Program Overview
Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business
Contact: Michael Martin, J.D., Chair
Location: Kepner 1070C
Telephone: 970-351-2291
Fax: 970-351-1097
Website: mcb.unco.edu/programs/business-administration/finance.aspx
Advising Information:
All business majors must consult with their assigned advisor each semester prior to registering.
To find your advisor, log into ursa.unco.edu; go to 'Student' tab and click 'View Student Information' link. If no advisor is listed, contact the MCB Advising Office for advisor information, 970-351-1233.
The program consists of three parts:
- Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Credits
- Required Major Credits
- University-Wide Credits
Program Description:
The Risk and Insurance industry is a global industry that employs more than 2.3 million people in the United States alone. Recent data from this industry shows risk management programs have only met 10-15 percent of the industry’s needs. Further, the need for institutional and financial services graduates is strong and growing. As a result, there are a lot of job opportunities available in these sectors of finance. The Monfort College of Business Institutions and Risk Management concentration prepares you for a variety of professions including: chief financial officer, general management, underwriting and claims, budget analysis, brokerage, surplus lines, and risk management. With so many career paths, potential work environments is unlimited.
Upon completing this concentration, you will learn strategic risk management, data analytics, insurance coverage, and general problem-solving skills. With these skills, you will be well prepared for analyzing and mitigating risks within an organization. Graduates from this concentration may go on to become:
- Financial Examiners
- Commercial bankers
- Finance Managers
- Corporate Finance
- Financial Analyst
- Budget Analyst
- Insurance Investigators and Adjusters
- Insurance Underwriters
Institutions and Risk Management Student Learning Outcomes:
Students who complete the Institutions and Risk Management concentration will have the following learning outcomes:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of time value of money concepts.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of firm project, and security valuation, including short-term and long-term assets and liabilities.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of risk and return and its role in financial markets and the environment.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of financial statements and the effects of alternative financing options.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of the structure and functions of various financial institutions and be familiar with the tools and techniques they use to identify and mitigate risk.
Program Admission Requirements:
- Incoming New First Time and Transfer students are admitted to the College of Business major and minors provided they meet the admission requirements set forth by UNC.
- Current UNC students who have completed at least 15 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or above are guaranteed admission to any business major.
- Current UNC students who have completed at least 15 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.00-2.49 qualify to apply for admission to a business major. Students may apply at the MCB Advising Center located in Kepner 1095.
Degree Requirement Notes:
Students are reminded that to graduate with a Business Administration degree, a student must attain a 2.0 or greater cumulative Business GPA and at least a "C-" grade in each individual Business Administration Core, concentration and business elective courses.
Business coursework may be transferred toward a Business degree according to the following limits:
- Students must complete at least 30 credits of their business degree in residence from MCB and these credits must be at the 300 and/or 400 level.
Program Requirements:
- All students in the program must complete a Professional Experience prior to graduation. A for-credit internship, if completed satisfactorily, will fulfill the work experience component of the Professional Experience. All students must complete the Professional Experience required workshops. For more information please visit the Professional Experience website.
- In addition to fulfilling the basic requirements for the Bachelor or Science degree in Business Administration students must attain at least a grade of "C-" or better in the Required Concentration Credits, Elective Concentration Credits, and Major Elective Credits in order to count towards graduation.
- Students interested in the field of Financial Planning and/or who want to sit for the CFP™ Certification Exam should take the following elective courses: BAFN 340, BAFN 479, BAAC 320 and BAAC 325.
- Students interested in the field of investments and/or who want to prepare for the CFA® exam should take the following courses as their Elective Concentration Credits: BAFN 479, BAFN 478, and BAAC 320.
- Students interested in the field of corporate financial management and/or who want to prepare for the CFM exam should take the following courses as their Elective Concentration Credits: BAAC 320, BAAC 323 and BAFN 479.
- Students interested in the field of banking should take the following courses as their Elective Concentration Credits: BAFN 473, BAFN 479 and one other course from the list of Elective Concentration Credits.
