Bachelor of Business Administration, Major in Finance

Each BBA degree consists of:

Note: Transfer students must take at least 50% of the required business curriculum for the BBA in residence at Sam Houston State University, which may include courses taken at The Woodlands Center campus or through SHSU Online.

Additional information: Reference the Program Landing Page for additional information, such as cost, delivery format, contact information, or to schedule a visit.

Bachelor of Business Administration, Major in Finance
Core Curriculum
Component Area I (Communication)6
Component Area II (Mathematics) 13
Component Area III (Life and Physical Science)8
Component Area IV (Language, Philosophy, and Culture)3
Component Area V (Creative Arts)3
Component Area VI (U.S. History)6
Component Area VII (Political Science/Government)6
Component Area VIII (Social and Behavioral Sciences) 23
Component Area IX (Component Area Option) 34
Degree Specific Requirements
MATH 1324Mathematics for Managerial Decision Making 13
MGIS 1305Business Computer Applications3
or CSTE 1330 Introduction to Computers
Business Core
ACCT 2301Principles of Financial Accounting3
ACCT 2302Principles of Managerial Accounting3
BANA 2372Business Analysis3
BANA 3363Inter Business Analysis3
BUAD 3301Business Legal Environment3
BUAD 3335Business Communication3
ECON 2301Principles Of Macroeconomics3
ECON 2302Principles Of Microeconomics 23
FINC 3320Business Finance3
MGIS 3310Principles of Management Information Systems (MIS)3
MGMT 3310Principles Of Management3
MGMT 3370Operations Management3
MGMT 4390Strategic Management & Policy3
MKTG 3310Principles Of Marketing3
Major: Foundation
ACCT 3313Intermediate Accounting I3
ACCT 3314Intermediate Accounting II 43
or ACCT 3347 Cost Accounting
BUAD 3355Business Law3
or BUAD 3357 Financial Compliance and Regulations
FINC 3310Financial Institutions and Markets3
FINC 4320Commercial Banking3
FINC 4335Financial Statement and Credit Analysis3
FINC 4345Investments3
FINC 4390Managerial Finance3
Major: Prescribed Electives
FINC Electives 56
Advanced Business Elective 63
Electives: General
General Elective 3
Minor: Not Required 7, 8
Total Hours120
1

MATH 1324 is required for COBA and satisfies the Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area II (Mathematics).

2

ECON 2302 is a Business Core course and should be taken to satisfy the Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area VIII (Social and Behavioral Sciences).

3

BUAD 2321 or COMS 2382 is suggested to fulfill the three-hour credit of the Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area IX (Component Area Option). The following courses satisfy one credit hour of the Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area IX (Component Area Option): ECON 1100, KINE 2115, MCOM 1130, NGLI 1101, or UNIV 1101.

4

ACCT 3314 is recommended.

5

Select two courses from the below FINC Electives course listing.

6

Advanced Business Electives include any course with a/an ACCT, BANA, BUAD, ECON, FINC, MGIS, MGMT, or MKTG prefix (3000- or 4000- level).

7

A minor is not required for this degree program; however, a student has the option to add a minor, but to do so, additional semester credit hours will be needed above the degree program’s stated total semester credit hours. 

8

The following minors cannot be paired with this degree program: Minor in Finance, Minor in General Business Administration.

FINC Electives 5
Select two from the following:6
Financial Spreadsheet Modeling 1
Independent Study
Special Topic
Entrepreneurial and Small Firm Finance 2
Selling Financial Services
Commercial Bank Lending
International Finance
Securities Analysis and Portfolio Management 2
Seminar in Financial Derivatives 3
Undergraduate Internship in Finance
Total Hours6
1

FINC 3330 is strongly recommended.

2

Typically offered only in the spring semester.

3

Typically offered only in the fall semester.

Notes

Students must earn a 2.0 minimum overall GPA in all coursework. 

Students must meet a 2.0 minimum overall major GPA in all major coursework.

Students must earn a 2.0 minimum SHSU GPA in all coursework.

Students must meet a 2.0 minimum SHSU major GPA in all major coursework.

Finance majors must make a minimum grade of "C" or better in all FINC courses taken to graduate with a BBA in Finance.

A minor is not required for this degree program; however, a student has the option to add a minor, but to do so, additional semester credit hours will be needed above the degree program’s stated total semester credit hours. 

