Finance (FN)

Professors: F. J. Navratil, L. D. Brooks, D. C. Schirm (Chair)
Assistant Professors: S. B. Moore, G. E. Porter

The primary goal of the finance program is to extend the understanding of financial theory and practice among our students, the university, and the broader community. We pursue this goal through quality teaching and advising, significant research, and appropriate community involvement.

The general goal of the department’s undergraduate finance program is to cultivate students’ critical thinking skills and to aid them in developing a logical, ordered approach to solving business problems. Students completing a finance program offered by the department should gain the knowledge and understanding of financial theory and practice so that they can:

• Demonstrate proficiency in the use of the language of finance in both oral and written form.
  
• Demonstrate the ability to apply financial analysis to a wide range of personal and business problems.
  
• Consider ethical issues raised in business situations in the context of their moral and spiritual values.
  
• Make a successful transition into the workforce or further professional education.
  
• Develop the ability to evaluate personal and business financial decisions within the context of their moral and spiritual principles.

Finance applies economics, accounting, and mathematics to financial decision making. Corporate finance analyzes how firms should manage and fund their assets. Courses in finance deal with a wide array of companies, including small firms, companies regulated by governmental bodies, and large corporations which engage in complex international operations. Classes in corporate finance teach students to assess firm financial decisions as well as their financial health and future. Investment courses prepare students to analyze different mediums of savings and investments. Courses in financial institutions inform students about how such firms manage their assets and liabilities in light of macroeconomic considerations and regulatory restrictions.

Because the discipline of finance is intellectually challenging and rigorous, it not only prepares students for a large number of today’s appealing and rewarding careers in business and industry, but also provides excellent background for graduate programs. Students in the university’s finance program are actively sought by corporate recruiters, who know the students have been well prepared for the world of contemporary finance. Many finance students become financial analysts and managers. Others enter the consulting or legal professions or develop careers in the various occupations related to investment activity or financial institutions. Many John Carroll University graduates in finance have become high ranking financial officers of prominent and successful companies or have achieved important positions in banks and governmental agencies active in financial matters.

<< Prev | Next >>