The finance major is designed to meet the growing job need for financial institutions, investment management firms, hedge funds, certified financial planners, corporate finance, real estate investors, government and not-for-profit entities and related jobs in other financial and managerial environments. The coursework is challenging and practical, with additional opportunities for students to get hands-on experience through internships with financial services firms, as well as practical experience in managing real money in The Citadel Student-Managed Investment Fund. Outside speakers, organized field trips, and special seminars supplement the course offerings in investment management, asset management, risk management, and asset valuation.

Finance majors will learn to interpret and analyze accounting, economic, and financial data to facilitate decision making. The program prepares students to understand and quantify risk, make sound and ethical financial decisions in a risky environment, and design financial strategies for managing business risks.

The finance major consists of 24 credit hours (five required courses; three elective courses) designed to provide a strong foundation in a wide range of subjects in finance. Courses in financial markets and institutions, financial modeling, investments, risk management, and other financial-related areas prepare students to become successful financial professionals in a career path that provides tremendous opportunities for advancement. The finance major also includes one business elective course and two general elective courses. General elective courses can be within any subject area, must be at least three credit hours, must be an academic course (cannot be an ROTC course), and cannot fulfill another degree requirement. Students majoring in finance must also complete required core business classes and achieve a grade of “C” or higher in each course.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students completing the Finance program will be able to do the following:

• Analyze financial decisions – Construct Excel models to analyze and evaluate financial decisions
• Assessing financial risk – Assess financial risk and recommend strategies mitigate it
• Financial markets – Describe and characterize financial markets, institutions and their underlying securities
• Investment theories – Identify investment theories and calculate equity and fixed income valuations
• Quantitative skills – Apply quantitative skills in making asset valuation, capital budgeting, mergers, and acquisition decisions

Major Academic Map

Click here to view the Academic Map for this major, which shows the courses and sequence.