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2024-25 Academic Catalog

Bachelors (BS) in Financial Services

Overview

The Financial Services major offers a 63-72-semester-hour course of study that prepares students for a variety of jobs in the financial services industry. Our Financial Services degree has two concentrations: Accounting and Financial Planning (CFP Board Registered program). The degree offers a combination of foundational business courses as well as accounting/financial planning/analytics courses. This degree is for those who are interested in a career that involves helping people and organizations navigate the complexities of financial decision-making. Courses cover both the analytical and people skills to help graduates make the biggest impact on those they serve. Each concentration gives you the option for professional certification: Accounting (CPA) and Financial Planning (CFP®). With these degrees, you will be eligible to sit for the exam for these coveted certifications as well as enter the job market with a specialized and desired skill and knowledge set. Students are required to obtain a minimum grade of C- in all major courses.

Degree Outcomes

Graduates with a BS in financial services will acquire the skills and knowledge that they need to enter into a career in either accounting or financial planning (or both). This includes becoming prepared for the full range of topics covered by either the CFP® or CPA examinations. There are two tracks within the financial services majors from which students can choose: Financial Planning or Accounting.

Graduates in the accounting track will:

  • Be a technically competent accountant
  • Develop and enhance students' ethical decision-making ability and demonstrate the ability to integrate a biblical worldview in the accounting profession
  • Engage in experiential learning opportunities where students can integrate technical knowledge and professional acumen
  • Evaluate the pressures, benefits and challenges of the globalization of accounting

Graduates in the financial planning track will possess:

  • Interpersonal skills necessary to maintain successful client relationships and to work effectively in planning environments.
  • The quantitative, analytical, and technical skills needed to address complex financial situations.
  • The ability to develop financial plans for clients with a variety of needs.
  • The awareness, understanding, and skills necessary to live and work from a biblical worldview within a diverse world.
  • Knowledge of the legal and regulatory environment in which financial planning occurs and familiarity with relevant licensing, reporting, and compliance requirements.
  • The ability to recognize the ethical dilemmas that may arise in financial planning practices and familiarity with the appropriate responses to those dilemmas, as reflected in the CFP® Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibilities.

