Program Overview
Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business
Contact: Michael Martin, J.D., Chair
Location: Kepner 1055
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:
Wealth management is a rapidly growing profession and this concentration is geared toward students who are interested in this field. Financial planning and wealth management careers are diverse and provide strong job satisfaction. They focuses on the skills used by individuals and businesses to minimize taxes, maximize returns, and plan for retirement. Some examples of the methods used by individuals and businesses include planning for wealth transfers, developing a financial plan, and designing retirement plans. Students will learn about asset valuation, estate planning, managing client portfolios, tax management, tax minimization, portfolio construction, financial planning, and more.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of personal financial advisors is projected to grow 13% from 2022 to 2032, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This robust growth outlook has been substantiated by alumni and advisory board members who see a strong demand for Wealth Managers.
From an industry perspective, latest numbers suggest approximately 25,600 openings for personal financial advisors are projected each year, on average, over the next decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. Potential occupations include
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)
- Financial Consultant
- Financial Analyst
- Estate Planner
- Personal Financial Advisor
- Portfolio Manager
- Investment Banker
- Risk Manager
- Tax Consultant
Wealth and Asset Management Student Learning Outcomes:
Students who complete the Wealth and Asset 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 an understanding of equity markets, fixed income, derivatives, and foreign exchanges as used in constructing and managing wealth and investment portfolios.
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
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.
Wealth and Asset Management Concentration Credits — 21 credits
Take all of the following courses:
Elective Wealth and Asset Management Concentration Credits — 3 credits
Select one course option from below.
Elective Major Credits — 6 credits
Take 6 semester credit hours from BA 251 or 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 | |
| or | |
| BA 251 | International BusinessLAB1LAIS | 3 |
| or | |
| 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.
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.