Finance

Credits:
120
Degree:
Bachelor of Science

Program Description

The Bachelor of Science in Finance presents a comprehensive financial management curriculum that equips students with the skills necessary to work in the areas of corporate finance, investments, economics, financial management, financial services and financial planning. Our students learn directly from practicing professionals, many of whom are distinguished leaders in their field. The Cambridge College teaching model gives students the opportunity to learn financial management theory in addition to effective, practical financial management techniques. By combining research, theory and practice, graduates will be prepared with the skills that will enable them to manage both people and complex financial projects and operations.

Required courses provide a dynamic academic framework which spans disciplines including corporate finance and investment, general management, strategic data analysis, purchase and sales of assets, dynamics of market forces, and institutional financial functions in different kinds of organizations. Additionally students will develop the analytical skills to understand key principles relating to the investment process within domestic and international markets.

Final Project — Students complete a culminating research project in management related to their own personal and professional interests. Students demonstrate their mastery of financial management content and methodology, and apply their academic experience to a learning project that interests and challenges them.

Program Outcomes

Successful graduates will have a demonstrated understanding of:

Essential strategic financial planning, effective professional communication, human relations, teamwork, and negotiation.
Theoretical and practical understanding of business processes and organizational systems.
Practical business skills in accounting, economics and finance.
Creating work environments that foster corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and long-term growth.
The importance of diversity in today’s global business environment, and develop skills to manage diverse organizations.
The analysis of complex managerial and organizational situations, taking into account the larger context, strategy, policy, and ethics with specific applications in the financial arenas.
Information systems, databases and Internet technology as finance management tools.

Careers and Further Study

Graduates of the finance degree program will be prepared for employment in a variety of finance-related capacities in corporate, for-profit, and non-profit organizations. Employment opportunities include but are not limited to financial analysis, investments, financial forecasting, and financial data analytics. Graduates will additionally possess a strong academic background to support graduate studies in business, finance, and management.

Curriculum

General Education

Credits

WRT101-102 and MAT101-102 may be waived if equivalent courses have been accepted in transfer. Credits will be replaced with open electives. WRT201 required if both WRT101-102 are waived; not required for students completing WRT101-102 at Cambridge. WRT090 and MAT100 required if assessment indicates need.

Principles and Processes of Adult Learning

LRN 175 • 3 credit(s)

Students explore theories of adult learning. They clarify the fit between their academic program and their learning and career needs, and see how their prior learning fits in. They assess their academic skills of critical thinking, mathematics, writing, and computer literacy. Students become independent learners who can effectively manage the structures, processes and expectations of undergraduate education.

College Writing I

WRT 101 • 3 credit(s)

Through challenging readings, class discussion, small group collaboration, and different forms of writing, students learn the skills and process of “thinking on paper.” They learn to construct an argument or discussion that supports a clear thesis and present it effectively in a well-organized essay that observes the conventions of written English. They write academic papers that analyze and synthesize the issues suggested in two or more readings. Critical reading, critical thinking, research skills, and forms of documentation are also introduced.

Foundations of Critical Thinking

CTH 225 • 3 credit(s)

We learn to engage in reasoned thinking. We learn to formulate hypotheses; conceive and state definitions, and understand logical consistency and inconsistency. We explore the differences between claims of fact, value, and policy; what constitutes credible evidence; the nature of assumptions. We learn what constitutes a persuasive argument as opposed to an emotive and propagandistic one, and critically examine them. Students learn to present clear, well thought out critical arguments in writing and oral presentations. We look at the relationships among thinking, writing, speaking and listening, laying a strong foundation for improving our capacity to write, speak, and listen well.

College Mathematics I

MAT 101 • 3 credit(s)

Prerequisite: MAT100 If assessment indicates need. This course introduces students to the value of mathematics for students’ career and educational goals. Students will acquire mathematical study skills, gain strategies for problem solving, and develop a sound foundation for future mathematics coursework. The course is structured towards engaging students in active, applied, and real-life learning in order to facilitate mathematical problem solving and conceptual understanding.