Major Requirements

Complete the following:
Accounting is the language of business. This course provides an introductory overview of accounting from a user perspective. Its purpose is to give students a basic understanding of the logic behind the principles of accounting, enabling them to prepare, read, analyze, and interpret financial statements for the purpose of decision making. Prerequisite: BUSN 110 Introduction to Business.
This course is a continuation of ACCT 271. It emphasizes the uses of accounting data by management to make both planning and control decisions. Students will continue to analyze financial statements to assess a company's liquidity, profitability, capital structure, and stock market ratios. Students will also develop operating budgets and use them to evaluate performance. Cost information will be classified by behavior, and allocated under a cost-beneficial system that assists managers in using relevant costs for decision making. Prerequisite: ACCT 271 Principles of Financial Accounting.
This introductory survey will examine the major functional areas of business and afford the student an opportunity to consider this major as a path to a career. Emphasis is given to contemporary business concepts, in particular, and examination of business as a field for stewardship.
A practical application of personal financial management and an introduction to the field of financial planning. Topics include money history, stewardship, budgets, loans, spending, housing, insurance, investments, and retirement. Prerequisite: Declared major in the College of Business.
Statistical procedures with applications in management and economics. Emphasis on the development of a basic knowledge of the statistical tools available for analysis of problems and decision making. Prerequisite: MATH 180 College Algebra or higher math course.
This course will teach you the art of effective interpersonal communication in business. You will learn to deliver clear, concise, and convincing messaging to advance ideas, build consensus, resolve conflict, and negotiate. You will learn to translate metrics for decision making and to communicate to a lay audience. You will learn how to craft crisp emails, carry out business documentation and reports, and polish your business presentation skills. (BUSN 250 and COMM 250 are identical courses.) Prerequisites: BUSN 110 Introduction to Business and COMM 111 Communication in Society.
The importance of thinking globally and understanding the legal, technological, political and economic differences that affect business practice are explored through readings and projects. The focus is on the global changes that are impacting national sovereignty, regionalization, and the balance of economic and political power. Prerequisites: ECON 200 Principles of Economics and MGMT 260 Principles of Management.
Covers the legal aspects of common business transactions. Includes the law of contracts, agency, negotiable instruments, and other phases of private law.
The study of administrative policy and strategy in organizations. Emphasis is placed on the integration and inter-relationships of functional business areas (accounting, economics, finance, marketing, and management) for the purpose of developing an organizational-wide perspective. Students learn a model of strategy formulation and implementation and, through analyzing cases, apply this model to a variety of institutional settings. Prerequisites: MGMT 260 Principles of Management, MKTG 260 Principles of Marketing, FINC 260 Business Finance, ACCT 272 Principles of Managerial Accounting, and senior standing.
This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles of economics, and their application at the micro and macro level. In the microeconomic portion of the course the behavior of individuals, households, and firms will be explored. The macroeconomic portion of the course will focus on economy-wide conditions, such as gross domestic product, unemployment, and recessions. Throughout the course the ways in which the economy contributes to, and deters from, human flourishing and well-being will be considered, discussed, and debated.
An introduction to the finance function of a business entity. Specific topics to be studied include capital budgeting, cost of capital determination, sources of financing, leverage and its effect on the profits and risk of business, and managing the asset mix and capital structure of a business. Prerequisites: ACCT 271 Principles of Financial Accounting, ACCT 272 Principles of Managerial Accounting (may also be a co-requisite), ECON 200 Principles of Economics and college level statistics course 200 level or higher. Students who've taken PSYC 240 must also complete MATH 150 or higher.
This course is focused on the character of leadership. Opportunities to understand the essence of character such as attitude, empathy, respect, courage, perseverance, honesty, appreciation, composure, gratitude, tolerance, sacrifice, and self-awareness are woven throughout the course. These topics and more will be explored by studying historic and current leaders, real-life case studies to understand their situations and their character in action.
A study of the theory and practice of management. The course involves discussion and application of areas such as social responsibility, strategy, problem solving, communication, change, job performance, and financial/operational controls. Prerequisite or Co-requisite: BUSN 110 Introduction to Business.
Study of the marketing concept, consumer demand and behavior, and marketing functions of the firm. The objective is to understand the development of marketing channels, products, prices, and promotion strategies. Prerequisite or Co-requisite of BUSN 110 Introduction to Business

