Associate of Science Emphasis in Finance

The Associate of Science emphasis in Finance focuses on the methods and factors that are essential to understanding and analyzing the key financial aspects of managerial decisions and the development of critical thinking skills through problem solving and financial decision making.

Candidates graduating with the online Associate Degree in Finance will:

  • Summarize and apply important topics, concepts, and skills in finance including the time value of money, financial statement analysis, financial markets and institutions, working capital management, the valuation of securities, and capital budgeting.
  • Distinguish investment decisions from financing decisions and apply appropriate decision tools.
  • Define the risk and return relationship and apply basic skills in risk management.
  • Demonstrate the importance of finance in business/organization decision making.

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General Education Requirements

(27 credit hours)

Course Number Course Title Course Description Credits
ENG 101 Composition (or comparable Composition class) Provides instruction, guidance, and feedback for the fundamental principles of effective expository writing. Topics include elements of content, organization, writing conventions, and format, applied to areas of the business core program. 3
ENG 103 Business Writing (or comparable Composition class) Emphasizes audience, tone, development, discourse, and vocabulary appropriate to writing for business purposes. Students employ writing topics applied to areas of the business core program. Prerequisite: ENG101. 3
SPC 101 Business Presentations (or comparable Speech class) Prepares students to develop and deliver presentations to yield results within informative, persuasive, goodwill, sales, and training venues. The course includes preparing charts and graphs, running productive meetings, and effective public speaking. 3
ECO 201 Macroeconomics (or comparable lower division economics class) Addresses effects of the national economy on business cycles in regard to growth, inflation, and unemployment. Students consider how these factors are related to micro-level performance. 3
POL 101 U.S Government (or other 100 level or above political science class) Reviews the structure and functions of the U.S. government and the system of checks and balances with regard to federal power. The course distinguishes the types of authority that are left to the individual states. 3
PSY 101 Psychology (or other 100 level or above psychology class) Introduces basic theoretical constructs of psychology that explain mental processes and behavior. Students compare various schools of thought regarding perception, cognition, emotion, personality, and interpersonal relationships. 3
PHL 101 Business Ethics (or other 100 level or above philosophy class) Analyzes practical moral dilemmas that arise in business environments and the ethical principles that guide resolution of them. Students examine issues from multiple points of view in order to describe the role of business ethics as reconciling conflicting interests. 3
BIO 101 Environmental Studies I (with lab) (or other 100 level or above physical science class) Identifies ways in which humans interact with and impact their environment, including natural, constructed, and cultural surroundings. Students consider relationships among these environments that give rise to diverse business and economic circumstances. There is a lab component in this course. 3
MAT 101 Introductory Algebra (or other 100 level or above math or statistics class) Introduces fundamental algebra concepts. Topics include integers; fractions, decimals, and percentages; algebra notation and symbols; solving equations with roots and powers; linear equations and inequalities; graphing and linear systems; exponents and polynomials; and factoring. 3

Business Core Requirements:

 (12 credit hours)

Course Number Course Title Course Description Credits
ACT 201 Accounting I Covers fundamental accounting concepts and techniques in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for ledgers, journals, and the accounting cycle; introduces financial statements. Students seeking an online Associate Degree in Finance conduct major operations for analysis of business transactions. 3
BUS 201 Intro to Environment of Business Introduces the functional areas and fundamental terminology of business environments. Topics engage students seeking an online Associate Degree in Finance in current small business events through information evaluation and problem solving to better comprehend the business world. 3
FIN 201 Finance I Surveys major topics in financial management, including the financial environment, financial goals of corporations, the agency problem between stockholders and top executives, the time value of money, the risk and return relationship, financial statement analysis, financial markets and institutions, and the valuation of securities. 3
LAW 201 Legal Environment of Business Investigates legal aspects of business. Students examine types of law, contracts, and regulatory obligations. 3

Online Associate Degree in Finance Emphasis Required Courses: 

(12 credit hours)

Course Number Course Title Course Description Credits
ACT 203 Accounting II Continues ACT 201 and includes investments, cash flow, budgeting, and cost-volume-profit analysis. Prerequisite: ACT201 3
FIN 203 Finance II Covers the theory of corporate finance with emphasis on analytic and quantitative problem solving. Topics include risk measurement and management, the cost of capital, capital budgeting, capital structure, payout policy, valuation theory, market efficiency, and international finance. Prerequisite: FIN201.   3
FIN 205 Financial Analysis Focuses on the use of financial statements in regards to financial decision making. Major topics include valuation, capital budgeting, and working capital management. Prerequisite: FIN203. 3
FIN 299 Finance Project Integrates major concepts and skills within the finance emphasis. Students apply finance principles to a prospective enterprise. Must be taken as last course in online Associate Degree in Finance emphasis or certificate in Finance program. 3

Electives (9 credit hours)
Additional credit hours of course work must be selected from across the AS program or transferred to complete the 60 hours of required study.

Total General Ed. Credits: 27
Total Business Core Credits:  12
Total Emphasis Area Credits:  12
Total Elective Credits: 9
Total Online Associate Degree in Finance Credits: 60

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Bachelors in Construction
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