The following minors cannot be paired with this degree program: Minor in Finance, Minor in General Business Administration.

Additional information: Reference the Program Landing Page for additional information, such as cost, delivery format, contact information, or to schedule a visit. 

First Year
FallHoursSpringHours
Component Area III4Component Area III4
Component Area IX11Component Area V3
ENGL 130123ENGL 130223
HIST 130133HIST 130233
MATH 132443MGIS 1305 or CSTE 13303
 14 16
Second Year
FallHoursSpringHours
Component Area IV3Component Area IX63
ACCT 23013ACCT 23023
ECON 23013BANA 23723
General Electives3ECON 230273
POLS 230553POLS 230653
 15 15
Third Year
FallHoursSpringHours
BANA 33633ACCT 33133
BUAD 33013BUAD 33353
FINC 33203BUAD 3355 or 33573
MGMT 33103FINC 33103
MKTG 33103MGIS 33103
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallHoursSpringHours
ACCT 3314 or 334783Advanced Business Elective103
FINC Elective93FINC Elective93
FINC 43203FINC 43353
FINC 43453FINC 43903
MGMT 33703MGMT 43903
 15 15
Total Hours: 120
1

The following courses satisfy one credit hour of the Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area IX (Component Area Option): ECON 1100, KINE 2115, MCOM 1130, NGLI 1101, or UNIV 1101.

2

Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area I (Communication).

3

Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area VI (U.S. History).

4

MATH 1324 is required for COBA and satisfies the Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area II (Mathematics).

5

Satisfies Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area VII (Political Science/Government).

6

BUAD 2321 or COMS 2382 is suggested to fulfill the three-hour credit of the Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area IX (Component Area Option).

7

ECON 2302 is a Business Core course and should be taken to satisfy the Core Curriculum requirement for Component Area VIII (Social and Behavioral Sciences).

8

ACCT 3314 is recommended. 

9

Select two courses from the below FINC Electives course listing.

10

Advanced Business Electives include any course with a/an ACCT, BANA, BUAD, ECON, FINC, MGIS, MGMT, or MKTG prefix (3000- or 4000- level).

FINC Electives 9
Select two from the following:6
Financial Spreadsheet Modeling 1
Independent Study
Special Topic
Entrepreneurial and Small Firm Finance 2
Selling Financial Services
Commercial Bank Lending
International Finance
Securities Analysis and Portfolio Management 2
Seminar in Financial Derivatives 3
Undergraduate Internship in Finance
Total Hours6
1

FINC 3330 is strongly recommended. 

2

Typically offered only in the spring semester. 

3

Typically offered only in the fall semester. 

Notes

Students must earn a 2.0 minimum overall GPA in all coursework. 

Students must meet a 2.0 minimum overall major GPA in all major coursework.

Students must earn a 2.0 minimum SHSU GPA in all coursework.

Students must meet a 2.0 minimum SHSU major GPA in all major coursework.

Finance majors must make a minimum grade of "C" or better in all FINC courses taken to graduate with a BBA in Finance.

A minor is not required for this degree program; however, a student has the option to add a minor, but to do so, additional semester credit hours will be needed above the degree program’s stated total semester credit hours. 

The following minors cannot be paired with this degree program: Minor in Finance, Minor in General Business Administration.

​The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) marketable skills initiative is part of the state’s 60x30TX plan and was designed to help students articulate their skills to employers.  Marketable skills are those skills valued by employers and/or graduate programs that can be applied in a variety of work or education settings and may include interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skill areas.

The BBA in Finance is designed to provide graduates with the following marketable skills:

  • Understanding of investments including:  the ability to quantify price and yield metrics and measure performance for both fixed-income and equity securities singularly and in portfolios; understanding risk, return, and diversification; and understanding options both for hedging and speculation.
  • Understand the function of the financial system, including the operations and structure of the Federal Reserve and banking system, bond markets, stock markets, and understanding money markets.
  • Proficiency in calculating historical and prospective financial ratios used in analyzing financial statement data, in manipulating financial accounting data as needed to gain a broader understanding of financial accounting relationships, and in interpreting financial ratios and similar metrics used in making investment and financing decisions.
  • Ability to create and analyze information useful to the managers of a firm, including understanding and explaining the cost of capital, cash flows as they form the basis for valuation of real and financial assets, and demonstrating the ability to summarize and analyze potential investment projects.