Introduction to Computer Applications

CMP 130 • 3 credit(s)

Assessment available. This course provides a hands-on introduction to the personal computer, Windows, word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software, the Internet, and an overview of Word, Excel and Power-Point uses. Students begin with the basics of each application and progress through intermediate level.

College Writing II

WRT 102 • 3 credit(s)

WRT102 acquaints students with the academic research paper as both process and product. The course begins with an intensive review of the strategies and techniques for writing an academic essay that are covered in WRT101 and then moves to selecting and narrowing a topic, preliminary research, and establishing a focus for a 12-15 page argument research paper. The final paper includes an abstract, an introduction, discussion, conclusion, and references. Students learn how to write an annotated bibliography and use APA documentation for in-text citations and references.

College Mathematics II

MAT 102 • 3 credit(s)

Prerequisite: MAT101 If assessment indicates need. Challenge exam available. This course develops students’ mathematical thinking and problem solving around issues of both mathematical content and process. Students will acquire a conceptual and practical understanding of and familiarity with numbers and operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and basic data analysis and probability. The course focuses on supporting students’ understanding of problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections, and representations. A key feature of the course is active student involvement to support communicating mathematics in everyday and academic contexts.

Information Literacy

CMP 230 • 3 credit(s)

Prerequisite: CMP130 (course or portfolio) and familiarity with Windows and/or Mac operating system, or permission of instructor. Information literacy is necessary for lifelong learning and career advancement. It is the ability to analyze problems, research and select relevant information, create an effective presentation from that information, and, when appropriate, publish it in print or electronic formats. Students acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities to apply principles of information literacy to their academic and professional lives. A problem-centered approach is used. Students use the Internet and e-mail news groups, file transfer and Netscape, and search engines. They learn to evaluate the credibility of information and use problem-solving paradigms.

General Education Distribution Requirements

Arts & Humanities - 6 credits

Natural & Physical Sciences - 6 credits

Social Sciences - 6 credits

Finance Major

Credits

Required courses:

International Finance
Financial Services Operations
Small Business Finance

Introduction to Business

BSM 200 • 3 credit(s)

Students learn how American business operates. The course begins with a study of business in its broader perspective, looking at the context within which American business fits, and the investment markets which provide the capital needed to grow. The external factors influencing business development and the role business plays in the world economy are examined. The course then focuses on the internal organization and the operations of American business, highlighting major issues associated with managing functional areas of a business, such as marketing, production, technology, and supply chain management. In the later part of the course, financial management, both personal and business, and financial institutions are studied.

Fundamentals of Investment Management

BSM 225 • 3 credit(s)

Fundamentals of Investment Management provides an introduction to the financial industry and develops an understanding of the players, markets, economic interplay, products, clients and functional processing that exist in the world of investments. Subjects covered include the history of financial services, evolution of the industry, risk and return, industry laws and regulatory agencies, how the industry makes money, credits, exchanges and redemptions.

Economics for Managers

BSM 300 • 3 credit(s)

This course provides an overview of economics and establishes a foundation and vocabulary for future courses. It gives an applied, practical introduction to macroeconomics and microeconomics. At the macro-economic level the course helps the learner understand how the American economy functions, and what impact changes in the economy may have on the individual and the organization, as well as the impact of the global economy. At the microeconomic level the course examines how individuals and firms make economic decisions. This knowledge becomes the basis of understanding key concepts of supply, demand and pricing, as well as average and marginal costs and breakeven analysis.

Diversity in the Workplace

BSM 315 • 3 credit(s)

This course looks at the significance of diversity in management and the implications of diversity for how organizations are organized and how they function. The changing demographics of the workplace are examined and the significance of diversity for domestic and international business are discussed. Organizational approaches to diversity are examined and analyzed. The course attempts to engage differences within the class and help students develop leadership skills for managing diversity, including consensus building, conflict resolution and talking through differences.

