Finance Curriculum

Below is the current course catalog information. To view more information and an overview visit the course section in the catalog.

The Finance Major

Students majoring in finance must satisfy the USD core curriculum requirements as set forth in the catalog, lower-division business courses in preparation for the major, the major requirements (i.e., the Business Component and the Major Component), and the Professional Development Passport Program. 

Lower-Division Preparation for the Major

Students must earn a C- or better in all lower-division business preparatory courses for the major.

Students who are pursuing a business major are expected to complete all lower-division business preparatory courses before earning 60 units. Students who have completed 45 – 59 units will receive an email reminding them of the policy that business majors need to complete all lower-division business preparatory courses by 60 units and recommending that they meet with a business advisor if needed.  Students, who have completed 60-74 units but still have outstanding lower-division business preparatory courses, will have an advisor hold placed on their account and must meet with a business advisor before registering for any upper-division business courses.  If a student has earned 75 or more units and still has not completed all of the lower-division business preparatory courses then the student will not be able to register for any upper-division business courses until the lower-division business preparatory courses have been successfully completed with a C- or better.

Major Requirements

The courses in the finance major serve two purposes:

1. they give students a broad background in the major functional areas of business administration, i.e., the Business Component; and,
2. they allow students to focus on the field of finance, i.e., the Major Component. 

The finance major requires a minimum of 24 upper-division units in the major be completed at USD, of which 12 upper-division units must be in the major component.

Students will develop a study plan with their academic advisor. 

A sample study plan for the finance major: