Finance, Minor
Program Description
(for Business and Nonbusiness Majors)
This minor is designed to serve business and nonbusiness students who are interested in supplementing their major with additional knowledge and skills in the area of Finance. Only 6 semester hours counted towards a major (including classes in the Business core) may be applied to a minor or certificate. A minimum of 12 hours must be taken at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. For additional information, contact the academic advisor in the College of Business.
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Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ACCT 2301 | Financial Accounting | 3 |
| FINA 3310 | Financial Management 1 | 3 |
| FINA 3331 | Investments 2 | 3 |
| Designated Electives | ||
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Federal Income Tax I 3 | ||
| Financial Markets and Institutions | ||
FINA Elective - Upper Division Finance electives (excluding Finance Internship) 3, 6 or 9 sch | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |
- 1
MATH 1325 Calculus for Business & Social Sciences (3 sch) or MATH 2413 Calculus I (4 sch) are required prerequisite for FINA 3310 Financial Management (3 sch)*.
- 2
ACCT 2301 Financial Accounting (3 sch), MATH 1325 Calculus for Business & Social Sciences (3 sch) or equivalent is required prerequisite for FINA 3331 Investments (3 sch).
- 3
ACCT 2301 Financial Accounting (3 sch) and ACCT 2302 Managerial Accounting (3 sch) are required prerequisites for ACCT 3321 Federal Income Tax I (3 sch)*.
Other Requirements
A minimum of 12 hours must be taken at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi.
Courses
FINA 1307 Personal Finance
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Covers the foundations of financial planning, managing basic assets, managing credit, managing insurance needs, managing investments, and retirement and estate planning. This course is designed for nonbusiness as well as business majors to give them a basic understanding of the aspects of personal financial planning.
TCCNS: BUSI 1307
FINA 3310 Financial Management
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A survey of financial management issues emphasizing planning and decision making. Specific topics covered include discounted cash flow analysis, stock and bond valuation, financial intermediation, organizing, raising and managing capital, capital investment, risk analysis, and financial statement analysis. ACCT 2301, ECON 2301, ECON 2302, BUSI 0011, MATH 1325, or equivalent and Junior standing or above.
FINA 3312 Financial Markets and Institutions
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Course coverage includes an analysis of financial markets and institutions; regulation, money market operations, global impact of central banking principles and monetary policy, and determinants of interest rates with financial asset pricing.
FINA 3320 Intermediate Corporate Finance
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An in-depth study of financial planning and management with emphasis on capital structure and cost of capital, capital budgeting, and other topics in corporate financial management. The course serves as a framework for understanding a broad range of corporate financial decisions.
Prerequisite: (FINA 3310).
FINA 3331 Investments
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Framework of financial markets, valuation of the firm, security analysis, investment equity versus debt, efficiency of market evaluation, diversification efforts, investment goals, and portfolio selection.
FINA 3351 Insurance Principles
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Fundamentals of risk management as practiced in the commercial life, health, property, and casualty insurance industries.
FINA 3354 Real Estate Principles
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This is a fundamental real estate course covering the basic principles of real estate. It provides the students with the background and terminology necessary for advanced study in specialized real estate courses.
FINA 3355 Employee Benefits and Retirement Planning
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course examines the financial aspects of retirement planning as well as employee benefit planning including group insurance plans and the characteristics of the various types of employee benefit plans: life insurance, medical expense, disability, and retirement income.
FINA 3359 Estate Planning
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course offers an in-depth exploration of financial and estate planning philosophies, techniques, and procedures. Students will learn the financial implications of tax and nontax aspects, including strategies to minimize wealth transfer taxes, manage probate, and efficiently transfer real and personal property.
Prerequisite: FINA 3310.
FINA 4310 Advanced Financial Management
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Application of financial management tools, examination and interpretation of financial statements, and integration of financial policy and structure on overall management of the enterprise. Students will present cases on the material covered in this and earlier courses to demonstrate they are able to collect and analyze data and present recommendations.
Prerequisite: (FINA 3320).
FINA 4315 International Finance
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A study of the institutions and relationships of the international financial system as it relates to the balance of payments, foreign exchange risk, arbitrage and the Eurocurrency market. The emphasis is on methods of arbitrage, forecasting exchange rates, and hedging against foreign exchange risk.
FINA 4321 Financial Institutions Management
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A study of major financial institutions and the markets in which they operate, with emphasis on financial decision making and risk management. Topics include financial intermediation theory; measurement and management of interest rate risk, credit risk, off-balance-sheet risk, foreign exchange risk, country risk, and liquidity risk; capital adequacy; and product/market diversification.
FINA 4325 Business Credit Risk Management
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examination of business credit applications from a bank risk management perspective. It covers banking client relationship management, analyzing financial statements, analyzing cash flow projections for loan repayment, loan structuring, credit support, business and personal tax returns, and detecting problem loans. Junior standing or above or by permission of professor.
Prerequisite: ACCT 2301.
FINA 4330 Introduction to Derivative Securities
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Course coverage includes an analysis of financial derivative contracts. The class includes options, futures and forward contracts; in particular commodity trading and hedging strategies will be covered in detail. Swaps and Interest Rate Options will be included in the presentation if time permits. (
Prerequisite: (MATH 1324).
FINA 4332 Security Analysis and Portfolio Management
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Evaluation of investment securities of both private and public institutions through external analysis of financial statements and economic conditions, portfolio selection, expected return and risk selection, and conditions of market efficiency. FINA 3310, FINA 3331, BAIS 3311, and Junior standing or above.
FINA 4360 Case Studies in Financial Planning
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This advanced course builds on the skills and knowledge gained from previous financial planning courses. Students will develop and present comprehensive financial plan(s) using industry-standard software and/or Excel, while demonstrating ethical and responsible practices. The course reinforces key concepts such as risk management, tax and estate planning, and investment strategies, all tailored to meet client-specific goals. This course is a requirement for students preparing to sit for the CFP® Exam after graduation.
FINA 4390 Current Topics in Finance
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Selected topics for special study related to finance functions, processes or issues. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
FINA 4396 Directed Individual Study
1-3 Semester Credit Hours
Individual supervised study and completion of a final report.
FINA 4398 Internship in Finance
3 Semester Credit Hours
Supervised full-time or part-time, off-campus training in business or government finance office. Oral and written reports required.