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Finance Minor

College of Management / Economics and Finance
Undergraduate minor

About The Program

The ultimate objective of any firm is to create value for its stakeholders. The Finance minor will equip students with the financial knowledge and quantitative skills to evaluate economic value and risk, and analyze the financial impact of alternative strategies and business decisions. A solid introduction to investment theory will also be of lifelong help to a student in the management of their personal finances.

A Finance minor can serve as a useful supplement to students majoring in any area of business. For example, an economics major who plans to work in the area of macroeconomics would benefit by having a good knowledge of financial markets, institutions and markets. An accounting major specializing in fair value or hedge accounting would benefit from a strong grounding in valuation techniques and derivative securities. Other examples include a Compensation/Benefits Analyst quantifying the cost impact of a change in a labor law, or a marketing analyst assessing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, or a business analyst evaluating the effect on firm value of alternative business strategies.

A Finance minor can also complement the skillset and increase the range of career options of students from outside the College of Management, especially students majoring in quantitative fields such as Mathematics and Statistics.

How to enroll

Current students: Declare this program

Once you’re admitted as an undergraduate student and have met any further admission requirements your chosen program may have, you may declare a major or declare an optional minor.

Future students: Apply now

Apply to Metropolitan State: Start the journey toward your Finance Minor now. Learn about the steps to enroll or, if you have questions about what Metropolitan State can offer you, request information, visit campus or chat with an admissions counselor.

Get started on your Finance Minor

Program eligibility requirements

You must earn a grade of S or C- or above in courses to be used to meet prerequisites.

Prerequisite Courses:

  • ACCT 210 Financial Accounting and
  • ECON 202 Microeconomics and
  • MATH 115 College Algebra and
  • STAT 201 Statistics I

Note: Some elective courses for the minor may include other prerequisites.

Courses and Requirements

SKIP TO COURSE REQUIREMENTS

At least 12 credits from among the Minor Required Courses and Minor Elective(s) must be completed at Metropolitan State University. See also the COM policies page for requirements that are common to all programs.

Prerequisites

This course in financial accounting acquaints students with the "language of business" and the concepts and practices of accounting in order to understand, interpret, and analyze the financial accounting reports of economic entities. Topics include: economic context of accounting; introduction to basic financial statements with emphasis on the statement of cash flows; measurement fundamentals; analysis of financial statements; cash; receivables; inventories; investments in equity and debt securities including Consolidations; long-lived assets; current and long-term liabilities; stockholders' equity; and time value of money concepts and computations for decision making: international accounting practices are incorporated into every topic. This is not a bookkeeping course.

Full course description for Financial Accounting

This course focuses on the interactions between the consumer and the producer. It begins with the theory of markets, supply and demand, and the price system. Then it covers demand elasticity, the costs of production including the various factor inputs, the four major market structures (pure competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and monopoly), and ways to increase the competition in markets.

Full course description for Microeconomics

This course develops the fundamental concepts of algebra with an emphasis on the classification and analysis of linear, quadratic, polynomial, exponential and logarithmic functions. Applications to the natural and social sciences are given throughout. It aims to provide insights into the nature and utility of mathematics, and helps students develop mathematical reasoning skills.

Full course description for College Algebra

This course covers the basic principles and methods of statistics. It emphasizes techniques and applications in real-world problem solving and decision making. Topics include frequency distributions, measures of location and variation, probability, sampling, design of experiments, sampling distributions, interval estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression.

Full course description for Statistics I

Requirements (16 credits)

+ Required (12 credits)

This course introduces the application to financial decision-making of mathematics, statistics, economic theory, and accounting procedures. The two central ideas are time value of money and the relationship between expected return and risk, and how these ideas are used to value bonds, stocks, and other financial securities, and to make capital investment decisions.

Full course description for Principles of Finance

This course (formerly designated FIN 590) builds on work done in FIN 390 Principles of Finance to develop understanding of corporate financial decision making. Topics include cost of capital, capital structure policy, dividend policy, options, risk management, mergers and acquisitions, and leasing.

Full course description for Corporate Finance

This course is designed to give students a solid understanding of the investment environment and the modern theory of portfolio management and its applications. The major topics to be covered are: 1. The institutional environment of investment, the financial products available and how they are traded; 2. Techniques used in pricing these products: fixed income, equity, and derivative securities; 3. How to design of a portfolio of many assets and the trade-off between risk and return.

Full course description for Investment and Portfolio Analysis

+ Electives (4 credits)

Choose one course in the following list.

This course is the first in a two course sequence (Intermediate Accounting I and Intermediate Accounting II) that provides for the preparation and understanding of financial information. Topics include accounting theory and practice, the conceptual framework of United States (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), recognition of economic transactions, the preparation and analysis of financial statements and the related disclosures. Intermediate Accounting I focuses on the role of accounting as an information system and the measurement, recognition, presentation, and disclosure of economic transactions focusing on the following: basic financial statements, time value of money, cash and receivables, inventories, property, plant, and equipment, depreciation and impairment, and current liabilities and contingencies.

