The Orfalea College of Business offers a financial management concentration for business administration and economics majors.
Cal Poly’s financial management concentration provides finance students with fundamentals of asset valuation and applies these principles to securities as well as business assets in corporate finance and financial markets. Students can further specialize in one of three tracks, depending upon their career goals: the financial services track, including insurance, retirement, and estate planning; the corporate finance track; or the financial analyst track, working for investment banks, brokerage industry, or the asset management industry.
The financial management concentration provides in-depth knowledge of fixed income securities (bond markets), security analysis and portfolio management (equity and derivative markets), corporate finance (IPO and corporate bond markets), alternative investments (FX, commodities and real estate markets), and quantitative finance. In addition, course work in computer science, management information systems, accounting, and economics is encouraged to provide broader familiarity with these important areas for finance professionals.
Students who concentrate in finance at Cal Poly complete Learn by Doing projects that give them exposure to real-world business challenges. Finance students are able to pursue the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation or manage an endowment portfolio in the Student Managed Portfolio Project as their senior project.
Finance classes are taught in the Financial Analysis Resource Center, a special-purpose classroom with data terminals, and real time display of stock prices. The computers are equipped with financial data and software, which permits students to work on real-world problems, individually and in teams. Cal Poly’s top finance students have outstanding opportunities to intern with major corporations, investment banks, and money management firms. Graduates join a thriving network of alumni who have gone on to successful careers in investment banking, corporate finance, fund management, real estate finance, and other facets of the financial services industry.
The following are the concentration’s required courses that should be taken in sequence:
| Course Number | Course Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BUS 431 | Security Analysis and Portfolio Management | 4 |
| BUS 438 | Advanced Corporate Finance | 4 |
| BUS 439 | Fixed Income Securities Markets | 4 |
*Courses reflect Cal Poly Course Catalog.