Dear Finance students,

As Department Chair for Finance I wanted to let you know courses that may align with your career goals, ways to get involved in the department, and a list of all electives that will be offered in the Fall and Spring.

Planning your courses

We recommend all Finance majors strive to take FIN 3430 in their Sophomore Spring, so please plan to complete the pre-requisites (BUS 2110, ACC 2010 are pre-requisites and ECO 2300 is a co-requisite or pre-requisite) before that time. We also recommend completing both FIN 4120 and FIN 4130 during your Junior year. These courses are the Finance core and will prepare you for an internship between your Junior and Senior year. When possible take FIN 4120 and FIN 4130 before other Finance electives since they provide a foundation beyond FIN 3430.

There are many career paths available in Finance. As you consider some of these general career paths, here are courses that will help with your preparation:

  • Real Estate – If you have an interest in Real Estate, we heavily recommend getting involved with the Real Estate Club within the LSB (contact mkaprielyan@elon.edu). Coursework that would assist you include FIN 4150 which is offered in both Fall and Spring and two 2-credit hour courses focused on career ready skills offered in the Spring. They are FIN 4750 and FIN 4760. FIN 4750 is a prep course for certification using Argus commercial restate software. FIN 4760 is a modeling course focused on building Real Estate models in Excel.
  • Wealth Management/Financial Planning – Please consider earning the Envestnet certificate which is free to students from Elon University (contact charris24@elon.edu). Coursework that would assist you include FIN 4190 (Financial Planning), FIN 4160 (Insurance) and FIN 4670 (Advanced Wealth Management – focused on case studies and client psychology). FIN 4780 is an SIE prep course for students that anticipate taking the Series 7 after graduation. Also, if you would like to pursue a career in this field you are strongly encouraged to consider a minor in Professional Sales.
  • CFA/Investment field – Please consider applying to be on the LSB CFA Institute Research Challenge team (contact ngupta@elon.edu). Coursework that would assist you in this are FIN 4230 (Financial Modeling in Excel), FIN 4310 (Fixed Income), FIN 4330 (Derivatives), and FIN 4972 (a 2-credit hour Bloomberg database course).
  • FinTech/Emerging Technology – Please consider joining the Elon Blockchain Club (contact tmorillon@elon.edu). Coursework that would assist you in this are FIN 4690 (Data Analysis in Finance), FIN 4973 (Blockchain Technology), FIN 4974 (Trading and Markets).
  • Quantitative Finance – Are you interested in adding additional technical skills to your finance major? Think about a minor in math, computer science, data science, or statistics. Elon offers many courses that cover the technical skills needed for certain finance jobs, such as database management, statistical computing and advanced quantitative methods. For example, MTH 2310 (Linear Algebra), MTH 3410 (Probability Theory and Statistics), CSC 1300 (Computer Science I), CSC 2300 (Computer Science II), MGT 3100 (Foundations of Business Analytics), MGT 4110 (Data Wrangling), and MGT 4260 (Data Mining for Managerial Decision Making). Note that some of these courses require MTH 1510 (Calculus I) as a pre-requisite.

Get involved

  • The Financial Management Association chapter at Elon is an organization that holds frequent events about the field of Finance in general and is a good option for majors looking to get involved (contact mmcnabb2@elon.edu).
  • The Women in Finance student organization brings alumni and prominent women in finance to speak to members, provides networking opportunities, and encourages mentoring between under and upperclassmen students (contact kupton3@elon.edu).
  • Elon’s Center for Financial Literacy has partnered with Junior Achievement to provide a meaningful financial education to local elementary students. You do not have to be an expert, this is open to all students/faculty/staff at Elon, and lesson plans are already provided as well as the materials you would use in the class (contact charris24@elon.edu).
  • The Elon Blockchain Club is a group of passionate students and professors primarily focused on education and research. The club offers a collaborative space for students and professionals to share their diverse interests and aspirations as we seek to foster the next group of Elon leaders (contact tmorillon@elon.edu).
  • The Elon Real Estate Club is open to all undergraduate students. The club meets several times a month to learn about real estate as an investment, development, REIT’s, sustainability, construction, and industry trends. In a hands-on environment, students have the opportunity to network with successful real estate professionals from around the country and learn critical skills such as ARGUS Enterprise Software (contact mkaprielyan@elon.edu).

Other resources

  • To improve your resume and better prepare you for internships and your future career, we encourage you to investigate the resources available in the Reed Finance Center. These include how to become Bloomberg Certified, Wall Street Prep (for those interested in more quantitative roles), technical question workshops, and mock interviews for Finance jobs. For more information, contact kupton3@elon.edu.
  • The Finance department offers support and additional learning materials for students interested in obtaining the Expert Microsoft Excel Certification. As more employers are requiring advanced Excel skills for positions, obtaining this certification is an effective way to indicate that you possess the skills required. To sign up click here or email mkaprielyan@elon.edu.

Fall 2022 Electives

  • FIN 4150 – Real Estate Finance (1 section)
  • FIN 4160 – Principles of Insurance (1 section)
  • FIN 4190 – Financial Planning (2 sections)
  • FIN 4230 – Financial Modeling with Excel (2 sections)
  • FIN 4250 – Global Finance (1 section)
  • FIN 4973 – Blockchain and Emerging Financial Technologies (1 section)
  • FIN 4974 – Trading and Markets (1 section)
  • *FIN 4972 – Financial Applications with Bloomberg (1 section)

*Represents a half semester course that will count as 2 Finance elective semester hours (2sh)

Spring 2023 Electives

  • FIN 4150 – Real Estate Finance (1 section)
  • FIN 4190 – Financial Planning (2 sections)
  • FIN 4250 – Global Finance (1 section)
  • FIN 4330 – Derivatives (1 section)
  • FIN 4670 – Advanced Wealth Management (1 section)
  • FIN 4690 – Data Analysis in Finance (1 section)
  • FIN 4973 – Blockchain and Emerging Financial Technologies (1 section)
  • *FIN 4750 – Real Estate Models with Argus (1 section)
  • *FIN 4760 – Real Estate Financial Models (1 section)
  • *FIN 4972 – Financial Applications with Bloomberg (1 section)

*Represents a half semester course that will count as 2 Finance elective semester hours (2sh)

Hopefully this is helpful in planning for the future and in understanding opportunities that are available. Please contact your advisor if you have more specific questions.