Concentrations (21-30 credit hours) - choose one

Complete the following:
A foundational course for the study of computer science and information systems. The course covers an overview of programming methodology and gives the student an ability to write computer programs using standard style and structure. Programming projects are completed in one or more high-level languages. Additional course fee is required. Prerequisite: High school algebra or equivalent.
This is an introductory course on fundamental concepts in taxation. The objective of this course is learning to recognize major tax issues inherent in business and financial transactions. The course will emphasize measurement and taxation of business income, along with an introduction to taxation of individuals. Prerequisites: ACCT 271 Principles of Financial Accounting and ACCT 272 Principles of Managerial Accounting.
This course will emphasize the mechanical aspects of accounting and will cover both manual and computerized accounting systems. The course is designed for the accounting major. Prerequisites: ACCT 271 Principles of Financial Accounting and ACCT 272 Principles of Managerial Accounting.
A comprehensive study of generally accepted accounting principles, including a review of their historical development and a thorough study of the underlying theory supporting them. A detailed study of many specific problems associated with the measurement and reporting of complex business transactions. Prerequisite: ACCT 271 Principles of Financial Accounting and ACCT 272 Principles of Managerial Accounting.
A comprehensive study of generally accepted accounting principles, including a review of their historical development and a thorough study of the underlying theory supporting them. A detailed study of many specific problems associated with the measurement and reporting of complex business transactions. Prerequisite: ACCT 371 Financial Accounting and Reporting I.
A comprehensive study of generally accepted accounting principles, including a review of their historical development and a thorough study of the underlying theory supporting them. A detailed study of many specific problems associated with the measurement and reporting of complex business transactions. Prerequisite: ACCT 371 Financial Accounting and Reporting I.
This class will explore the use of analytics by financial professionals. Starting with the generation of a business question, students will use a decision-making framework to draw appropriate and ethical conclusions to business problems. Students will understand the principles of data analysis, including but not limited to, systems, collecting, cleaning, analyzing and visualizing data. During the course, students will also gain hands-on experience with software tools used by financial professionals. Prerequisites: MATH 180 College Algebra, CSIS 201 Introduction to Computer Science, ACCT 370 Accounting Information Systems, and ACCT 371 Financial Accounting & Reporting I OR a Business Administration: Finance concentration with successful completion of FINC 300 Intermediate Financial Mgmt.
Accounting for specific types of entities, such as partnerships and not-for-profit organizations. The accounting problems encountered in business combinations and foreign currency translation will be studied. Prerequisites: ACCT 272 Principles of Managerial Accounting and ACCT 370 Accounting Information Systems.
An introduction to the standards and procedures observed by Certified Public Accountants in the examination of financial statements. Special areas of study will include evaluation of internal control, ethical considerations, legal environment, the auditor's reports, and evidence-collecting and evaluation. Prerequisites: ACCT 370 Accounting Information Systems, ACCT 371 Financial Accounting and Reporting I and CSIS 201 Introduction to Computer Science.
This course is an expansion of how tax laws affect individuals, partnerships, corporations, and S corporations. Additional topics in taxation are introduced with emphasis on laws applicable to estates, gifts, trusts, and tax exempt organizations. Prerequisite: ACCT 350 Taxation.
Student are encouraged to choose the following electives to enhance their concentration:
This course is being offered in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service and the AARP to give the student skills and training needed to prepare income tax returns for low-to-moderate income people in the community. We will offer free tax preparation and electronic filing for the community.
Supervised experiences in businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies. Pass/No Pass.
Occasional special courses chosen to fit the interests and needs of students and faculty.
Complete the following:
In this course, we will cover Topics 1 - 21 of the CFP Board Principal Knowledge Topics. Areas of focus will include: the financial planning process, the client/planner relationship, communication and counseling, personal financial statements, cash flow management and financing strategies, time value of money, economic concepts, financial institution regulation, consumer laws, and CFP Board's Code of Ethics, Rules of Conduct, Practice Standards and Disciplinary Procedures. Prerequisite: BUSN 120 Personal Finance
In this course, we will cover Topics 22 - 32 of the CFP Board Principal Knowledge Topics. Areas of focus will include: principles of risk and insurance, risk exposure, health insurance, disability insurance, long-term care insurance, annuities, life insurance, taxation, business insurance, needs analysis, policy selection, property and casualty insurance. Prerequisite: FINP 250 Personal Financial Planning for Professionals.
In this course, we will cover Topics 42 - 51 of the CFP Board Principal Knowledge Topics. Areas of focus will include: tax law fundamentals, compliance, tax calculations, taxation of business entities, trust and estate tax, alternative minimum tax, tax reduction techniques, property transactions, passive activity and at-risk rules, tax implications of special circumstances, charitable contributions and deductions. Prerequisite: FINP 250 Personal Financial Planning for Professionals.
In this course, we will cover Topics 63 - 72 of the CFP Board Principal Knowledge Topics. Areas of focus will include: property titling, transferring property, documents, gift and estate tax compliance, estate liquidity, trusts, marital deductions, intra-family transfer, postmortem estate planning. Prerequisite: FINP 250 Personal Financial Planning for Professionals.
In this course, we will cover Topics 33 - 41 of the CFP Board Principal Knowledge Topics. Areas of focus will include: characteristics, uses and taxation of investment vehicles, types of investment risk, measures of investment returns, asset allocation and diversification, bond and stock valuation, portfolio development and analysis, investment strategies, and alternative investments. Prerequisite: FINC 260 Business Finance.
In this course, we will cover Topics 52 - 62 of the CFP Board Principal Knowledge Topics. Areas of focus will include: retirement needs analysis, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, retirement plans, plan rules, tax advantages, regulatory considerations, distribution rules, retirement strategies, and business succession planning. Prerequisites: FINP 250 Personal Financial Planning for Professionals and FINP 450 Investment Planning (may also be a co-requisite).
In this course, we will cover all 72 topics of the CFP Board Principal Knowledge. Topics. We will tie together the concepts by constructing a financial plan. The focus of this course is on case study application. Areas of focus will include: cash flow and financial situation, income tax evaluation, education funding evaluation, retirement evaluation, risk management/insurance evaluation, estate planning evaluation, and plan construction and communication. Prerequisites: FINP 310 Insurance Planning and Risk Management, FINP 320 Income Tax Planning, FINP 330 Estate Planning, FINP 450 Investment Planning and FINP 470 Retirement Planning.