Full course description for Intermediate Accounting I

This course is intended to advance the analytical and quantitative skills of students who have completed introductory level micro- and macroeconomics. Topics include: economic methodology, economic optimization, static and dynamic modeling, game theory and its application, basic econometrics, and economic data. Successful completion of this course will help students to continue their study in upper-division economics courses.

Full course description for Analytical and Quantitative Methods for Economists

Financial crises, either that we are currently in one or about to be in one or some other country is in one, are all the rage in popular media today. More often than not financial crises are the result of bubbles in certain assets classes or can be linked to a specific form of financial innovation. This course will explore theoretical and policy perspective of modern global financial crises in the world. We will review the conflicting evidence about the extent of the harm caused by financial collapses. This course will also provide the students with a good economic and behavioral understanding on the effects of financial crises on the US and global economy. The primary goal of this class is to educate the students to understand the causes of past crises in an economic point of view and to develop a conceptual and policy framework in minimizing the risks of future crises and helping students make informed decisions.

Full course description for Global Economic and Financial Crises: Theory and Policy

This course covers the analysis of consumption behavior and demand using the theory of utility and indifference, the theory of production and costs, and analysis of the firm and industries under the four market structures. Factor pricing and general equilibrium using comparative static analysis techniques are also covered. Selected topics include: market failure, price ceilings and floors under different market structures, subsidies, regulations, price discrimination, and consumer and producer surplus.

Full course description for Intermediate Microeconomics

This course is designed for business and economics students interested in acquiring a broader view of the financial system and its markets. The material is divided into three sections: historical, theoretical and institutional. The historical section covers the evolution of money, money creation, inflation, the economy, and the development of banking. The theoretical part covers methods to trace the impact of money on the economy including classical, Keynesian, monetarist and rational expectation approaches. The institutional portion deals with financial intermediaries and financial instruments.

Full course description for Money, Banking and Financial Institutions

This course prepares students for the task of analyzing primary and secondary economic data in order to assist decision makers in profit, nonprofit and public organizations. It also provides an introduction to econometrics: regression models, serial correlation, forecasting, simultaneous equation estimation, model building, time series and simulations. Students work on a major project during the course.

Full course description for Economic Research and Forecasting

The course will focus on financial derivatives, and their applications to the management of investment portfolios and business risk. Emphasis will be placed on the role of derivatives markets in the financial system, the principles of derivative pricing, applications of derivatives in risk management, and some of the main causes of the recent global financial crisis. The course also addresses the rationale for regulation in this market.

Full course description for Financial Derivatives

This course is an introduction to the international dimensions of corporate financing, investment, and risk management decisions. Topics include foreign exchange markets, international financial systems, foreign exchange rate determination, currency risk, spot and forward rates, hedging, international monetary and trade flows, multinational capital budgeting, and cost of capital in emerging economies. Overlap: IBUS 550 International Financial Management.

Full course description for International Finance

This course provides an overview of financial markets and institutions. Topics include the workings of various financial markets, the functions of different types of financial institutions, and the regulatory framework for the financial sector. The course concludes with an introduction to the types of risks faced by institutions and the basic tools and concepts to manage these risks. Further, the course will include topics of current interest.

Full course description for Financial Markets and Institutions

This is an introductory course in real analysis. Starting with a rigorous look at the laws of logic and how these laws are used in structuring mathematical arguments, this course develops the topological structure of real numbers. Topics include limits, sequences, series and continuity. The main goal of the course is to teach students how to read and write mathematical proofs.

Full course description for Introduction to Analysis

Mathematical modeling is the investigation of real world phenomena using mathematical tools. This course includes topics such as dynamic and stochastic modeling (differential equations and discrete-time equations), as well as optimization modeling. Applications will include problems from such areas as the physical and biological sciences, business, and industry.

Full course description for Mathematical Modeling

The field of Operations Research studies the mathematical methods developed for solving problems in business, industry, and management science. Following a modeling approach, this course introduces selected topics such as linear programming, integer programming, game theory, Markov chains, and queuing theory.

Full course description for Operations Research

The course explores the risk management issues facing firms and individuals and examines how to protect firm value and personal wealth. It covers the areas of the general risk management process, property and liability insurance, life and health insurance, annuities and employee benefits. The insurance industry and regulatory concerns are also addressed. In addition, the course touches on some of the new products emerging in the risk management arena and how the insurance industry responds to them.

Full course description for Risk Management and Insurance

This course introduces the fundamental concepts, principles, and analytic techniques applied in the field of real estate. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the real estate and real estate market, the course will cover topics including real estate law, urban economics, market valuation, real estate finance and investment. The goal of the course is to expose students to the world of real estate and prepare them for more advanced real estate courses.

Full course description for Principles of Real Estate