What is Finance?

Finance is the study of how a society’s capital is allocated among competing interests. The Finance major at Kutztown University allows students to explore the economic and social implications of the capital allocation process.

By emphasizing both the practical and theoretical aspects of finance, the Finance program prepares students for the dynamic nature of today’s business environment as well as for graduate studies.

Career Opportunities in Finance

The Finance major at Kutztown University prepares students for career opportunities in the areas of domestic and multinational corporate financial management, the management of financial markets and institutions, personal financial planning, and investment analysis and portfolio management. Recent graduates have found employment with many of the nation’s top corporations and financial institutions, including: Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, The Vanguard Group, American Express Financial Services, and many more.

Specific regulations for the College of Business

The BSBA Business Core program gives incoming students some time to plan before committing to any of the Business majors.  The College of Business offers four distinct major programs – Accounting, Finance, Management and Marketing – leading to the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) degree.  In order to be permitted to select a distinct major in Business Administration, or to register for an upper level course in Business Administration (300 level), the student is required to:

a.   Complete the 7 Business Core courses.  Attain a grade point average no lower than a 2.00 in the following courses:

ACC  121:             Financial Accounting
ACC  122:             Managerial Accounting
                             (pre-requisites:  ACC 121 and BUS 171)
BUS 120:              Principles of Business Statistics
                             (pre-requisite:  minimum grade of “C” in MAT 105
                              or a “C” in a higher level math course)
BUS 131:              Business Law I
BUS 171:              Business Information Systems
ECO 011:              Principles of Macroeconomics
ECO 012:              Principles of Microeconomics

b.   Achieve a minimum GPA of 2.00 overall in all courses completed at the University

General Graduation Requirements for the College of Business

To graduate with a degree in Business Administration, a student must:

1.       Successfully complete at least 120 semester hours as specified by
          degree;
2.       Satisfy all requirements of General Education;
3.       Satisfy all course requirements in the major;
4.       Attain a cumulative grade point average no lower than a 2.00 in
          all courses completed at Kutztown University;
5.       Attain a grade point average no lower than a 2.00 in all courses
          completed in the student’s major.

Program Check Sheets

The finance curriculum is sufficiently broad to facilitate for many different and rewarding career paths.  Students majoring in finance complete rigorous study in investments, portfolio management, financial markets and institutions, financial management, multinational financial management, and personal financial planning. Students may choose from a variety of electives based on their career goals.  The curriculum for finance majors emphasizes the use of computers with special attention given to spreadsheet software.  The curriculum also has adequate depth to provide students with a solid foundation to pursue advanced degrees in any of the business disciplines.   

Fall 2007, version 20083

Fall 2010, version 20113

Fall 2011, version 20123 These are the new graduation requirements for the BSBA Program by major effective Fall 2011.  These requirements will affect all incoming freshman and all transfer students who start at Kutztown University during the Fall 2011 semester. 

Undergraduate Curricular/Advisement Change Form

Instructions to declare a major or to change your curriculum into the College of Business.

Detailed information about the courses for the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration can be found in the undergraduate catalog.

Click here for what you do with a finance major.

Congratulations! The Kutztown University FMA chapter has earned the FMA Superior Chapter Award for the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 academic years.  This highly coveted award is given to fewer than five percent of FMA chapters. The Finance Club gained the status of Superior Chapter for the second year in a row.  The award, which only a small percentage of schools receive, is given to clubs that complete a number of additional requirements throughout the year.  Two years ago the FMA club attended the FMA National Leadership Conference in New York City, and they attended the conference in NYC again during the spring semester of 2011.  As stated by Zach Phipps, a recent FMA club officer, "Attending the conference really adds value to the FMA officers, club and its members.  It's something that not all schools have the ability to talk to, this is why we hope to make this a goal every year."  In addition, in pursuit of another Superior Chapter award for the 2010-2011 academic year, the club has had several speakers come in to talk to club members and has made a resume book to send out to employers.  If you are interested in joining the Finance club or would like more information, please feel free to contact any of the officers or advisors. For more information, visit the Clubs section of this website.