Villanova Finance Major Requirements
A Finance major at Villanova University’s Villanova School of Business (VSB) offers a rigorous curriculum designed to prepare students for diverse career paths in the financial industry. The program emphasizes analytical skills, ethical decision-making, and a solid understanding of financial theory and practice.
Core Curriculum
All Villanova School of Business students, regardless of their chosen major, must complete a core curriculum. This foundational coursework provides a broad business education. The core typically includes:
- Mathematics: Calculus I & II are essential to understand finance theories.
- Statistics: Introductory Statistics provides the foundation for analyzing financial data.
- Microeconomics and Macroeconomics: These courses provide the economic framework for understanding markets and financial institutions.
- Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting: Essential for interpreting financial statements and understanding internal business operations.
- Business Law: Covering legal principles relevant to business transactions and corporate governance.
- Marketing: Understanding marketing principles provides context for financial decisions related to companies and products.
- Operations Management: Learning the principles behind efficient production processes is valuable in finance.
- Information Systems: Developing basic understanding of information technology is vital in today’s business environment.
- Ethics: Covering business ethics to ensure responsible decision making.
Finance Major Requirements
In addition to the core curriculum, Finance majors must complete a set of specialized finance courses. These courses build upon the core principles and provide in-depth knowledge of specific financial areas.
- Principles of Finance: Serves as the introduction to financial theory.
- Investments: This course covers portfolio theory, security analysis, and market efficiency.
- Financial Modeling: A course that develops the skills necessary to build and analyze financial models in Excel.
- Corporate Finance: Focuses on financial decision-making within companies, including capital budgeting, dividend policy, and working capital management.
Finance Electives
Finance majors are also required to complete a set of elective courses, allowing them to specialize in areas of particular interest. These electives provide greater depth in specific areas of finance and enhance career preparation.
Some of the finance electives include, but are not limited to:
- International Finance
- Fixed Income Securities
- Derivatives
- Real Estate Finance
- Financial Institutions
- Alternative Investments
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Mergers and Acquisitions
Experiential Learning
Villanova places a strong emphasis on experiential learning. Finance majors are encouraged to participate in internships, co-ops, and other hands-on learning opportunities to apply their knowledge in real-world settings. The VSB Career Center provides resources and support to help students find and secure valuable experiences.
Additional Requirements
Students must maintain a minimum GPA in their finance courses, which might be higher than the general VSB GPA requirement. Detailed information about GPA requirements and course sequencing can be found on the Villanova School of Business website or by consulting with an academic advisor.