Finance, B.S.B.A.
Admissions
Entrance Requirements
In addition to the academic admission requirements of the Moore School of Business stated below, a limit on admission to the program may be imposed. An enrollment limit would become necessary if enrollment levels exceed school staffing capabilities and resources. The Undergraduate Admissions Committee, in consultation with the dean of the school, shall be responsible for adjusting undergraduate enrollment levels to ensure the quality of the undergraduate program. A student who meets admissions criteria will be favorably considered, but because of space limitations admission cannot be guaranteed. Once minimum criteria are met, all qualified applicants are placed into an admissions group and are ranked by academic credentials. Based on the number of available seats, students are admitted in ranked order until capacity is reached. The Moore School only considers new applicants for Fall Term admission.
Freshmen entering the USC Columbia Pre-Business division of the Moore School of Business must meet the campus requirements for admission. Freshmen applicants will only be considered for Fall Term admission.
Students from other USC campuses who have no work from colleges outside of USC must have a minimum cumulative Institution GPA of 3.25, must have taken at least 15 USC credit hours, and have completed calculus with a minimum grade of C. Additionally, those students who have fewer than 30 semester hours from colleges outside USC must also meet Columbia campus freshman admission requirements. Change of campus applicants will only be considered for Fall Term admission.
Students enrolled in other colleges on the Columbia campus must have a minimum cumulative Institution GPA of 3.25, must have at least 15 USC credit hour,and have completed calculus with a minimum grade of C. Internal transfers will only be considered for admission in the fall term.
Transfer students from other institutions must present a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 on all college work taken and have completed calculus with a minimum grade of C. Students who have taken fewer than 30 semester hours of college work must also meet Columbia campus freshman admission requirements. External transfers will only be considered for Fall Term admission.
Degree Requirements (122 hours)
See Darla Moore School of Business for progression requirements and other regulations.
Program of Study
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| 1. Carolina Core | 31-43 |
| 2. College Requirements | 40 |
| 3. Program Requirements | 15-30 |
| 4. Major Requirements | 21-24 |
Founding Documents Requirement
All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers. This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective. Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.
1. Carolina Core Requirements (31-43 hours)
CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)
must be passed with a grade of C or higher
ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (6-7 hours)
must be passed with a grade of C or higher
SCI – Scientific Literacy (7 hours)
- Two approved Carolina Core Scientific Literacy courses, including one laboratory course
GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language (0-6 hours)
Students shall demonstrate in one Foreign Language the ability to comprehend the topic and the main ideas in written and, with the exception of Latin and Ancient Greek, spoken texts on familiar subjects. This ability can be demonstrated by achieving a score of two or better on a USC foreign language test. Those failing to do so must satisfactorily complete equivalent study of foreign language at USC.
GHS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours)
- any CC-GHS course
GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours)
- any CC-GSS course
AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)
- any CC-AIU course
CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-CMS course
INF – Information Literacy1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-INF course
VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility1 (0-3 hours)
- any overlay or stand-alone CC-VSR course
- 1
Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.
2. College Requirements (40 hours)
must be passed with a grade of C or higher
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 225 | Introduction to Financial Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT 226 | Introduction to Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT 324 | Survey of Commercial Law | 3 |
| BADM 301 | Business Careers in the Global Economy | 1 |
| ECON 221 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 222 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| FINA 363 | Introduction to Finance | 3 |
| MGMT 250 | Professional Communication | 3 |
| MGMT 371 | Principles of Management | 3 |
| MGMT 478 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| MGSC 290 | Computer Information Systems in Business | 3 |
| MGSC 291 | Applied Statistics for Business | 3 |
| MGSC 395 | Operations Management | 3 |
| MKTG 350 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 40 | |
3. Program Requirements (15-30 hours)
Supporting Courses (0-9 hours)
Internationalization Requirement (0-9 hours)
The program requires 9 hours of course work with international content that may be completed through other degree requirements. Three hours must be taken from an approved list of courses offered by the Moore School of Business which contain international business or international economics content. The following course options can also be used to satisfy the 3 credit hours of this requirement: approved course work containing international business or international economics content, taken at a semester abroad program; an approved Maymester or summer overseas course containing international business or international economics content; an approved internship course in international business wherein a student would obtain discipline-related work experience in a foreign country; or an approved service-learning component. Students may choose from one of the following options to complete the remaining 6-hour requirement:
Language: Two language courses at the 200 level or above
OR
Electives: Two approved courses with international content taken either inside or outside the Moore School of Business. See the list of available internationally-focused courses.
Minor or Cognate (12-18 hours) optional
Minors (non-business) may be selected from a University-wide list of approved minors. The minor is normally a minimum of 18 hours of prescribed courses in one subject area. Minors are recognized on the transcript.
