Finance, Bachelor of Science
VCU
Associate of Arts and Sciences in Business Administration or Associate of Science in Business Administration
Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.
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.
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.
- 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
- Sales Agent
- Securities and Commodities Traders
- Chief Financial Officer
- Hedge Fund Manager
- Management Consultant
- Venture Capitalist
Telephone: (804) 827-1349
Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu
VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist
Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638
Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.
Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better
- MATH 200 or BUSN 212
- No
- No
- Yes
- 2.5 to declare finance/2.0 to graduate
Finance, Bachelor of Science
Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS 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 | ||
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Explore | Year 1 |
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Experience | Year 2 |
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MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
- Enroll in the SDV student success course.
- Complete your math and english requirements in your first year.
- Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
- Explore community college financial aid resources and submit your FAFSA on time.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Explore the School of Business website.
- Learn about the transfer admission process for VCU.
- Get involved with student clubs and organizations at your community college.
- Volunteer for community service projects.
- Register to vote.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
- Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
- Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Create LinkedIn profile.
- Complete career assessments through the Virginia Education Wizard.
- Browse information about occupations and job titles associated with finance.
- Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
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 and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.
- Create a weekly and monthly budget.
- Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Be prepared for academic challenges in ACC, ECO and MTH. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
- Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
- Be prepared: Once you enroll at VCU, your VCU GPA will be determined by your grades at VCU.
- Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
- Explore the accelerated BS to MS in Finance program.
- Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Apply to VCU.
- 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
- Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
- Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
- Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
- Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or School of Business-related events.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Find out about VCU REAL and learn about VCU's REAL graduation requirement.
- Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
- Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
- If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
- Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
- Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
- Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
- Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
Finance, Bachelor of Science
Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS in Business Administration)
Course | Title | Equivalent course | Credits | Requirements |
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SDV 100 or 101 | College Success Skills | UNIV 101 | 1 | Elective |
ENG 111 | College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. | UNIV 111-112 | 3 | General education |
ENG 112 | College Composition II | UNIV 200 | 3 | General education |
MTH 161 (or MTH 167) | Precalculus I | MATH 141 | 3 | General education |
MTH 261 or MTH 263 | Applied Calculus or Calculus I | BUSN 212 or MATH 200 | 3 to 4 | Major (Ancillary) |
Humanities/Fine Arts | Select one of the following (UCGS Block II): ART 100, ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, CST 151, MUS 121, MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 226, HUM 201, HUM 202, HUM 210, HUM 216, HUM 220, HUM 256, HUM 259, PHI 100, PHI 111, PHI 220, REL 100, REL 230, REL 237, REL 240. | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
Humanities/Fine Arts/Literature | Select one of the following (UCGS Block II): ART 100, ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, CST 151, MUS 121, MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 226, HUM 201, HUM 202, HUM 210, HUM 216, HUM 220, HUM 256, HUM 259, PHI 100, PHI 111, PHI 220, REL 100, REL 230, REL 237, REL 240, ENG 225, ENG 245, ENG 246, ENG 250, ENG 255, ENG 258, ENG 275 (the course must come from a different group than the previous requirement). | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
Lab Science | Select one of the following (UCGS Block IV): BIO 101, BIO 102, BIO 106, CHM 101, CHM 111, CHM 112, ENV 121, ENV 122, GOL 105, GOL 106, GOL 110, PHY 100, PHY 201, PHY 202, PHY 241, PHY 242. | VCU equivalent | 4 | General education |
History | Select one of the following (UCGS Block VI): HIS 101, HIS 102, HIS 111, HIS 112, HIS 121, HIS 122 | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
ACC 211 | Principles of Accounting I | ACCT 203 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
ACC 212 | Principles of Accounting II | ACCT 204 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
ECO 201 | Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics | ECON 211 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
ECO 202 | Principles of Economics: Microeconomics | ECON 210 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
BUS 100 | Introduction to Business | BUSN 201 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
BUS 224 | Business Statistics | SCMA 301 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
CST 100 or 110 | Public Speaking | BUSN 225 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
Complete requirements for associate degree | VCU equivalents | 12 to 13 | Elective | |
Community college credits transferred to VCU | 60 |
Course | Title | Credits | Requirements |
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FIRE 312 | Financial Modeling | 3 | Major |
FIRE 317 | Investments | 3 | Major |
FIRE 321 | Intermediate Financial Management | 3 | Major |
FIRE 461 | Cases in Financial Management | 3 | Major |
FIRE | Restricted FIRE electives (choose two): FIRE 417, FIRE 441, FIRE 451 | 6 | Major |
Approved finance electives (choose four; see VCU advisor for course options) | 12 | Major | |
BUSN 301 | Career and Professional Development | 1 | Major (Ancillary) |
BUSN 323 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
BUSN 499 | Business Knowledge Exam | 0 | Major (Ancillary) |
FIRE 311 | Financial Management | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
INFO 360 | Business Information Systems | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
MGMT 303 | Creativity and Ideation | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
MGMT 310 | Managing People in Organizations | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
MGMT 434 | Strategic Management | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
MKTG 301 | Marketing Principles | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
SCMA 320 | Production/Operations Management | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
Open elective | 5 | Elective | |
REAL | The REAL requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing a 300-level (or higher) course that has received a REAL attribute of Level 2, 3 or 4 or through an approved “REAL” co-curricular experience that has received a REAL attribute of Level 3 or 4. See VCU advisor for options. | 0 | Major |
Credits completed at VCU | 60 | ||
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. |