Finance, B.A.

The finance major provides you with an immersive experience learning everything from financial decision-making in the private and public sectors to how financial markets operate, methodology and theory, personal finance, corporate finance and portfolio management.

You begin your studies with the business core finance course as well as other important classes such as business statistics, mathematics and accounting.

The major in finance requires you to take nine additional credits in accounting, along with courses in Investments and in money and banking. The structure of the major is designed to make it easy for you to double major in finance and accounting. Upper-level courses that can be chosen as major electives include Personal Finance, Business Law II, International Business and International Economics. A student may also undertake an internship for elective credit in the major.

You may complete a major in Finance with a B.A. degree. Additionally, you may double major (with faculty advisor approval) within most programs in the College of Business and Economics by completing an additional 15 credit hours or more beyond the requirements for the first major. A double major with Accounting furnishes you with exceptional preparation for business professions and for sitting for the exams required to become a Certified Public Account (CPA).

Courses in the Finance major follow the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) Institute Investment Foundations® Program curriculum. This means that the essentials of finance, ethics, investment roles and institutions are covered and provides you with a broad-based understanding of the global investment industry. 

Students who successfully complete the program's online exam will earn a Claritas Investment Certificate. Learn more about the CFA and the Claritas program.

Learning Outside the Classroom

You have opportunities to apply your skills and knowledge in internships in the area or region, including in Charlotte, one of the financial centers of the world. 

Finance majors have access to the many out-of-class opportunities in business, including student organizations, study abroad, community outreach and research (working within a course or independently with a faculty mentor).

In addition, qualified Lenoir-Rhyne University finance students may be part of the portfolio management student team that oversees the ongoing investment of $200,000 of the university’s actual endowment funds.

As members of the team, students are required to study companies and make recommendations for buying and selling and are required to understand and comply with the requirements of their client, the university, in terms of investment goals.

Career Opportunities

Graduates may find opportunities in financial management and consulting, personal financial planning, investment analysis and planning, commercial and investment banking, insurance and risk management and real estate. These options may be found in both the private and public sectors in both domestic and international settings.

Our alumni who majored in finance have gone on to work at firms such as T. Rowe Price, Wells Fargo Securities, Bank of America, Credit Suisse, Oppenheimer, Voya, Cantor Fitzgerald and Amazon.

Accreditation

Lenoir-Rhyne is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. The B.A. in Finance is also accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).