Finance (Risk Management and Insurance) - Bachelor of Business Administration
Finance is the crossroads of economics, strategy, and accounting, and the study of how firms and individuals allocate resources over time and under uncertain conditions. The finance curriculum provides a core foundation in corporate finance, investments, and financial institutions. The theory and concepts are then applied to problem-solving in various areas, including financial markets and institutions, corporate finance, international financial management, stock valuation and portfolio allocation, fixed-income markets, derivatives, and risk management and insurance.
The structure of the BBA in Finance curriculum includes a set of core courses, electives, and a capstone course. Students may pursue a BBA in Finance with or without declaring a concentration. The Finance Department offers two concentrations: (1) Financial Analysis, and (2) Risk Management and Insurance (RMI). The Financial Analysis concentration focuses on Investments and Corporate Finance. The RMI concentration focuses on Property and Liability; Life, Health, and Employee Benefits; and Business Risk Management. If a student chooses not to pursue a concentration, they need to complete the required core courses for finance majors, the capstone course for finance majors, and may select any four electives with the BFIN prefix above BFIN 310.
Requirements
Completion of the courses listed below (including any prerequisites) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in these courses. At least twelve of the credits for the major must be completed at NMSU.
Students must complete all University degree requirements, which include: General Education requirements, Viewing a Wider World requirements, and elective credits to total at least 120 credits with 48 credits in courses numbered 300 or above. Developmental coursework will not count towards the degree requirements and/or elective credits, but may be needed in order to take the necessary English and Mathematics coursework.
| Prefix | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Education | ||
| Grades of C- or better are required in general education communications courses | ||
| Area I: Communications | ||
| English Composition Level - 1 | ||
| Choose one from the following: | 4 | |
| Composition I | 4 | |
| Composition I Honors | 4 | |
| Composition I | 4 | |
| English Composition - Level 2 | ||
| ENGL 2210G | Professional and Technical Communication | 3 |
| or ENGL 2210H | Professional and Technical Communication | |
| Oral Communication | ||
| Choose one from the following: | 3 | |
| Effective Leadership and Communication in Agriculture | 3 | |
| Introduction to Communication | 3 | |
| Public Speaking | 3 | |
| Introduction to Communication Honors | 3 | |
| Area II: Mathematics | ||
| MATH 1220G | College Algebra 1 | 3 |
| Area III/IV: Laboratory Sciences and Social/Behavioral Sciences | ||
| Area III: Laboratory Sciences 2 | 4 | |
| Grades of C- or better are required in ECON 2110G and ECON 2120G. | ||
| ECON 2110G | Macroeconomic Principles | 3 |
| ECON 2120G | Principles of Microeconomics Honors | 3 |
| Area V: Humanities 2 | 3 | |
| Area VI: Creative and Fine Arts 2 | 3 | |
| General Education Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Viewing A Wider World 3 | 6 | |
| Departmental/College Requirements | ||
| Foundation Requirements (grade of C- or better required) | ||
| MATH 1430G | Applications of Calculus I | 3 |
| A ST 311 | Statistical Applications | 3 |
| Business Core: Lower Division (minimum grades of C- required) | ||
| ACCT 2110 | Principles of Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCT 2120 | Principles of Accounting II | 3 |
| BCIS 1110 | Introduction to Information Systems | 3 |
| BUSA 1110 | Intro to Business | 3 |
| Business Core: Upper Division | ||
| BCIS 338 | Business Information Systems I | 3 |
| BLAW 316 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| BFIN 341 | Financial Analysis and Markets | 3 |
| MGMT 309 | Human Behavior in Organizations | 3 |
| MGMT 449 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| MKTG 303 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| MGMT 344 | Production and Operations Management | 3 |
| Upper Division Business Elective from the following prefixes: A ST, ACCT, B A, BCIS, BLAW, ECON, ENTR, BFIN, I B, MGMT, MKTG (exlcuding A ST 311) | 6 | |
| Required Core Courses for Finance Majors | 15 | |
| Principles of Insurance | 3 | |
| Financial Statement Analysis | 3 | |
| Investments | 3 | |
| Financial Information Technology | 3 | |
| Analysis of Financial Markets and Institutions | 3 | |
| Required Capstone Course | 3 | |
| Business Risk Management | 3 | |
| Risk Management and Insurance Concentration (12 credits from the following) | 12 | |
| Life/Health/Employee Benefits | 3 | |
| Property and Liability Insurance | 3 | |
| Insurance Internship and Cooperative Education I | 1-3 | |
| Personal Financial Planning for Professionals | 3 | |
| Investment Analysis | 3 | |
OR | ||
| Fixed Income Markets, Instruments and Derivatives | 3 | |
| Selected Topics | 1-3 | |
| Independent Study | 1-3 | |
| Second Language: (not required) | ||
| Electives, to bring the total credits to 120 4 | 7 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
- 1
Students may be required to take MATH 1215 Intermediate Algebra, depending on their math placement MATH 1220G College Algebra or MATH 1430G Applications of Calculus I or MATH 1350G Introduction to Statistics fulfills the general education requirement in math.