- BAFN 495 Special Topics or any Executive Professor class may be substituted for a finance elective with the approval of the Chair of the Department of Finance.
Coursework completed by a student within the preceding 10 years may apply as credit toward a bachelor's degree. Coursework taken before the 10-year limit may be reviewed by the school director and college dean to determine its appropriateness to the major requirements.
Degree Requirements — 120 Credits
1. Liberal Arts Curriculum — 31 credits
To complete the degree in 120 credits as outlined, the program recommends the below LAC courses that also count toward the required major credits. Any additional LAC coursework completed outside of the recommended list below may extend the length of the program of study.
Written Communication — 6 credits
The program recommends that you choose one of the following courses for Intermediate Communication:
BA 205 OR ENG 123
Either course will fulfill both a major requirement and the Liberal Arts Curriculum requirement.
See Written Communication courses
Mathematics — 3 credits
The program recommends that you take the following courses:
MATH 124 or STAT 150
Both courses are required for the major. Either one of them will fulfill the 3 credit hour math requirement in the Liberal Arts Curriculum.
See Mathematics courses
Arts & Humanities, History, Social & Behavioral Sciences, U.S. Multicultural Studies [MS], and International Studies [IS] — 15 credits
To complete the LAC in the minimum number of credits, be sure to choose at least one course with an IS designation and one course with an MS designation.
The program recommends the following courses in the Social & Behavioral Sciences category.
ECON 203 and ECON 205 are recommended to fulfill Social & Behavioral requirements and will fulfill both LAC and major requirements.
See Arts & Humanities, History, and Social & Behavioral Sciences courses
Natural & Physical Sciences — 7 credits
Select any courses to fulfill this requirement from the currently approved LAC course list.
See Natural & Physical Sciences courses
See Liberal Arts Curriculum
2. Required Major — 82 credits
Required Supporting Credits — 22 credits
The following courses are required as part of the Business major, some of which will also count towards the Liberal Arts Curriculum.
Business Core Credits — 30 credits
Take all of the following courses:
BAMG 456 is the capstone course for Business majors and is designed to be taken in the student’s last semester.
Institutions and Risk Management Concentration Credits — 21 credits
Take all of the following courses:
Elective Institutions and Risk Management Concentration Credits — 3 credits
Choose one of the following courses from the list of electives for this concentration.
Elective Major Credits — 6 credits
Take 6 semester credit hours from BACS 200 or BACS 287 or any other 300/400 level business course not already counted in Business Core, Concentration or Concentration electives.
(BAAC 301 and BAFN 302 may not be used.)
| Any 300 or 400-level business electives (BA prefix) except for BAAC 301 and BAFN 302 | |
| BACS 200 | Web Design and Development for Small Business | 3 |
| or | |
| BACS 287 | Introduction to Business Intelligence and Workflow Design | 3 |
Note: Students enrolled in the Accelerated Business Administration to MBA will take MBA 505, MBA 554, and MBA 560. See your advisor for details.
3. University-Wide Credits — 7-19 credits*
*Note: Students must apply at least some of the recommended courses to both the liberal arts curriculum requirements and the major requirements to complete this degree program in 120 credit hours. Students who apply all of the recommended courses to the LAC will have up to 19 credits of university wide electives to apply to this degree depending on the number of credits applied to both the LAC and the major. See your advisor for details.
Four Year Plan
This four year plan is a recommended schedule to complete this bachelor's degree in 4 years. Courses are subject to availability. Students must consult with their major advisor to receive information on any additional graduation requirements and course sequence guidance.
