Jun 26, 2025

2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog

2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Finance Major, B.S.

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All candidates for a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance must satisfy the General Studies requirements, the business core course requirements, the College of Business requirements and the major requirements described in the following sections. The basic structure of the Finance program is:

Required Courses	Semester Hours
General Studies	34
Business Core	36
College of Business requirements	6
Major in Finance	24
Unrestricted Electives*	20
Total Hours (minimum)	120

* MSU Denver’s Multicultural requirement may be satisfied by taking an approved Multicultural course in the General Studies or electives portion of the degree requirement.

NOTE: Unrestricted Elective credits may vary. Total unrestricted electives must be sufficient for student to meet MSU Denver’s minimum required 120 credit hours.

General Studies: 34 credits

The academic foundation for a successful business career or graduate work is a broad liberal arts education.

Required Courses

Written Communication

Choose Any Approved

Oral Communication

COMM 1010 - Presentational Speaking Credits: 3
or
COMM 1100 - Fundamentals of Oral Communication Credits: 3

Quantitative Literacy

MTH 1310 - Finite Mathematics for the Management and Social Sciences Credits: 4 *

Arts and Humanities

Arts and Humanities electives

Historical

Historical elective

Natural and Physical Sciences

Natural and Physical Sciences electives

Social and Behavioral Sciences

ECO 2010 - Principles of Macroeconomics Credits: 3
ECO 2020 - Principles of Microeconomics Credits: 3

Global Diversity

Students may satisfy the Global Diversity requirement by completing any course designated as Global Diversity within one of the following General Studies categories: Arts and Humanities; Historical; Natural and Physical Sciences; Social and Behavioral Sciences. Students may also use an unrestricted elective to satisfy this requirement.

See General Studies Requirements

Note:

* MTH 1110 or MTH 1400, with graphing calculator experience strongly recommended, is acceptable for transfer students or students changing their major. Consult with the Mathematical and Computer Sciences Department on substitutions.

Business Core:

All business majors require foundation course work in all significant areas of business theory and practice. The following courses are required for all majors in finance. A grade of “C-” or better must be earned in each business core course to have that course count toward the Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. Students should note that programs differ in the minimum grade required. A student cannot register for a business core course until all General Studies requirements in Written Communication, Oral Communication, and Quantitative Literacy are complete.

Required Courses:

BUS 1850 - Introduction to Business Credits: 3 *
BUS 1950 - Business Communication Credits: 3
ACC 2010 - Principles of Accounting I Credits: 3
ACC 2020 - Principles of Accounting II Credits: 3
CIS 2010 - Foundations of Information Systems Credits: 3
CIS 3300 - Business Analytics I (Descriptive and Predictive) Credits: 3
CIS 3320 - Business Analytics II (Prescriptive) Credits: 3
FIN 3300 - Managerial Finance Credits: 3
MGT 2210 - Legal Environment of Business I Credits: 3
MGT 3000 - Organizational Management Credits: 3
MGT 4950 - Strategic Management Credits: 3
MKT 3000 - Principles of Marketing Credits: 3
* Transfer students that transfer in 6 or more credits of business courses will not need to take BUS 1850 but may take any other College of Business 3-credit hour course that does not appear in their Major or Business Core requirements.

Total Hours Required in Business Core: 36

College of Business Requirements

Required Courses:

MTH 1320 - Calculus for the Management and Social Sciences Credits: 3
BUS 3040 - Global Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Credits: 3

Total Hours for College of Business Requirement: 6

Finance Major Requirements:

Finance majors must pursue a concentration depending on their interest within the Finance area. A minimum grade of “C” is required for courses in the major.

Finance Common Core:

Required Courses:

FIN 3010 - Financial Markets and Institutions Credits: 3
FIN 3150 - Personal Financial Planning Credits: 3
FIN 3600 - Investments Credits: 3
FIN 3850 - Intermediate Finance Credits: 3

Subtotal: 12

General Finance Concentration:

Required Courses:

Finance Common Core
FIN 4950 - Financial Strategies and Policies Credits: 3

Subtotal: 15

Approved Electives*: 9

Total Hours Required for Finance Major with a General Finance Concentration: 24

Note:

*Upper-division finance electives (three credit hours must be 4000-level) selected in consultation with and approved by the Finance Department.

Financial Services Concentration:

Required Courses:

Finance Common Core
FIN 4600 - Security Analysis and Portfolio Management Credits: 3
-or-
FIN 4750 - Seminar in Personal Financial Planning Credits: 3

Subtotal: 15

Approved Electives*: 9

Total Hours Required for Finance Major with a Financial Services Concentration: 24

Notes:

*Upper-division finance electives (three credit hours must be 4000-level) selected in consultation with and approved by the Finance Department.

To earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, a student must successfully complete 30 or more credit hours of business coursework at MSU Denver. This 30-hour residency requirement can be met by completing any business courses with the prefix ACC, ACCM, BNK, BUS, CIS, ECO, FIN, MGT and MKT and a course number of 2000 or higher. A student must complete at least twelve (12) upper-division semester hours in Finance at MSU Denver.