- 2
See the General Education section of the catalog for a full list of courses.
- 3
See the Viewing a Wider World section of the catalog for a full list of courses.
- 4
Elective credit may vary based on prerequisites, dual credit, AP credit, double majors, and/or minor coursework. The amount indicated in the requirements list is the amount needed to bring the total to 120 credits and may appear in variable form based on the degree. However students may end up needing to complete more or less on a case-by-case basis and students should discuss elective requirements with their advisor.
Every candidate for this major must fulfill the general education common core, College of Business foundation and business core, Viewing a Wider World requirements and general electives, in addition to the requirement for the major. Given below is a suggested study plan for a student pursuing a Finance major. If a student chooses to pursue one or more than one concentration, they should choose the electives that pertain to the concentration. If students choose not to pursue a concentration, they may take courses from any concentration or from any FIN prefix above FIN 310.
A Suggested Plan of Study for Students
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| MATH 1220G | College Algebra 1 | 3 |
| BCIS 1110 | Introduction to Information Systems | 3 |
| Choose one from the following: | 4 | |
| Composition I 1 | ||
| Composition I Honors 1 | ||
| Composition I (for multicultural/international students only and C- or better) 1 | ||
| Area V: Humanities Course 2 | 3 | |
| Elective Course | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| MATH 1430G | Applications of Calculus I 1 | 3 |
| BUSA 1110 | Intro to Business | 3 |
| Choose one from the following: | 3 | |
| Effective Leadership and Communication in Agriculture (C- or better) | ||
| Introduction to Communication (C- or better) | ||
| Public Speaking (C- or better) | ||
| Introduction to Communication Honors | ||
| Area III: Laboratory Sciences 2 | 4 | |
| Area VI: Creative Fine Arts Course 2 | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Fall | ||
| A ST 311 | Statistical Applications (C- or better) | 3 |
| ECON 2110G | Macroeconomic Principles (Counts towards Area IV Gen-Ed and C- or better) | 3 |
| ACCT 2110 | Principles of Accounting I | 3 |
| ENGL 2210G | Professional and Technical Communication | 3 |
| Or | ||
| Professional and Technical Communication | ||
| ECON 2120G | Principles of Microeconomics Honors | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| MKTG 303 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| BCIS 338 | Business Information Systems I | 3 |
| MGMT 344 | Production and Operations Management | 3 |
| VWW Viewing a Wider World Course 3 | 6 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Junior | ||
| Fall | ||
| BFIN 341 | Financial Analysis and Markets | 3 |
| BFIN 322 | Principles of Insurance | 3 |
| MGMT 309 | Human Behavior in Organizations | 3 |
| ACCT 2120 | Principles of Accounting II | 3 |
| Elective Course | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BFIN 355 | Investments | 3 |
| BFIN 360 | Financial Information Technology | 3 |
| BFIN 385 | Analysis of Financial Markets and Institutions | 3 |
| BLAW 316 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| COB Elective Course | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Senior | ||
| Fall | ||
| BFIN 350 | Financial Statement Analysis | 3 |
| Two BFIN electives from the list for RMI concentration | 6 | |
| Elective Course | 3 | |
| Elective Course | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BFIN 456 | Business Risk Management | 3 |
| Two BFIN electives from the list for RMI concentration | 6 | |
| MGMT 449 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| Elective Course | 1 | |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |