Bachelor of Science in Finance
A career that pays dividends.
As a finance major, you will learn how individuals, businesses, and organizations acquire and use capital efficiently to create value. Two basic elements of finance include the tradeoff between expected returns and risk and the importance of the timing of future cash flows. This degree program offers four distinct career tracks for students to focus their studies – asset management, commercial banking, commercial real estate, and investment banking/corporate finance – which lets students align their knowledge and skills with their interests and goals.
What You'll Learn
The Bachelor of Science in Finance is a 120-hour program that provides students with an overview of the basic theory and practice of finance. As a finance student, you will analyze financial statements, develop and apply financial modeling skills, and apply principles of asset allocation and diversification to evaluate portfolio performance.
Areas of study covered in the program include:
- Financial Modeling & Analytics
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Asset Management
- Corporate Finance
Customized Coursework That Fits Your Career Goals
The Department of Finance offers students the ability to focus their coursework on one of the following career tracks to align with their interests and goals.
The Asset Management Career Track prepares students majoring in finance for lucrative and rewarding career paths in portfolio management, equity analysis, derivatives trading, fixed income markets, and alternative investments.
Students are encouraged to complete Bloomberg Market Concepts ideally during their sophomore year, and take the SIE (Securities Industry Essentials) exam by the end of their junior year. Both will prepare students for a rigorous study of finance and asset management throughout college.
High achieving and aspiring students are advised to take Level 1 of the CFA designation, the most prestigious in all of finance. Additionally, students are advised to take Level 1 of the CAIA (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst) designation, if they are interested in alternative investments such as hedge fund strategies.
Engaged and high GPA students will have a chance to go on field trips to New York and Houston, and meet with LSU alumni and other professionals at various fund managers, financial institutions and consulting firms such as BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Varadero Capital, Bloomberg, Franklin Templeton, EnCap Investments, Denham Capital, Macquarie Bank, Amegy Bank, and Capital One.
Student competitions, such as Bloomberg Trading Challenge, ETF Global Portfolio Challenge, CFA Research Challenge, Southeastern Hedge Fund Competition, and University of Georgia Stock Pitch Competition, are highly recommended.
Core Courses:
- FIN 3716 Principles of Finance
- FIN 3717 Fundamentals of Corporate Finance
- FIN 3826 Fundamentals of Asset Management
- FIN 4820 Financial Modeling and Analytics
- FIN 4830 Financial Statement Analysis
Asset Management Track Electives:
- FIN 3636 Financial Markets and Institutions
- FIN 3460 Risk Management
- FIN 3840 Fixed Income Securities
- FIN 3845 Student Managed Investment Fund
- FIN 3910 Topics in Finance
- FIN 4828 Security Analysis and Portfolio Management
- FIN 4840 Asset Allocation
- FIN 4850 Financial Derivatives
- FIN 4910 Advanced Topics in Finance
The Commercial Banking Career Track is a set of specially designed electives and activities that will expose students to careers in commercial banking and prepare them for rewarding careers based on their interests. The commercial banking industry will be heavily involved with the program to ensure that materials and experiences are current and relevant to the field. Events, competitions, and other activities will allow students to engage with banking professionals; industry involvement is critical for the success of the program and development of our students.
Freshman Year (or year of entry) and all years thereafter
- Become a student member of the Risk Management Association or other industry group (an “industry student membership”)
- Participate in CBCT activities
- Volunteer at one CBCT conference or industry event
- Maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA
Sophomore Year
- Enter CBCT Mentorship Portal – Students will be matched with industry professionals and upper class students as mentors to help students understand the business of commercial banking and its potential as a career path.
Junior Year
- Take finance electives specially designed for the CBCT
- Enter CBCT Internship Portal – Students will be prepared for summer internships through coursework and seminars, culminating in a selection process that matches students with internship employers.
- Begin commercial banking research for the Department of Finance
Senior Year
- Continue finance electives specially designed for the CBCT
- Enter CBCT Career Portal - Students will be prepared for career choices through coursework and seminars and assisted with career decision making.
- Continue commercial banking research
Other opportunities available through the program:
- Industry functions
- Service projects
- Competitions including Community Bank Case Study Competition and FDIC Academic Challenge
Core Courses:
- FIN 3716 Principles of Finance
- FIN 3717 Fundamentals of Corporate Finance
- FIN 3826 Fundamentals of Asset Management
- FIN 4820 Financial Modeling and Analytics
- FIN 4830 Financial Statement Analysis
Commercial Banking Track Electives:
- FIN 3636 Financial Markets and Institutions
- FIN 3632 Bank Administration
- FIN 3610 Credit Essentials
- FIN 3460 Risk Management
The Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Career Track prepares students for lucrative and rewarding career paths in brokerage/sales, development, property management, asset management, private investment, and many other paths within this exciting field.
Students are encouraged to participate in the CRE Cohort from their freshman year and will receive a student membership in the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), allowing them access to programs, mentorships, scholarships, internships, certificate programs, and more.
