Majors

Finance

As a finance major, you will learn to understand how to take limited information, in an uncertain world, and make the best financial decision possible. This decision-making process relates to portfolio management, real estate, financial planning, and many other areas. Our department’s goal is to prepare you to think critically about these topics in a way that will help you be prepared for your first job after graduation and to stand out among your peers throughout your career.

Finance Degree Requirements & Courses

Financial Technology (FinTech)

The FinTech major is designed for students drawn to finance but with a specific interest in quantitative methods, data analysis, and basic programming. It offers flexibility to study computer science, data science, and math as you learn how financial service firms such as Venmo, Stripe, Robinhood, and others use emerging technologies to improve functionality and develop new ways to service customers. The FinTech market, which we already see in fields from wealth management to real estate, is quickly growing with average starting annual salaries between $70,000-90,000.

Financial Technology Requirements & Courses

Minors

Finance Minor Requirements & Courses

Planning your courses

Advice for Finance majors

We recommend all Finance majors take FIN 3430 in the spring of their Sophomore years, so plan to complete the pre-requisites (BUS 2110, ACC 2010 are pre-requisites and ECO 2300 is a co-requisite or pre-requisite) before that time. We also recommend completing both FIN 4120 and FIN 4130 during your Junior year. These courses are the Finance core and will prepare you for an internship between your Junior and Senior year. When possible take FIN 4120 and FIN 4130 before other Finance electives since they provide a foundation beyond FIN 3430.

There are many career paths available in Finance. As you consider some of these general career paths, here are courses that will help with your preparation:

  • Real Estate – FIN 4150, FIN 4750 & FIN 4760
  • Wealth Management/Financial Planning – FIN 4190, FIN 4160 & FIN 4670. FIN 4780 is an SIE prep course for students that anticipate taking the Series 7 after graduation.
  • CFA/Investment field – FIN 4230, FIN 4310, FIN 4330 & FIN 4972
  • FinTech/Emerging Technology – FIN 4690, FIN 4973 & FIN 4974
  • Quantitative Finance – Consider a minor in math, computer science, data science, or statistics. Elon offers many courses that cover the technical skills needed for certain finance jobs, such as database management, statistical computing and advanced quantitative methods. For example, MTH 2310 (Linear Algebra), MTH 3410 (Probability Theory and Statistics), CSC 1300 (Computer Science I), CSC 2300 (Computer Science II), MGT 3100 (Foundations of Business Analytics), MGT 4110 (Data Wrangling), and MGT 4260 (Data Mining for Managerial Decision Making).