Year 1 – 31 credits
Fall Semester
| BAMG 125 | Taking Care of Business | 3 |
| BACS 101 | Business Computing | 3 |
| ENG 122 | College CompositionLAW1 | 3 |
| MATH 124 | College AlgebraLAX1 | 4 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Spring Semester
| BA 205 | Business CommunicationsLAW2 | 3 |
| or | |
| ENG 123 | Writing and Research MethodsLAW2 | 3 |
| | |
| ECON 205 | Principles of MicroeconomicsLAB1 | 3 |
| | LAC HistoryLAH1 | 3 |
| | LAC Natural and Physical Sciences without LabLAS1 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Year 2 – 31 credits
Fall Semester
| BAAC 220 | Principles of Accounting I | 3 |
| BAFN 240 | Introduction to Personal Financial Planning | 3 |
| ECON 203 | Principles of MacroeconomicsLAB1 | 3 |
| | LAC Arts and HumanitiesLAA1LAA2LAA3LAA4 | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| BAAC 221 | Principles of Accounting II | 3 |
| BAFN 231 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| STAT 150 | Introduction to Statistical AnalysisLAX1 | 3 |
| | LAC Natural and Physical Sciences with LabLAS1LASL | 4 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Year 3 – 30 credits
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
| BAFN 379 | Investments | 3 |
| BAFN 470 | Financial Management | 3 |
| BAMG 390 | Analytics of Operations Management | 3 |
| | Concentration Elective | 3 |
| | Major Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Year 4 – 28 credits
Fall Semester
| BAFN 340 | Principles of Risk and Insurance | 3 |
| BAFN 375 | Multinational Financial Management | 3 |
| BAFN 474 | Case Problems in Financial Management | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Spring Semester
| BAMG 456 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| BAFN 473 | Commercial Bank Management | 3 |
| | Major Elective | 3 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 1 |
| | University-Wide Elective | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |
Advising Notes –
- Students must be a declared business majors and junior status to enroll in the Institutions and Risk Management Concentration courses.
- Some of the upper level Institutions and Risk Management Concentration courses are offered in only one semester each year. Meet with your advisor each semester to make certain you are on schedule.
- Students must meet course prerequisites as stated in the current UNC catalog. Be sure to check each semester to make sure you meet the prerequisite requirements
Accelerated Business Administration to MBA
Motivated students with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 by the end of their junior year may choose to take three designated MBA level courses as part of elective requirements for their undergraduate program. This makes it possible to complete the remaining requirements for an MBA and in only one additional year.
To obtain both degrees, students must complete all the requirements for the B.S. described in the Undergraduate Catalog (120 credit hours) and all the requirements for the MBA described in the Graduate Catalog (36 credit hours). However, the accelerated B.S./MBA program includes 9 credit hours that are shared between the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, so the total number of credit hours to complete both programs is 147. Completing the requirements for both degrees on an accelerated timeline is possible by taking 9 double-counted B.S./MBA credits in the Senior year (paid for at the undergraduate tuition rate) and completing all other requirements for the undergraduate program in their Senior year. Although this is the most efficient path, students may also elect to complete both programs at a slower pace.
Accelerated MBA Admissions
To enter the accelerated B.S. in Business Administration (any concentration) and MBA program, students must:
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in order to take graduate-level courses as a Senior.
- Apply to the MBA program during the spring semester of the Junior year. Full admission is dependent on completing the B.S. requirements in the Senior year while maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA. The program application will be signed and forwarded to the Graduate School with signatures of the program advisor indicating the approval of graduate course transfer.
- Have their undergraduate degree conferred prior to taking additional MBA courses.
Accelerated MBA Requirements
To complete the requirements for both degrees in five years, students should follow this timeline allowing them to double-count three courses for their undergraduate degree and their MBA:
- Complete the MBA Foundation Modules between the time they are accepted to the accelerated program and fall semester of their senior year. These modules are free and offered asynchronously online. Foundation modules must be completed prior to registration in any MBA course.
- Complete MBA 554 in the fall semester of their senior year.
- Complete MBA 505 and MBA 560 during the remaining semesters (Spring and/or Summer) of their undergraduate program.
- Complete the 27 remaining MBA credits after conferral of their undergraduate degree.
Other timelines are acceptable, but this timeline provides the shortest path to both degrees.