Finance

Finance is at the core of any business endeavor. Every business, whether corporate, government-run, for-profit or not-for-profit, must determine how to finance itself and what its business model will be. Along with management, sales/marketing and operations, finance is one of the key pillars of any business.

Students might pursue a career in the treasury department of a company or government entity, or find work as a financial planner, a wealth manager, a financial analyst, or in any of the many finance-related careers available today. Whatever their choice, understanding the basics of how markets operate, of how companies find investors and lenders, and how financial planning helps small firms and large firms weather economic swings – all are critical to success. Individuals who want to understand how the finances of an organization are organized and how adjusting financial levers can impact an organization’s success will find a finance major an interesting pursuit. Stu-dents who consider themselves to be “problem solvers” are a good fit for a finance major, as much of the coursework entails solving economic and financial puzzles.

The Finance program is accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (I.A.C.B.E.).
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Experiential Finance Learning Requirement

In order to graduate, Finance students must complete an experiential learning requirement related to their field of interest. The experiential requirement can be met through 3-credits of internship, 3-credits of practicum or an equivalent non-credit experience in a real world or "out of the traditional classroom" context. The requirement offers students the opportunity to initiate lifelong learning through the development and application of academic knowledge and skills in new or different settings.
Experiential learning may fall into one or more of the following categories:

• Undergraduate Research, where students engage in systematic inquiry that contributes to the discovery or interpretation of knowledge significant to their field of study.
• Community/Civic Engagement, where students interact with people from diverse backgrounds, to challenge their under-standing of community needs, and to explore ways of part-nering with community members to address problems or improve community life. Examples could include a semester-long community engagement, or civic project where a student’s business studies assist them in serving the community.
• Career and Practical Experiences, where students use skills and concepts learned in the classroom while engaging in work-like settings that relate to their field of study or possible career path. Examples include internship, co-ops, student teaching, or tutoring experience.

Both credit-bearing and non-credit bearing experiences, paid or un-paid, may be proposed for meeting this requirement. All student experiential learning experiences must be approved by the student’s academic advisor. Furthermore, all internships must be approved by the Career Development Center. All such experiences must include the following:

• significant opportunities for the student to apply academic ideas, concepts, theories and/or skills to practice;
• significant experience-based learning beyond that which typically occurs in the undergraduate classroom;
• sustained and significant interaction throughout the experience between the student and their faculty/staff advisor(s);
• sustained student involvement or immersion (with the total amount of time committed by the student being roughly equal at least to that required for a three-credit-hour course);
• a meaningful opportunity for student reflection (e.g., with a portfolio, final essay, faculty/student meeting or other opportunity) at the conclusion of the experience; and
• a level of academic rigor and education effectiveness comparable to what is found in a typical Dominican University New York undergraduate course.
• Up to 6 internship credits may be applied to the degree.

Finance Minor

Finance is at the core of any business endeavor. Every business, for-profit or non-for-profit must decide how to finance itself. The Finance Minor provides an opportunity for students in any major to study how our financial system works and to expose them to concepts needed for success in this important industry. How do markets work? How are companies funded? How are profits measured? What types of investments exist and how are they valued? These and many other questions are addressed – allowing interested students to ex-plore this fascinating area of business.