Engaged students will have the chance to attend industry conferences across the country and participate in CRE events within the region.
Finally, this program promotes interaction between students and professionals so that students can learn about potential career paths from those already in the industry.
Core Courses:
- FIN 3716 Principles of Finance
- FIN 3717 Fundamentals of Corporate Finance
- FIN 3826 Fundamentals of Asset Management
- FIN 4820 Financial Modeling and Analytics
- FIN 4830 Financial Statement Analysis
Commercial Real Estate Track Electives:
- FIN 3351 Principles of Real Estate
- FIN 3352 Real Estate Investment and Valuation
- FIN 3353 Real Estate Finance
- FIN 4354 Real Estate Development
The Corporate Finance/Investment Banking track prepares students for various roles in corporations and investment banks, typically starting at the analyst level. This area of finance deals with analyzing investment projects for corporations, making long-term investment decisions, taking private companies public (IPO process), mergers and acquisitions, buyouts, restructurings, and takeovers as well as managing private equity funds.
Core Courses:
- FIN 3716 Principles of Finance
- FIN 3717 Fundamentals of Corporate Finance
- FIN 3826 Fundamentals of Asset Management
- FIN 4820 Financial Modeling and Analytics
- FIN 4830 Financial Statement Analysis
Investment Banking/Corporate Finance Track Electives:
- FIN 3636 Financial Markets and Institutions
- FIN 3718 Multinational Managerial Finance
- FIN 3720 Valuation, M&A and Buyouts
- FIN 4740 Venture Capital and Private Equity
- FIN 4910 Investing in Financial Distress, Restructuring, and Bankruptcy Opportunities
Career Path
A finance degree applies to almost any industry. Our program will provide you with a unique set of knowledge, skills, and experience for each of the various roles in the finance industry.
Career options include:
- Financial analyst
- Investment banker
- Equity analyst
- Portfolio manager
- Investment consultant
- Financial advisor
- Commercial banker
- Commercial real estate professional
Potential Employers
The type of employers that hire our graduates includes energy companies, consulting groups, banks/financial institutions, private equity companies, wealth management firms, real estate investment trusts, and developers.
Examples of employers who hire our graduates:
Deloitte
BlackRock
Goldman Sachs
Shell
$76,570
Median Annual Salary for Financial Occupations
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021)
8%
Projected Employment Growth for Financial Occupations
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020-30)
More About the Program
CFA® University Affiliation
The E. J. Ourso College of Business has a CFA® University Affiliation from the CFA Institute, a global association for investment professionals that awards the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. The CFA affiliates with globally diverse, high-profile institutions that cover a significant portion of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge and embrace the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct in their degree programs.
CFA University Affiliation recognition provides a signal to potential students, current students, and the marketplace that the E. J. Ourso College's curriculum is closely tied to professional practice and is well suited to preparing students to sit for the CFA exams.
The CFA Institute administers the CFA and CIPM curricula and exam programs worldwide, publishes research, conducts professional development programs, and sets voluntary ethics-based professional and performance-reporting standards for the investment industry. The CFA Institute has more than 135,000 CFA charterholders in 133 countries and territories. More information may be found at www.cfainstitute.org.
Students interested in learning about a path to taking the CFA Exam can speak with an academic advisor at msfinance@lsu.edu.
Finance Internship Overview
LSU finance majors who plan to have a paid internship during the academic year may be able to receive three hours credit in FIN 3930 (undergrad) or FIN 7930 (graduate). If you qualify (see requirements below) send the required forms to financeadvisor@lsu.edu.
Requirements to receive credit include:
- Finance, real estate, insurance or business law related internship
- 300+ hours of work (10 weeks @ 30 hrs/wk or 15 weeks of 20 hrs/wk, for example)
- Pre-intern paperwork: Request Form & Supervisor Form
- Weekly progress emails
- Post-intern employer evaluation
- Cohesive 30-page report (including weekly emails, sample of work and other questions)
Alumni and industry professionals with potential finance internship opportunities, please contact us at financeadvisor@lsu.edu.
"My experience at the LSU Department of Finance has shaped me into the professional I am today and provided me with the tools to succeed at my job servicing institutional investors. The department balances the quantitative lessons learned in the classroom with real-world professional development outside the classroom, like through the department trip to New York."
— Sam Chastain, BS Finance ’19, MBA ‘20
Your Next Step
The Accelerated Master of Science in Finance
Many undergraduate finance students choose to continue their studies by earning an accelerated MS Finance. This program gives students the opportunity to complete both a bachelor's and master's in finance in 4-4.5 years. Learn about the program and its benefits.
Contact Us
Department of Finance
2900 Business Education Complex
501 South Quad Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
225-578-6291
finance@lsu.edu
Kurtay Ogunc
Finance Undergraduate Advisor
2904 Business Education Complex
225-578-6291
kurtay@lsu.edu
Office of Business Student Success
2000 Business Education Complex
225-578-3211
advisor@lsu.edu