The Finance Department offers two majors: Finance and Real Estate.  Students in both majors are required to complete the “Finance Core,” which consists of two courses: BUS-F 303 Intermediate Investments and BUS-F 305 Intermediate Corporate Finance. This core provides a solid depth of knowledge and serves as a foundation for all of the 400-level finance electives. 

Finance Major

The Finance major prepares students for careers in finance, including positions in seven subfields: Corporate Finance, Investments, International Finance, Financial Planning/Wealth Management, Banking, Entrepreneurial Finance, and Data Analytics. For more information about the Finance Department, please view here. 

Finance Major Requirements (24 credits):

Required Grades & GPA: Major GPA of 2.0 or higher – GPA includes all courses counting toward the Finance major; a grade of C- or better in BUS-F 303 and BUS-F 305 is required. Accounting Department prerequisites and minimum grade requirements apply to all ACTG courses. All 300/400 business courses must be taken on the IU-Bloomington campus or must be pre-authorized as part of an approved study abroad program. 

Required courses (10.5 credit hours):

• BUS-A 310, Management Decisions and Financial Reporting
• BUS-A 324, Cost Management
• BUS-F 303, Intermediate Investments
• BUS-F 305, Intermediate Corporate Finance

Elective accounting courses (Choose one of the following):

• BUS-A 327, Tax Analysis
• BUS-A 329, Taxes and Decision Making
• BUS-A 422, Advanced Financial Accounting I

• BUS-F 307, Working Capital Management
• BUS-F 317, Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Finance
• BUS-F 335, Security Trading and Market Making
• BUS-F 365, Personal Financial Planning
• BUS-F 369, Insurance, Risk Management, and Retirement Planning
• BUS-F 402, Corporate Financial Strategy and Governance
• BUS-F 419, Behavioral Finance
• BUS-F 420, Equity and Fixed Income Investments
• BUS-F 421, Derivative Securities and Corporate Risk Management
• BUS-F 424, Private Wealth Management
• BUS-F/S 432, Financial Data Analytics (enroll in BUS-BE 432)
• BUS-F 446, Banking and Financial Intermediation
• BUS-F 494, International Finance
• BUS-G 345, Money, Banking and Capital Markets

Permitted Substitutions (advantageous for students also majoring in accounting):

• Completion of both BUS-A 311 and BUS-A 312 (combined) may substitute for BUS-A 310 and 3.0 credit hours of a 400-level finance elective. Credit is given for only one of BUS-A 310 or (BUS-A 311 and/or BUS-A 312). Students who take BUS-A 311 without BUS-A 312 still need to complete BUS-A 310.
• BUS-A 325 may substitute for BUS-A 324 and the finance major's accounting elective (IE BUS-A 327).

Real Estate Major

The Real Estate major prepares students for careers in corporate real estate, investment analysis, appraising, financing, mortgage banking, property management, and residential and commercial properties marketing. The curriculum emphasizes analytic techniques applicable to real estate (BUS-R 305), appraisal methods (BUS-R 440), and the decision-making process for acquiring, financing, and managing income-producing properties (BUS-R 443). Please view here for mor information about the Real Estate curriculum. 

Real Estate Major Requirements (24 credit hours):

Required Grades & GPA: Major GPA of 2.0 or higher required – GPA includes all courses counting toward the Real Estate major. All 300/400 business courses must be taken on the IU-Bloomington campus or must be pre-authorized as a part of an approved study abroad program.

Required courses (21 credit hours):

• BUS-A 310, Management Decisions and Financial Reporting
• BUS-F 303, Intermediate Investments
• BUS-F 305, Intermediate Corporate Finance
• BUS-L 408, Real Estate Law
• BUS-R 305, Introduction to Real Estate Analysis
• BUS-R 440, Real Estate Appraisals
• BUS-R 443, Real Estate Finance and Investment Analysis

Elective courses (3 credit hours):

• BUS-A 329, Taxes and Decision Making
• BUS-F 307, Working Capital Management
• BUS-F 317, Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Finance
• BUS-F 335, Security Trading and Market Making
• BUS-F 365, Personal Financial Planning
• BUS-F 369, Insurance, Risk Management, and Retirement Planning
• BUS-F 402, Corporate Financial Strategy and Governance
• BUS-F 419, Behavioral Finance
• BUS-F 420, Equity and Fixed Income Investments
• BUS-F 421, Derivative Securities and Corporate Risk Management
• BUS-F 424, Private Wealth Management
• BUS-F/S 432, Financial Data Analytics (enroll in BUS-BE 432)
• BUS-F 446, Banking and Financial Intermediation
• BUS-F 494, International Finance
• BUS-G 345, Money, Banking and Capital Markets

Permitted Substitutions (advantageous for students also majoring in accounting):

• Completion of both BUS-A 311 and BUS-A 312 (combined) may substitute for BUS-A 310 and 3.0 credit hours of a real estate elective. Credit is given for only one of BUS-A 310 or (BUS-A 311 and/or BUS-A 312). Students who take BUS-A 311 without BUS-A 312 still need to complete BUS-A 310.
• ECON-E 305 may substitute for BUS-G 345 for the real estate elective.