Financial Accounting

BSM 330 • 3 credit(s)

This course introduces the principles that govern financial accounting systems and the income statement and balance sheet that are the principal end products. Students learn how accounting information is used to evaluate the performance and financial status of private, non-profit and public organizations. The course emphasizes the use of accounting information by managers within the organization and by shareholders, lenders, and other outside parties. Basic accounting terms and concepts, and the language of financial management are presented as well as the essentials of the accounting process. The course also builds an awareness of the ethical, information and regulatory environment of accounting.

Financial Management

BSM 332 • 3 credit(s)

Prerequisite: BSM330. This course provides tools for managing business funds and making decisions that will affect the financial position of an organization. Students gain an understanding of financial analysis and its use in planning and control functions. Capital budgeting, discounted cash flow, and present/future value techniques are presented as well as the capital formation process, the advantages and disadvantages of various capital structures, and the long and short term uses of capital. Students gain an understanding of the workings of financial markets and institutions, financial instruments, and the domestic and international financial environment.

Business Ethics

BSM 345 • 3 credit(s)

Business Ethics provides an in-depth understanding of the ethical, social and political context of organizations today. It approaches social problems with an ethical framework for choosing among alternative courses of action. The course emphasizes the application of ethical reasoning to real business and management situations, problems and decision-making.

Corporate Finance and Investments

BSM 405 • 3 credit(s)

This advanced finance course serves as a detailed exploration of corporate finance and investments, and covers contemporary theories and practices of financial decision-making within corporations. Topics include types and measure of financial risk, portfolio management, options and futures, capital instruments for long-term financing, dividend policy, cost of capital, raising capital, managing and financing working capital, mergers and acquisitions, and international finance. We also review cash flow estimates, discounted cash flow concepts, net present value, internal rate of return, non-discounting analysis techniques, income tax implications for investment decisions, ranking investment projects, real options, and valuation models.

Money and Banking

BSM 412 • 3 credit(s)

Prerequisite BSM300. For anyone in business it is important to understand the influence that the banking system has upon interest rates, economic growth, and price and employment stability. This course covers the banking system, credit, money and interest rates, and the interrelationship between the domestic and international financial institutions. The course begins by studying monetary systems from 5000 BC to modern times. Students learn how our economies evolved from barter societies to new forms of money such as credit cards and electronic funds transfer. Next, the course presents the commercial banking systems in the U.S. and foreign countries. Then the course covers the role of the Federal Reserve System’s and other nations’ central banks in influencing a country’s economic status. Then a more detailed analysis of bank operations is presented and the analysis is expanded to other types of financial institutions such as savings banks, credit unions, mortgage companies and government agencies. Finally, international banking institutions and international monetary exchanges are studied.

Introduction to Statistics

MAT 201 • 3 credit(s)

Statistics is the branch of mathematics that focuses on the colle ction of data, data analysis, probability, and statistical inference. In this course students will learn the principles of using data to identify patterns, ascertain distributions, conduct accurate group comparisons, and make data-based inferences and predictions. Concepts of spread, normal distribution , multi-modal distribution, standard deviation, statistical skewing, graphing, statistical significance, variance, validity, and probability will be covered.

Management Studies Capstone Project

BSM 490 • 3 credit(s)

Prerequisites: 90 credits minimum, including WRT101 and WRT102. The Capstone is a comprehensive research project which is the culminating academic activity that helps to synthesize students’ learning in the undergraduate management program. It is an opportunity to explore a topic of personal or professional interest in the field of management and to create an original project or piece of research that contributes to the field. The Capstone is 25-30 pages in length and follows a research paper format appropriate to the field of study. Students work together in class and meet or communicate individually with the instructor as needed. Those who take an additional term to complete the Capstone must register for BSM491 and pass before graduating.

Open Electives

Credits

Choose electives and/or concentrations to support your academic interests and professional goals. (Course prerequisites must also be met.)

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William McMullen

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