Finance is the study and practice of making money-denominated decisions. Individuals, business corporations, and government agencies located worldwide are all concerned with securing, managing, and investing funds efficiently; i.e., they must practice sound financial decision making. As a discipline, finance can be classified into six areas: corporate financial management, investments, financial institutions and markets, banking and insurance, personal financial planning, and real estate investment and valuation. The finance program at Shippensburg University offers a full range of courses in these areas. Our program is unique in the emphasis placed on the application of finance concepts. In addition to two applied courses in market, company, and security analysis, the finance major can apply for admission to the Investment Management Program class. In this class students utilize their accumulated knowledge and skills in the management of a real $ investment portfolio.

By the beginning of the sophomore year, a student majoring in finance will be expected to have access to a personal computer which is compatible with the hardware and software used in the finance program. Our computer labs, though well-equipped, are utilized by a large percentage of students from each college within the university. Due to this high demand, a personal computer is invaluable to fulfilling course requirements completely and on time.

Career Opportunities
Students develop a wide range of analytical skills with both theoretical and real problems and can, therefore, choose a career within a full spectrum of jobs: corporate financial analyst (revenue and capital budget), financial planner, security analyst, portfolio manager or analyst, pension fund manager, security broker or dealer, banking industry analyst, mortgage analyst, corporate risk manager, or consultant on mergers and acquisitions.

Shippensburg University graduates who majored in finance have obtained responsible positions in major corporations, profit and non-profit, and positions in a variety of major and regional banks and other financial institutions.

For those students with a concentration in real estate, career opportunities are available in a wide array of firms, such as: a graduate may take a position with a real estate development firm, a financial institution or real estate investment firm, a real estate brokerage firm, a real estate management firm, or an appraisal firm. There are also a wide variety of job opportunities in the non-profit or governmental sector for a student with an expertise in real estate.