The Finance program is designed to provide a broad preparation for students looking forward to careers in managing the investments and financial affairs of individuals, private companies or public and government agencies or offices. Careers are in banking, real estate, investments, financial planning, portfolio management, brokerage, and financial analysis. After graduating, students may also specialize in a segment of a company or institution operation (for example, serving as a financial manager in a corporation or as a security analyst in the trust department of a bank). The Finance major as provided at Missouri State allows for specialization within the major.

All persons majoring in a degree program offered within the College of Business (COB) — Accounting, Finance, Computer Information Systems, Management, Marketing — take a common core of courses that includes one or more classes in accounting, business law, computer information systems, economics, finance, management, marketing and statistics. Also, to encourage students to broaden their academic preparation, COB recommends all its majors complete at least 63 hours outside COB of the 125 hours necessary for a degree.

To complete the program, the Finance major takes an additional business law course and introductory courses in investments, financial institutions, insurance, and real estate. Finally, students select and complete 18 semester hours in the Finance, Financial Planning, or Real Estate options. All Business majors must have a 2.50 or higher GPA at the time of graduation for all upper division COB courses attempted at Missouri State.

Admission to COB is limited to a total of 2,000 majors at the combined junior and senior levels. Admission decisions are determined by each applicant’s combined GPA (Missouri State and transfer). However, all applicants whose combined GPA is 2.50 or higher will be admitted to COB. (See the Missouri State Catalog.)

Students majoring in Finance will select classes from the following list. Please consult the Missouri State Catalog online at www.missouristate.edu/catalog for specific course descriptions. 

Finance and General Business

• BUS 135: Introduction to Business
• BUS 200: Topics in General Business
• BUS 305: Service Learning in Business
• BUS 307: Business in the Community
• BUS 394: Cooperative Education in FGB
• BUS 397: Topics in Business
• BUS 494: Internship
• BUS 510: E-Business and Online Entrepreneurship
• FIN 150: Personal Finance
• FIN 380: Financial Management
• FIN 381: Personal Financial Planning
• FIN 384: Financial Markets and Intermediaries
• FIN 390: Intermediate Financial Management
• FIN 480: Financial Decision Making
• FIN 484: Management of Banking
• FIN 485: Investments I
• FIN 487: Investments II
• FIN 496: Readings in Finance 
• FIN 581: Professional Financial Planning
• FIN 582: International Financial Management
• FIN 586: Financial Analysis
• FIN 595: Financial Markets Study Tour
• FIN 596: Research Issues and Problems: Finance
• FIN 599: Directed Study for CFA Level I Exam

Real Estate, Insurance and Law

• BUS/LAW 550: Negotiation, Mediation, and Arbitration in Business
• FIN 266: Principles of Real Estate
• FIN 367: Principles of Real Estate Appraisal
• FIN/LAW 368: Real Estate Law
• FIN 369: Real Estate Development
• FIN/INS 538: Introduction to Estate Planning
• INS 211: Insurance
• INS 312: Life Insurance
• INS 313: Property and Liability Insurance
• INS 314: Employee Benefits and Social Insurance
• INS 397: Insurance Topics
• INS 415: Risk Management
• LAW 231: Legal Environment of Business
• LAW 332: Debtor and Creditor Rights and Remedies
• LAW 335: Business Enterprises, Rights/Liabilities
• LAW 341: Legal Research and Writing
• LAW 531: Labor Law and Employment Discrimination
• LAW 537: Environmental Regulation  

Because of the various options available to Finance majors, the classes for Finance majors are taught by several of the more than 120-member faculty within COB. The FGB faculty bring diverse industry and educational experiences to the classroom. Several have received special recognition for their teaching, research and service activities. Students majoring in Finance are assigned advisors in the Business Advisement Center who have expertise in the students’ particular areas of interest.

The Department of Finance and General Business is housed in Glass Hall, the university’s state-of-the-art business facility.

Students are invited to become members of the local student chapter of the Financial Management Association, a program unrestricted in membership for those who would like closer contact with the business world while developing their social and leadership abilities. Students who perform in an outstanding manner during their college years and have interest in becoming financial analysts are prime candidates to apply for in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) scholars program. The program prepares the student for Level I of the three levels of CFA examination. The department’s financial planning program (finance major with an option in financial planning) is registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. As a “Board-Registered” program, graduates are eligible to sit for the CFP® Exam.