Bachelor in Finance

Why pursue a finance degree at North Central College?

We’ve carefully balanced finance courses that develop practical career knowledge with economics courses that promote abstract thinking, creating a broad set of skills that employers value. You'll track the latest market news and analytics and learn the tools financial services use in our Bloomberg Finance Lab. With this major under your belt, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running whether you find yourself in the field of corporate finance, investments, financial services, law or government.

You can also:

• Visit the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Board Options Exchange and Federal Reserve.
• Compete for internships and job opportunities arranged through faculty, alumni and our Career Development office.
• Join student organizations like the Bulls and Bears finance club, which arranges networking events and guest speakers.
• Add an economics major by including two additional courses in your schedule.

Curriculum for the B.S. Degree

Additional Requirements for the B.S. Degree

• CSC 140 - Fundamentals of Computational Problem Solving or higher-level CSC course
• ECN 445 - Econometrics
• MTH 152 - Calculus II
  • One mathematics elective beyond MTH 152 or one computer science course beyond CSC 140

Major Requirements

Common Business Core

• ACC 201 - Accounting Principles I/Financial
• ACC 202 - Accounting Principles II/Managerial
• BEN 110 - Business and Society
• BUS 135 - Introduction to International Business
• BUS 205 - Introduction to Business Law
• BUS 241 - Business and Economic Statistics
• BUS 362 - Management and Organizational Behavior
• BUS 368 - Principles of Marketing
• BUS 475 - Business Strategy
• ECN 250 - Microeconomic Principles
• ECN 252 - Macroeconomic Principles
• FIN 350 - Corporate Finance

Finance Courses

• FIN 400 - Investments and Portfolio Management
• FIN 425 - Financial Institutions
• FIN 450 - Advanced Corporate Finance
• FIN 475 - Derivatives: Markets, Pricing and Applications
• ECN 360 - Money and Banking
• ECN 423 - Intermediate Microeconomics
• ECN 427 - Intermediate Macroeconomics

Curriculum for Finance Minor

Minor Requirements

18 credit hours, including:

• ACC 201 - Accounting Principles I/Financial
• ECN 241 - Business and Economic Statistics
• ECN 250 - Microeconomic Principles
• FIN 350 - Corporate Finance
  • Six additional credit hours in finance, at least three of which must be at the 400-level.

Internships and Jobs

A North Central education integrates career preparation with rich academic study. Our faculty encourages you to refine and apply your knowledge in an interconnected world. Here you'll learn to think independently and work globally to solve problems and to lead.

Internships

• Financial services intern, Wachovia, Naperville
• Mortgage lender, Aspen Mortgage Corporation, Naperville
• Retirement planning, Northwestern Mutual, Lombard, IL
• Financial advisor, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Naperville

Graduate Schools

Recent graduates in economics have been accepted at:

• University of Bath (England)
• Iowa State University
• Clemson University (South Carolina)
• Oregon State University
• University of Missouri

Careers

Recent graduates in finance include:

• Junior analyst, Capstone Financial Services
• Credit analyst, Park National Bank
• A web project manager, YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago
• Northern Trust
• PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Analyst at MUFG Union Bank
• Health Benefits Analyst Segal Consulting
• UBS Financial Services

How to Apply

International Applicants must submit:

• North Central College online application or Coalition Application
• Official secondary school transcripts that include at least 3 years of grades
• Official university transcripts with course descriptions (transfer applicants only)
• Official TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, or ACT Scores (choose one)
• Passport copy

*North Central notifies applicants of their admission decision and scholarship award within approximately two weeks of receiving a completed application.

Priority Admission Deadlines:

• Fall entry (August): May 1
• Spring entry (January): October 1

The Bloomberg Finance Lab

Leading business and financial subscribers worldwide use the Bloomberg Terminal, a software platform that provides trusted real-time and historical data, market-moving news and analytics to help business and financial professionals make better-informed investment decisions. The Bloomberg Finance Lab, housed in the School of Business and Entrepreneurship, features 10 workstations equipped with the Bloomberg Terminal software, the iconic dual monitors and Bloomberg’s unique keyboards. Students will use the most updated data and trading platform, developing skills in data analysis that are only possible with this dedicated equipment. Every North Central business student completes at least one course in our Bloomberg Finance Lab. Students can also become “Bloomberg certified” by completing a series of modules that cover economic theory, economic indicators, currencies, fixed income vehicles, options, equities and more.