Cognates which consist of 4 related courses in a specific field. The cognate is intended to support the course work in the major. The cognate must consist of twelve (12) hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of but related to the major. Cognates do not earn an additional designation on the transcript.
Electives (6-30 hours)
The number of elective hours required depends upon the number of hours used to fulfill other degree requirements, including the optional minor or cognate. Minimum degree requirements must equal 122 hours. Selecting to pursue a minor or cognate, multiple business majors or the business analytics concentration may be used to reduce the total number of electives hours. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the Darla Moore School of Business.
Options to meet this requirement may include:
- Pre-Professional coursework can be applied for students seeking admission to a professional degree program after graduation.
- A maximum of 4 courses towards completion of an accelerated master’s program if not counted elsewhere in the degree.
- Directed Electives: Students may select courses of interest with their advisor. Students are strongly encouraged to take a business section of UNIV 101. All directed coursework electives must be passed with a grade of C or better. Directed coursework may not include coursework in PEDU or MATH/STAT below the Moore School minimum requirements (ex. MATH 111 or STAT 110) or 1 credit performance classes.
4. Major Requirements (21-24 hours)
a minimum grade of C is required in all major courses
Major Courses (9 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FINA 365 | Corporate Financial Analysis | 3 |
| FINA 469 | Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management | 3 |
| FINA 470 | Financial Statement Analysis | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 9 | |
Major Electives (12 hours)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Finance Electives | 6 | |
| Select six hours from the following: | ||
| Management of Risk and Insurance | ||
| Introduction to Real Estate and Urban Development | ||
| Corporate Risk Management | ||
| Case Studies in Corporate Finance | ||
| Financial Innovation | ||
| Commercial Bank Practice and Policy | ||
| Real Estate Investment Fundamentals | ||
| Real Estate Finance | ||
| Derivative Securities | ||
| Student-Managed Investments | ||
| Fixed Income Securities | ||
| Foundations of Capitalism 1 | ||
| Special Topics in Finance 2 | ||
| International Financial Management 1 | ||
| Upper-Level Business Electives 3 | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 12 | |
- 1
International-focused course.
- 2
Depending on the semester or nature of the project, FINA 490 may or may not be applicable to the Finance major. Please consult your advisor to determine if it is applicable in the semester you wish to enroll in the project course.
- 3
Students with a single major in Finance must complete additional upper level (300-level or above) business/economics course work (in ACCT, BADM, ECON, FINA, IBUS, MGMT, MGSC, or MKTG) for a total of 21 hours of Upper-Level Business courses, which include major hours. Students must meet prerequisites to take the business elective of their choosing. Students may choose to pursue an additional major or a business analytics concentration in place of Upper-Level Business Electives.
Note: FINA 333, FINA 369, and all Real Estate plus Risk Management and Insurance courses not specifically listed as electives of the Finance Major do not count towards the major in Finance.
Business Analytics Concentration (9 hours) optional
Please consult with your Academic Advisor or department on the courses recommended for individual majors. The analytics concentration must be taken in conjunction with a major. The department may add additional electives to the Business Analytics Concentration, subject to the approval of the Business Analytics Task Force.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MGSC 394 | Data Analytics for Business | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Accounting Information Systems I | ||
| Integrated Business Processes with Enterprise Systems | ||
| Introductory Econometrics | ||
| Corporate Risk Management | ||
| Financial Innovation | ||
| Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management (Designated sections only) | ||
| Student-Managed Investments | ||
| Research in International Business | ||
| Analytics for the Human Resources Professional | ||
| Business Information Systems | ||
| Applied Statistical Modeling | ||
| Service Operations Management | ||
| Principles of Marketing Research | ||
| Pricing Strategy and Analytics | ||
| Data Science for Business Decision-Making | ||
| Digital Marketing & Social Media Analytics | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 9 | |
Note: Courses applied in the major may not also fulfill concentration requirements.
Sustainability in Business Concentration (12 hours) optional
Please consult with your Academic Advisor or department on the courses recommended for individual majors. The sustainability concentration must be taken in conjunction with a major. The department may add additional electives to the Sustainability in Business Concentration, subject to the approval of the Sustainability Curriculum and research Faculty Committee.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MKTG 472 | Business, Markets and Sustainability | 3 |
| Select six to nine hours from the following: | 6-9 | |
| Corporate Social Responsibility and Stakeholder Management | ||
| Corporate Governance and Agency Conflicts | ||
| Urban Economics | ||
| International Development Economics | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Sustainable Operations & Supply Chain | ||
| Select zero to three hours from the following: | 0-3 | |
| Environmental Pollution and Health | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Integrating Sustainability | ||
| Sustainability Projects Course | ||
| Sustainable Cities | ||
| Sustainable Tourism | ||
| Environmental Policy | ||
Note: Courses applied in the major may not also fulfill concentration requirements.
Major Map
A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.
Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.