Finance Program
Our program is recognized by CFA Institute, which certifies financial professionals, for adhering to standards of ethics, education and professional excellence.
This designation ensures that students who complete CFA's University Recognition Program receive the highest quality business education, are proficient in the essential areas of study for finance professionals, ethically centered, and prepared for the best jobs in the field.
Start by building a solid business core
Finance majors pursue a curriculum that emphasizes core courses in accounting, marketing, organizational behavior, quantitative analysis, economics and business law.
These foundational courses, which we refer to as our "business core," are taken in your freshman and sophomore years, accompanied by courses in the liberal arts.
Major courses, the focus of your final two years of study, target three key areas: corporation finance, investments, and financial institutions and markets. Required electives take you on a deeper dive into financial management, including courses in international finance, portfolio management, economics, financial statement analysis and bank management.
There is some flexibility built into the program, allowing students to complete a secondary concentration, such as a minor in economics, computer science, mathematics, or a foreign language.
Hands-on, experiential learning: a SIMMple plan
In the Students in Money Management program, students oversee investments in a real endowment fund.
We believe in learning by doing, so there are a number of opportunities for students to put their classroom knowledge to work.
In the Students in Money Management (SIMM) program, students run an investment portfolio of approximately $560,000. Under the supervision of a finance professor and an advisory board, they meet regularly and make all investment and buy-sell decisions as a group.
Learn more about SIMM at School of Business Clubs & Organizations.
If you're looking for hands-on experience, finance internships are plentiful, not to mention a great way to enhance your resume and to network with industry professionals.
Learn more at School of Business Internships.
Students also have the opportunity to conduct independent research, or take an algorithmic trading class in which they participate in national competitions.
Program Information
The School of Business offers a BBA in finance and a minor in finance.
Bachelor of Business Administration in finance
The finance program offers a balance between economic theory and accounting with concentration and emphasis on the monetary system and its relationship to the firm and financial management.
Degree requirements and a four-year plan of study for the finance major
Upon successful completion of the Finance program at St. Bonaventure University, graduates:
- will understand the structure and role of the Federal Reserve in the financial system;
- will be able to measure relevant risk and apply it to the valuation of securities and portfolios;
- will have developed the ability to manage risk through both diversification and the use of derivative instruments;
- will be able to demonstrate the ability to solve complex capital budgeting problems using discounted cash flow techniques;
- will be able to demonstrate the ability to apply advanced regression techniques to financial research projects;
- will be able to present and defend the financial analysis of an organization.
Finance minor
For non-majors, the 18-hour minor in finance is one of nine School of Business minors offering students at opportunity to study a specific area of business in more detail.
Requirements for a finance minor
Professors King and Case share conference honors with student co-authors
Oct 31, 2019
A paper authored by Darwin King, professor of accounting, and Dr. Carl Case, professor of business information systems, and two SBU students earned Distinguished Research awards at the fall conference of the Institute of Global Business Research, held Oct. 16-18 in Las Vegas.
The student co-authors are senior accounting majors Taylore Lunger from Nottingham, Pennsylvania, and Brianna Ragonese from Baldwinsville, New York. (Left and right, respectively, in photo.)
The paper, titled "A Review and Analysis of Fortune 100 Firms' Identified Risks," addresses a project that involved an analysis of the 2017 Fortune 100 firms' SEC 10-K reports, which require firms to describe all types of risks that they face.
"The conference attendees complimented Taylore and Briana on a very professional presentation of our paper," said King. "These young women represent the fifth and sixth students that I have involved in conference presentations over the last few years. I hope to attend a conference in the spring with another student who has been involved in research with Carl and me."