Finance, B.S.

Program Introduction

The bachelor’s degree in finance at the Woodbury School of Business prepares graduates for careers in the financial services industry. Students learn basic financial theory as well as specialized courses in financial management of corporate and business organizations, analysis of investment alternatives, and other more sophisticated finance related activities. Graduates go into banking, brokerages, become financial managers, and perform a variety of other financial services functions. Students with language skills may take an appropriate number of courses to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree.

 

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Wolverine Fund

The Wolverine Fund is a student-run venture capital group that provides a hands-on, engaged learning experience in investing. Our students will complete due diligence for partner VC firms, source deals for our network of investors around the nation and participate in national venture capital due diligence competitions.
Utah’s ONLY Risk Management Program

Utah’s ONLY Risk Management Program

This new program offers a unique career opportunity for Woodbury School of Business students in the new field of Enterprise Risk Management. This rapidly changing profession is varied, complex, and dynamic. As it becomes a vital part of government, business, and nonprofit entities, the industry has made bringing in college-educated professionals a top priority.

Program Learning Outcomes

Goal 1Corporate Finance

Students will be effective at corporate financial management

Students will be able to:

Objective 1 - Use capital budgeting techniques to value a firm or project, including forecasting cash flows; estimating horizon value if necessary; selecting an appropriate discount rate; and computing value using NPV, IRR, and profitability index. Students should also be able to conduct risk analysis on capital budgeting projects, such as sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis, and real options.

Objective 2 - Evaluate capital structure for a firm or project, calculate a firm’s weighted average cost of capital, and value the value of a leveraged project (or the change in value of a leveraged firm) using WACC and other leveraged firm valuation methods.

Objective 3 - Evaluate how firms manage their working capital to increase value.

Objective 4 - Develop a risk management plan for a firm or project.

Objective 5 - Describe how corporate financial management decisions affect firm performance.

Goal 2Markets and Portfolio Theory

Students will understand basic portfolio theory, implications of the efficient market hypothesis and behavioral finance.

Students will be able to: 

Objective 1 - Demonstrate an understanding of the stock, bond, option, and futures markets and how they function.

Objective 2 - Describe the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), including its assumptions, and the security market line (SML);

Objective 3 - Explain minimum-variance portfolios, the efficient frontier, and capital market line (CML);

Objective 4 - Describe market efficiency and the potential relevance of behavioral finance in understanding market anomalies.

Objective 5 - Explain the benefits of diversification, how correlation effects the benefits of diversification, and the implications of diversification on portfolio construction.

Objective 6 - Calculate the return and risk measures of an individual security and a portfolio.

Goal 3Financial Institutions

Students will be knowledgeable of operation, risk measurement and management, and regulation in financial institutions.

Students will be able to: 

Objective 1 - Demonstrate understanding of the function of different financial institutions in providing financial services, industry composition and trend, operating activities and performance, and the nature of government regulation imposed on the industry.

Objective 2 - Apply risk-evaluating approaches to measure the risk exposures of financial institutions in interest rate, credit, liquidity, market, foreign exchange, off-balance-sheet activities, and other operations.

Objective 3 - Demonstrate knowledge of capital requirements set by U.S. regulators to protect financial institutions from insolvency and failure, and different risk- and category-based capital adequacy measures used by financial institutions and regulators.

Objective 4 - Describe how financial institutions use derivative contracts, loan sales, and asset securitization to hedge liquidity, interest rate, and credit risks originated from their asset portfolio.

Goal 4Valuation

Students will be knowledgeable of the valuation of certain asset classes

Students will be able to: 

Objective 1 - Perform valuation calculations using time value of money techniques such as NPV and IRR and valuation formulas such as the dividend growth model, the capital asset pricing model and other appropriate valuation formulas.

Objective 2 - Value equities using different models and the assumptions behind them.

Objective 3 - Value different types of bonds and understand the nature of the yield curve and how the pure expectations hypothesis explains the yield curve.

Objective 4 - Describe the customer adoption process and product life cycle

Objective 5 - Demonstrate an understanding of options terminology, the factors affecting option prices, and be able to create basic strategies involving options.

