Program: B.S., Finance
Financial Planning
Program Description
The B.S. in Finance offers three options:
- Financial Analysis, which provides a general education in financial theory and practice.
- Financial Planning, which prepares students for careers as personal financial planners.
- Insurance, which prepares students for careers in insurance and risk management.
As part of the curriculum, the department offers elective courses in futures and options, real estate, insurance, risk management, international finance and an honors section of FIN 491, the Student Portfolio Management class, where a small number of students manage a stock portfolio for The University Corporation.
Admission to the Finance Major
Finance is an impacted program. Students seeking a major in Finance may initially declare a major in Pre-Finance while working to satisfy supplemental criteria, which requires completion of at least 60 units and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.6. Students must qualify by the time they earn 90 units. Additionally, a grade of “C” or higher in FIN 303 is a prerequisite for all 400-level Finance (FIN) courses and selected 300-level Finance courses.
Admission into programs leading to licensure and credentialing does not guarantee that students will obtain a license or credential. Licensure and credentialing requirements are set by agencies that are not controlled by or affiliated with the CSU, and requirements can change at any time. For example, licensure or credentialing requirements can include evidence of the right to work in the United States (e.g., Social Security number or tax payer identification number) or successfully passing a criminal background check. Students are responsible for determining whether they can meet licensure or credentialing requirements. The CSU will not refund tuition, fees or any associated costs to students who determine subsequent to admission that they cannot meet licensure or credentialing requirements. Information concerning licensure and credentialing requirements is available from the department.
Program Requirements
Business Majors
A Business major is any student majoring in Accountancy; Finance; Information Systems; Management; Marketing; or Business Administration with an option in either Business Law, Global Supply Chain Management, Real Estate, or Systems and Operations Management. Accountancy and Finance are impacted majors with additional admission requirements. All Business majors share 27 units of common lower division core courses and 19 units of common upper division core courses.
Double Major Requirements
Students seeking a double major in the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics must have at least a 3.0 overall GPA and be able to complete both majors within a maximum of 140 units.
Transfer Course Requirements
Students should be aware that no grade lower than a “C” will be accepted on transfer from another institution to satisfy department or David Nazarian College of Business and Economics requirements.
Residency Requirement
At least 50 percent of the business and economics course credit units and 50 percent of the specialized major credit units required for the Bachelor of Science degrees in Accountancy, Business Administration, Finance, Information Systems, Management, Marketing and the Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics must be completed in residence at CSUN.
Course Requirements
Check course descriptions for prerequisite courses. Prerequisites must be completed prior to enrolling in the course.
1. Common Lower Division Business Core (27 units)
ACCT 220 Introduction to Financial Accounting (3)
ACCT 230 Introduction to Managerial Accounting (3)
BLAW 280 Business Law I (3)
ECON 160 Principles of Microeconomics (3)
ECON 161 Principles of Macroeconomics (3)
ENGL 205 Business Communication in Its Rhetorical Contexts (3)
IS 212 Information Systems for Business Users (3)
MATH 103 Mathematical Methods for Business (3)*
SOM 120 Basic Business Statistics (3)**
*MATH 103 or a higher-level mathematics course (e.g., Calculus: MATH 150A or MATH 255A) must be completed with a grade of “C” or better.
**The 4-unit MATH 140 course also satisfies this requirement.
2. Common Upper Division Business Core (19 units)
BUS 302 The Gateway Experience (3)
BUS 302L The Gateway Experience Laboratory (1)
BUS 497A or BUS 497B Capstone (3)
FIN 303 Financial Management (3)
MGT 360 Management and Organizational Behavior (3)
MKT 304 Marketing Management (3)
SOM 306 Operations Management (3)
3. Finance Core (9 units)
BLAW 308 Business Law II (3)
FIN 352 Investment Management (3)
Communication Course
Select 3 units from the following:
BLAW 368 Law, Business and Ethics (3)
COMS 323 Group Communication (3)
COMS 443 Rhetoric of Business (3)
ENGL 305 Intermediate Expository Writing (3)
ENGL 306 Report Writing (3)
ENGL 407 Composition and the Professions (3)
PHIL 305 Business Ethics and Public Policy (3)
4. Financial Planning Option (15 units)
(Financial Planning and Insurance option majors may elect to double option in Financial Planning and Insurance provided that the students have at least a 3.0 overall GPA and are able to complete both options within a maximum of 120 units. Financial Analysis option majors may not double option in Financial Analysis and Financial Planning or Insurance.)
Required Courses (12 units)
FIN 336 Principles of Insurance (3)
FIN 440 Retirement Planning and Employee Benefits (3)
FIN 442 Theory and Practice of Financial Planning (3)
FIN 446 Income Tax and Estate Planning (3)
Electives (3 units)
Select 3 units of Finance elective courses (does not include FIN 102, 338, 433 or 439; may not double count toward the Insurance option; FIN 302 can be double counted toward GE).
May include 3 units from the following:
ACCT 440 Taxation of Business Entities (3)***
ACCT 450 Advanced Financial Accounting (3)***
ECON 310 Price Theory and Applications (3)
ECON 409 Introduction to Econometrics (3)
***ACCT 440 and ACCT 450 have additional prerequisites beyond the required courses shown above.
5. General Education (48 units)
Undergraduate students must complete 48 units of General Education as described in this Catalog.
15 units are satisfied by the following courses in the major: MATH 103 satisfies Basic Skills B4 Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning; FIN 303 satisfies B5 Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning; ECON 160 and ECON 161 satisfy D1 Social Sciences; and IS 212 satisfies E Lifelong Learning and fulfills the Information Competence requirement.
If taken, ECON 310 satisfies upper division D1 Social Sciences.
Total Units in the Major/Option: 70
General Education Units: 33
Additional Units: 17
Total Units Required for the B.S. Degree: 120
Contact
Department of Finance, Financial Planning, and Insurance
Chair: Zhong-Guo Zhou
Bookstein Hall (BB) 3125
(818) 677-2459
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will:
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of personal financial planning process in serving real clients.
- Recognize and address unethical practices in the financial planning profession.
- Develop awareness of the emerging best practices in financial planning.
- Assist clients to meet their current cash flows needs and long-term financial goals.
- Employ the risk management process and insure recommendations are consistent with client’s needs.