SAM AND IRENE BLACK SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Advice for Majors in Finance (FNC)
Program
Chair: Dr. Greg Filbeck, CFA, FRM
814-898-6549; mgf11@psu.edu
It is very important that you take the required finance courses in sequence during the semester recommended. Otherwise you'll fall behind and delay graduation for a year.
Before your fifth semester you must complete the prerequisites for FIN 301:
- ACCTG 211
- ECON 002 and/or ECON 004 (if only one has been taken, the other must be taken concurrently with FIN 301)
- SCM 200
In your fifth semester (Fall of junior year) you must take:
- FIN 301(offered Summer, Spring, and Fall)
In your sixth semester (Spring of junior year) you must take:
- FIN 405 - this course is also being offered in the Fall
- FIN 420 - (offered only in the Spring)
- ACCTG 305 - (offered only in the Spring and is a prerequisite for ACCTG 426, which is only offered in the Fall) - ACCTG 371 can substitute for ACCTG 305
Note: FIN 407 is also being offered in the Spring.
In your seventh semester (Fall of senior year) you must take:
- FNC 406 (offered only in the Fall)
- FNC 407 (this course is also offered in the Spring)
- ACNTG 426 (offered only in Fall)
- In your sixth or seventh semester, you should take FIN 405.
Note: FNC 405 is also being offered in the Fall.
In your eighth semester (Spring of senior year) you must take:
- FIN 481 - (offered only in Spring)
- MGMT 471W
Unless otherwise noted, these courses must be taken in the semester indicated in order for you to graduate on time!
Other Important Recommendations:
- Complete FIN 301, MKTG 301, MGMT 301 and SCM 310 prior to your eighth semester.
- These are prerequisites for MGMT 471W. You will not get into MGMT 471W. if you haven't completed those four courses by your eighth semester.
- ECON 351 is usually offered in the fall semester. If you choose ECON 351 as your Economics supporting course, you can take it either in your fifth or seventh semester. If you are an honors student, it is strongly recommended that you take ECON 485 (Econometrics) as a business-supporting course.
- You should take 15 credits from one area of non-business supporting courses. See your advisor if you want to take a non-business supporting course that is not on the approved list.
- If you are doing a minor in Accounting or Economics, or a double major in Finance and one of those two majors (Accounting or Economics), you can use two of the courses required for that minor/major as business supporting courses.
- Two courses from the Certificate in Financial Planning program can be used to fulfill the business supporting course requirement.
- Successfully completing FIN 301 with a minimum grade of "C" is required for graduation. Earning a minimum grade of "D" is required in order to take courses requiring FIN 301 as a prerequisite.
- ACCTG 305 or ACCTG 371 can serve to satisfy the ACCTG 371 requirement.
- Although not recommended, students who fall out of sequence with their FIN courses may take FIN 406 without having completed FIN 420.
Tentative schedule for class offerings, Fall 2009-Spring 2010:
- Fall 2009: FIN 301 (4 sections), FIN 330; FIN 405, FIN 406 (2 sections); FIN 407, FIN 450
- Spring 2010: FIN 301 (4 sections), FIN 405, FIN 407, FIN 420 (2 sections), FIN 340, FIN 430, FIN 481 (2 sections)