Goal 5Financial Statement Analysis

Students will be knowledgeable of financial statement analysis and understand how financial statements can be used to evaluate and value a business.

Students will be able to: 

Objective 1 - Construct a balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement using basic accounting transactions and link each of primary financial statements together.

Objective 2 - Calculate and interpret financial ratios to manage desired financial outcomes and identify and diagnose company problems, challenges, and opportunities.

Objective 3 - Forecast the future pro forma financial statements and performance of a company.

Objective 4 - Compare the financial statements of peers and comparable companies to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a company and create a top-down view of the industry and sector in which a company operates.

Objective 5 - Value an enterprise using a company’s historic and pro forma financial statements

Related Careers

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Financial Managers

FILL IN

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Actuaries

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Financial Analyst

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98%

of our finance graduates work within their degree field

 

 

Economic Data

27%

Of marketing graduates are First Gen Students

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45% of finance internships were completed by students over the age of 25


88%

Of finance graduates have a salary over $45K after graduation

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Median Salary for Utah: $102,580

 

Graduation Plan

Semester 1

Credit Hours

Course Title

3 or 5

ENGL 1010 or ENGH 1005

Introduction to Academic Writing/Literacy and Composition

3

MATH 1050  or  MATH 1055   or  MATH 1090

College Algebra or College Algebra with Preliminaries or College Algebra for Business

3

Physical Science

Distribution

2

HLTH 1100 or PES 1097

Personal Health and Wellness or Fit for Life

3

Fine Arts

Distribution

1
General Elective

Notes: Milestone courses (pre-requisites for a course in one of the subsequent semesters) are marked in red and italicized.

Semester Total:

15

Semester 2

Credit Hours

Course Title

3

MGMT 2240* (preferred) or MATH 1100

Business Calculus or Intro to Calculus

3

ENGL 2010

lntermediate Writing-Academic Writing & Research

3

American Institutions

Distribution

3

Biology

Distribution

3

General elective 

(IM 2010/2600  **  recommended)

Note: **Complete with B- grade or higher

Semester Total:

15

Semester 3

Credit Hours

Course Title

3

ACC 2110

Principles of Accounting I

3

PHIL 2050

Ethics and Values

3

ECON 2010

Principles of Economics I 

3

MGMT 2340

Business Statistics I

3

Humanities

Notes: 

Semester Total:

15

Semester 4

Credit Hours

Course Title

3

MGMT 2400

Introduction to Data Analytics for Business Professionals

3

ACC 2600

Business Law and Ethics

3

ECON 2020


Principles of Economics II  (fulfills Social/Behavioral Science credit) 

3

MKTG 220G

Written Business Communication WE (Complete with a B- grade or higher)

3

Additional Biology or Physical Science

Distribution

Notes: Students can matriculate at the end of this semester. Students can apply for an Associate in Science degree Pre- Major in Business this semester. 

Semester Total:

15

Semester 5

Credit Hours

Course Title

3

MGMT 3000

Organizational Behavior WE

3

ECON 305G or MGMT 332G or MGMT 330G

International Economics or Cross-Cultural Communications for International Business or Survey of International Business

3

General Elective

3

MKTG 3600

Principles of Marketing

3

General Elective

Notes: 

Semester Total:

15

Semester 6

Credit Hours

Course Title

3

ECON 3020

Managerial Economics

3

MGMT 3345

Business Statistics II

3

FIN 3100

Principles of Finance

3

Finance Elective

3

MGMT 3450

Operations Management

Notes: 

Semester Total:

15

Semester 7

Credit Hours

Course Title

3

FIN 3150

Financial Management

3

FIN 3400

Investment Management 

3

FIN 4100

Management of Financial Institutions 

3

Finance Elective

3

Finance Elective

Notes: 

Semester Total:

15

Semester 8

Credit Hours

Course Title

3

MGMT 4860

Business Strategy Formulation and Implementation

3

Finance Elective 

3

Finance Elective 

3

General Elective

1

MGMT 495R  or ENTR 493R

Executive Lecture Series or  Entrepreneurship Lecture Series

2

General Elective

Notes: 

Semester Total:

15

ADditional Programs

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Finance Minor

FILL IN

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Master of Financial Planning & Analytics

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Risk Management Minor