Washington & Jefferson College

 

Financial Economics Major and Emphasis

The financial economics major at Washington and Jefferson College concentrates on the integration of the primary components of modern financial analysis - economic theory, financial theory, and mathematic analysis. It is intended to better prepare students for graduate work in finance or admission to top M.B.A. programs. This program differs from traditional undergraduate finance majors offered in colleges of business in that it includes significantly more economic theory and mathematics and thereby better prepares the student necessary for success beyond the entry level positions in the various fields of finance and in graduate school. Students completing the major will be prepared for both future employment and graduate study in this field.

Courses within the major will cover three major areas of financial economics, including financial markets and institutions, investment, and corporate finance. They discuss topics such as the analysis of financial statements, financial structure of a firm, capital budgeting and structure, asset valuation, investment instruments, portfolio management, hedging, insurance, risk management, exchange rates, money supply and demand, monetary policy, interest rates, financial markets and regulation, and the operation of financial institutions. We also encourage students to take the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam at the last year of their study.

MAJOR REQUIREMENTS: ECN 101,  ECN 102,  ECN 201,  ECN 202,  ECN 302,  ECN 303,  ECN 341,  ECN 342,  ECN 440,  ECN 498,  ACC 211,  MTH 151,  MTH 152,  MTH 208,  MTH 217,  MTH 225; and any one of the following four courses: ACC 317,  EC 352, ECN 422, or  ECN 425.

Financial Economics Emphasis:
Students with an interest in finance also have the option to choose economics major with financial economics emphasis.

EMPHASIS IN FINANCIAL ECONOMICS: The financial economics emphasis is for students who are economics majors and would like to focus their strength on financial economics. Students completing the emphasis will be prepared for both future employment and graduate study in this field. Courses within the emphasis will cover three major areas of financial economics, including financial markets and institutions, investment, and corporate finance. Topics discussed will include the analysis of financial statements, financial structure of a firm, capital budgeting and structure, asset valuation, investment instruments, portfolio management, hedging, insurance, risk management, exchange rates, money supply and demand, monetary policy, interest rates, financial markets and regulation, and the operation of financial institutions. Financial economics, like other economics fields, is a highly quantitative subject that requires skills in calculus, probability and statistics, and spreadsheet packages such as Excel.

EMPHASIS REQUIREMENTS:   ACC 211 and ECN 341, and three additional courses from ECN 302, ECN 303, ECN 342, ECN 352, ECN 422, ACC 317.

Faculty

• John J. Gregor, Ph.D.
• Tuan Le, Ph.D.
• Yongsheng Wang, Ph.D.

For more information, contact Professor Yongsheng Wang.