Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Finance, Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Science in Business Administration (Reynolds Community College)
Reynolds Community College
Reynolds Community College
Associate degree

Associate of Science in Business Administration

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

Program description

The major in finance prepares students for graduate-level study of finance and for careers in corporate finance, the securities industry, banking, financial planning, and insurance/risk management.


The concentration in risk management and insurance prepares students for careers in the insurance and personal financial planning industry on all levels including (but not limited to) underwriting, claims adjusting, employee benefits, risk modeling and analysis, risk management in all sectors of the economy, financial planning, and graduate-level study of risk management.

Career opportunities

Careers include corporate finance, investments and commercial banking with a concentration in finance. Our program, recognized by the CFA Institute, applies an international focus to the study of financial markets. You’ll learn how to analyze and communicate findings on complex financial issues and how to take creative approaches to problems in the finance industry. Some of our Alumni employers include Bank of Virginia, JP Morgan Chase, Dominion Energy, Genworth Financial and Deloitte.


Insurance is a high-demand industry with 500,000 new jobs projected in the next five years. Students who graduate with a degree in Business and a concentration in Risk Management and Insurance are typically employed as underwriters, claims professionals, risk managers, managers, analysts, wealth managers, and financial planners. VCU Alumni from the Risk Management program are employed with Markel Corporation, James River Insurance, Argo, Colony, Kinsale, Mass Mutual, Northwestern, AXA, Virginia Asset Management, New York Life, and a variety of local agents and brokers.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Budget Analyst
  • Equity Research Analyst
  • Finance Analyst
  • Financial Examiner
  • Financial Manager: Branch or Department
  • Fixed Income Analyst
  • Fraud Examiner/Investigator
  • Loan Officer
  • Personal Financial Advisor
  • Securities and Commodities Traders
  • Underwriter
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Hedge Fund Manager
  • Management Consultant
  • Venture Capitalist
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Students are guaranteed admission to this degree program with:

  • Completion of the associate degree
  • Minimum GPA of 2.5
  • All courses completed with a "C" grade or better
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 200 or BUSN 212
Science required
  • No
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.5 to declare finance/2.0 to graduate

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Finance, Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Reynolds Community College (Associate of Science in Business Administration)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Attend cultural events at community college and VCU to celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
Experience Year 2
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU School of Business, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend cultural events at community college and VCU to celebrate diversity.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU School of Business, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or department-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2025-2026

Finance, Bachelor of Science (NEXT STEP Pathway)

Reynolds Community College (Associate of Science in Business Administration)

Reynolds Community College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
Year 1
SDV 101 Orientation to Business UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I UNIV 111 3 General education
BUS 100 Introduction to Business BUSN 201 3 Major
ECO 201 Principles of Macroeconomics ECON 211 3 Major
History UCGS History elective HIST 3 General education
MTH 161 Precalculus I MATH 141 3 General education
BUS 240 Introduction to Business Law BUSN 323 3 Major
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
ECO 202 Principles of Microeconomics ECON 210 3 Major
CST 100 or CST 110 Principles of Public Speaking or Introduction to Human Communication SPCH 221 or SPCH 121 3 General education
Approved transfer elective VCU equivalent 3 Elective
Year 2
MTH 261 Applied Calculus I BUSN 212 3 Major
Approved humanities/fine arts elective VCU equivalent 3 General education
ACC 211 Principles of Accounting I ACCT 203 3 Major
Business core elective (select one of the following: BUS 200, BUS 270, BUS 274, BUS 280, ITE 140, MKT 201) VCU equivalent 3 Elective
BUS 224 Business Statistics SCMA 301 3 Major
Approved humanities, literature or fine arts elective VCU equivalent 3 General education
ACC 212 Principles of Accounting II ACCT 204 3 Major
Business core elective (select one of the following: BUS 200, BUS 270, BUS 274, BUS 280, ITE 140, MKT 201) VCU equivalent 3 Elective
BIO 106 or GOL 105 Life Science or Physical Geology BIOL/Z 101 or ENVS/Z 105 4 General education
Approved transfer elective VCU equivalent 3 Elective
Reynolds credits transferred to VCU 62
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Year 3
BUSN 301 Career and Professional Development 1 Major
BUSN 325 Business Communications 3 Major
MKTG 301 Marketing Principles 3 Major
FIRE 311 Financial Management 3 Major
MGMT 310 Managing People in Organizations 3 Major
SCMA 320 Production/Operations Management 3 Major
FIRE 312 Financial Modeling 3 Major
FIRE 317 Investments 3 Major
MGMT 303 Creativity and Ideation 3 Major
Approved finance electives 6 Major
Year 4
FIRE 321 Intermediate Financial Management 3 Major
INFO 360 Business Information Systems 3 Major
Approved finance electives 3 Major
Restricted FIRE elective 3 Major
BUSN 499 Business Knowledge Exam 0 Major
FIRE 461 Cases in Financial Management 3 Major
MGMT 434 Strategic Management 3 Major
Approved finance elective 3 Major
Restricted FIRE elective 3 Major
Open elective 3 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 58
Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree 120
The accelerated B.S. and M.S. program allows qualified students to earn both the B.S. in Finance and M.S. in Business with a concentration in finance in a minimum of five years by completing approved graduate courses during the senior year of their undergraduate program. Minimum qualifications for entrance to this accelerated program include completion of 85 undergraduate credit hours including FIRE 311, FIRE 312 and FIRE 317 ; an overall GPA of 3.25; and a GPA of 3.25 in finance and quantitative course work.