data sources. This course emphasizes a hands-on, practical approach to data processing and analysis with SAS, an industry-standard business intelligence and statistical software package available for MS Windows, Linux, and UNIX operating system.
A study of the nature of business fluctuations and their underlying causes. Emphasis is on the application of various forecasting techniques with regard to analyzing and projecting future business and economic conditions at the national, regional, industry, and firm levels.
This course provides a rigorous treatment to modern tools in data visualization and analytics. Subjects covered include data management and preparation for various data structures and formats, such as importing and exporting data, merging and joining data sets, and re-shaping, collapsing, or aggregating data for analysis purposes. Students will work with various data examples to create their own interactive data graphics. Students will also learn how to combine data visualization tools with data science techniques, such as cluster analysis and regression trees.
An introductory study of the types and functions of money and financial intermediaries, money creation and control, monetary and fiscal policy, international finance, and the effects of these upon domestic incomes, employment, prices, and interest rates.
The course covers the history, institutions, policy and theory of international economic relations.
The course emphasis is on applications of econometrics and techniques in business analytics. Topics include methods of presenting data, numerical measures and correlation, estimation, linear/non-linear regression, limited dependent variables, simultaneous equations/instrumental variables, models of duration, and the use of these models in decision making processes. SAS business analytics software will be used in this course.
Designed to focus on the application of finance concepts in the international environment.
An examination of various topics in finance including bankruptcy and reorganization, mergers and acquisitions, lease financing, and others. The course emphasizes logical financial decision making techniques through the examination of underlying theories and through problem solving. Problem cases, and directed readings are used extensively.
The course is designed to focus on creating, managing, and evaluating investment portfolios to meet specific objectives and risks.
An in-depth study of options and futures markets. Topics will include the institutional structure of options and futures markets, pricing models, and hedging techniques.
Title and description of specific course to be specified at time of offering. Course (with different title and description) may be repeated with Department Chair's permission up to a maximum of 6 hours of credit.
The financial services industries are changing rapidly with the emergence of financial technology (FinTech). The objective of the course is to provide students with an overview of FinTech and introductions to its applications in financial services, such as commercial and investment banking, digital investing, financial advising, and insurance. Students are expected to develop a broad understanding of the recent FinTech development and its impact on different parts of the financial world. Students will also have hands-on problem-solving experiences that can be useful in FinTech applications and innovation. Topics may include but are not limited to: blockchain and cryptocurrencies, smart contracting, payments, digital banking, P2P lending, crowdfunding, robo-advising, and InsurTech.
This course examines the information and communications tools, technologies, and standards integral to consumer, merchant, and enterprise services in the payments and financial service sectors. Explores technology s role in reshaping FinTech businesses. Technologies span messaging, communication networks and gateways, core processing, mobile and online software, and application program interfaces (APIs). Includes the challenges, standards, and techniques associated with securing systems and data.
The FinTech revolution is creating significant disruption to the traditional processes of managing and regulating financial institutions, especially banks. Digital technology is increasingly altering basic financial intermediation functions such as payment processing, risk management, information dissemination, price discovery, capital raising, and consumer expectations concerning access to funds and the timing of loan decisions. Understanding, assessing and forecasting FinTech s impact on banking is particularly important because proper management and oversight of financial institutions is essential to the efficient operation of the national, as well as global, economy. In this course, students will learn about the principles and practices of commercial bank management, bank regulation, and the tradeoffs between risk and return. Challenges presented by the FinTech evolution, including traditional and emergent competitors as well as demographic, social, and technology forces driving change in the industry, will be integrated throughout the entire course.
This course provides the foundation for financial data analytics used in business and FinTech applications. The objective of this course is for students to gain experience in analyzing financial data using modern machine learning techniques, statistical methods, and prediction models. Students will develop computational skills to perform data analysis using a modern statistical programming environment, and apply these skills to address a range of problems encountered by business firms, including those in the FinTech industry. The topics discussed include an introduction to R language, visualization of financial data, cluster analysis, simple and multiple linear regression, classification models, high dimension data analysis using Lasso, and model assessment and selection using cross validation. Students will have hands-on experience in the development of data analytics applications to analyze real world financial problems.
The purpose of this course is to introduce the business student to the rapidly evolving and critical international arenas of privacy, information security, and critical infrastructure. This course is designed to develop knowledge and skills for security of information and information systems within organizations. It focuses on concepts and methods associated with security across several systems platforms, including internal and Internet-facing systems. The course utilizes a world view to examine critical infrastructure concepts as well as techniques for assessing risk associated with accidental and intentional breaches of security in a global network. It introduces the associated issues of ethical uses of information and of privacy considerations.
Ron Best, Ph.D.
Professor of Finance
Heather Bono, Ph.D.
Chair of Accounting and Finance
Charles Hodges, Ph.D.
Professor of Finance
Guidelines for Admittance
Specific requirements are associated with the following areas: Freshman; Adult Learners; Transfer; International; Home School; Joint/Dual Enrollment; Transient; Auditor; Post-Baccalaureate Non-Degree Seeking
Application Deadlines
Undergraduate Priority Deadlines
Fall Semester - June 1
Spring Semester - November 15
Summer Semester - May 15
Admission Process Checklist
Check your Application Status
Contact
Contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for additional information.
Specific dates for Admissions (Undergraduate only), Financial Aid, Fee Payments, Registration, Start/End of term, Final Exams, etc. are available in THE SCOOP.
Finance-Specific Learning Goals and Objectives
LG4 Possess a basic knowledge of finance
LO4.1 Understand the principles and practices common to corporate finance, investments, and banking.
BBA Learning Goals and Objectives
To accomplish this mission, the faculty members are committed to educate students, who, upon graduation, will:
LG1 Communicate effectively.
LO1.1 Students will produce professional quality business documents.
LO1.2 Students will make a professional presentation.
LG2 Apply basic quantitative skills to business problems.
LO2.1 Students will construct and interpret tabular and graphical methods of presenting qualitative and
quantitative data.
LO2.2 Students will use spreadsheet software to evaluate and use the results of regression models.
LO2.3 Students will solve and interpret quantitative business models using spreadsheet software.
LG3 Use information technology to solve business problems.
LO3.1 Students will effectively use a word processing program.
LO3.2 Students will effectively use a spreadsheet program.
LO3.3 Students will effectively use a presentation program.
LG4 Possess a basic knowledge of accounting, economics, finance, the legal environment
of business, management, and marketing.
LO4.1 Students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of the fundamental concepts of accounting, economics, finance, the legal environment of business, management, and marketing.
LG5 Understand how ethical decision-making and globalization affect organizations.
LO5.1 Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze issues and situations having ethical implications for business.
LO5.2 Students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of international economic and business concepts.
LG6 Utilize general and management-specific knowledge and skills in the analysis of business and
economic problems.
LO6.1 Students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of relevant costs for decision making.
LO6.2 Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze the current situation of an organization and to develop a plan to ensure organizational viability.