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Finance

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With opportunities for real-world experience, UWL finance students graduate with assets that prepare them for the business world.

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Undergraduate program

Finance

Undergrad major

Finance is a career field involving the management of money. It includes activities such as investing, lending, borrowing, budgeting, forecasting and more. The three primary financial areas are: corporate finance, investments and financial institutions.

Areas of study

Risk, Insurance & Financial Planning Concentration

Students who choose a risk, insurance & financial planning concentration learn about methods regarding treatment of risk and the utilization of insurance as a means to handle major risks in a business. Students are also introduced to the primary components of financial planning.

Undergrad major View a sample plan for Risk, Insurance & Financial Planning Catalogfor Risk, Insurance & Financial Planning

Personal Financial Planning Concentration

The program is a rigorous and highly specialized track that covers all aspects of comprehensive financial planning: insurance planning, investment planning, retirement planning, tax planning, and estate planning.

Undergrad major View a sample plan for Personal Financial Planning In-depth detailsfor Personal Financial Planning Catalogfor Personal Financial Planning
Catalogfor Finance
Quick glancefor Finance

Trust Point Personal Financial Planning concentration added to Finance Major!  

Learn more about this exciting new program here and how students can apply.  

Students attending the Financial Planning Symposium in Wisconsin

Spring 2024 Spellman Presentations

Each semester, students in the Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management course present stock research to a panel of Advisory Board members, offering suggestions about whether to buy, hold or sell stocks for the Gordon Spellman Fund.  Click here to watch student presentations, read student fund manager reports and learn more about the fund.  

Diverse Alumni Panel Discussion Spring 2024

Navigating a Career in Finance

Finance alumni guest speakers with several current students and four Finance faculty. Spring 2024 Diversity Panel Alumni included: Susanna Hu (2023), Mariah Langrehr (2014), Megan Preston (2017), and Kyle Sobotta (2015).

Four alumni speakers discuss what they do on a day to day basis in their career. 

 Approximately 75 students attended the presentation.

 

Featured courses

  • Corporation Finance
    FIN 370 | 3 credits
    Comprehensive study of current theories concerning the valuation of the firm and its capital structure. Topics emphasized are risk analysis, capital structure, dividend theories, cost of capital, capital budgeting and management of working capital. Prerequisite: FIN 355; admission to business. Offered Fall, Spring.
  • Principles of Investment
    FIN 380 | 3 credits
    This course provides a foundational understanding of the investment process encompassing an exploration of the potential risks and rewards inherent in engaging with financial assets. This course explores various investment instruments and trading mechanisms prevalent in financial markets, risk assessment and its interplay with security returns, the application of analytical methodologies for evaluating financial assets, and strategic allocation of resources to construct portfolios aligned with diverse investment objectives. Prerequisite: FIN 355. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.
  • Financial Markets and Institutions
    FIN 390 | 3 credits
    This course examines the various types of financial institutions and their functions in the financial markets and includes a discussion of the processes, current trends, and regulations in money and capital markets. Financial risks are also discussed in addition to risk measurement and management methods. Prerequisite: FIN 355. Offered Fall, Spring.
  • Problems and Cases in Finance
    FIN 485 | 3 credits
    This course provides students with the opportunity to practice financial decision-making by developing solutions to case problems while requiring them to apply knowledge from previous finance courses, use and develop oral and written communication skills, critical thinking and analytical skills, creativity, and judgment. This course assumes the viewpoint of a financial manager confronted with a variety of decisions on how to best raise, procure, and manage capital. Course topics focus on the typical concerns of a financial manager, including short- and long-term investment and financing decisions, dividend policy, and the costs and characteristics of various sources of capital, etc. Prerequisite: FIN 370; admission to business. Offered Fall, Spring.
  • Principles of Insurance and Risk Management
    FIN 360 | 3 credits
    A survey of insurance and risk management concepts, the insurance industry and common insurance contracts. Topics include: types of insurers, functions of insurers, legal principles of insurance, and analysis of property, liability, life and health contracts. Special emphasis will be placed on personal insurance for the home, automobile, life and health. Prerequisite: ACC 221. Offered Fall, Spring.
  • Retirement Planning
    FIN 408 | 3 credits
    The course analyzes various aspects of retirement planning spanning individuals, businesses, and tax authorities/regulators. The topics include planning for Social Security and Medicare, eldercare, and special needs, identifying various types of retirement plans - qualified and non-qualified, rules governing the distribution of retirement income and taxes, and succession planning for individually held businesses. Prerequisite: FIN 355. Offered Fall, Spring.
  • Management of Financial Institutions
    FIN 410 | 3 credits
    The management of commercial banks and other deposit-type financial institutions. Emphasis is placed on the environment in which financial institutions operate, its changing nature, and managerial decision making within that environment. Specific topics include loan and investment policies, asset/liability management, management of investment risk, and regulation of financial institutions. Prerequisite: FIN 390 or ECO 301; admission to business. Offered Occasionally.
  • Real Estate Principles
    FIN 456 | 3 credits
    Survey of real estate principles and practices, the economic environment and valuation. Topics include: nature of real property; organization and structure of real-estate markets; alternative land uses; financing and valuation of real estate; and the legal environment. Prerequisite: FIN 355; junior standing; admission to business. Offered Occasionally.
View all courses
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Jacob Hitchler

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency | Assistant National Bank Examiner

My time here with all the professors, faculty, and staff, as well as the incredible student body has given me the confidence to try something new and expand into the business world.

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Calvin Kotval

Ernst and Young | FSO Technology Risk Consultant

The focus of the finance and information systems programs on analytical and team skills has greatly prepared me for my upcoming role. While at some moments stressful I found all my professors accommodating and genuinely caring.

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Hannah Bast

Johnson Controls | Finance and Accounting Analyst

UWL taught me about who I am and who I want to be as I worked my way to my degree. My college experience wasn't exactly typical, but it taught me how to handle adversity. I have created lasting relationships with peers and mentors at UWL.

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Travis Jansen

Bank First | Credit Analyst Intern

UWL has taught me a great deal about how to solve real-world problems, especially in the finance sector. Before coming to UWL, I did not know how to read a financial statement. However, by taking business-focused classes and other communication classes, I feel very confident in my abilities to solve complex questions that may arise with my future endeavors.

Portrait of Sarah Ziolkowski

Hear from an alum

Sarah Ziolkowski

In these times, finding a good career post-graduation seemed insurmountable, but experiences with UWL professors were so helpful to me during the job-search process.

Portrait of Carson Radl

HIRED!

Carson Radl

Ernst and Young | Financial Services Audit Associate

As I look toward graduation and beyond, the tremendous impact UWL and the College of Business Administration have had on my goals and aspirations is clearly evident. Every day, faculty inspired me to grow as a student and young business professional while instilling the value of lifelong learning. Additionally, student organizations provided me with numerous professional development and networking opportunities to enhance my college experience.