Business/Finance (BBA/MSF)
The five-year BBA/Master of Finance degree program provides focused and high-achieving undergraduate study. The program is designed for students intent upon building their resumes, skill sets, and business judgment. You'll have the chance to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees in a compressed time frame.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Undergraduate and graduate courses for the MSF program are held on Loyola's Water Tower Campus, which is conveniently located off the Red Line in downtown Chicago, as well as online. Undergraduate courses are held on weekdays during the day. Graduate courses are held weekday evenings.
CURRICULUM
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BBA Requirements | ||
| COMM 103 | Business & Professional Speaking | 3 |
| MATH 110 | Business Precalculus 1 | 3-4 |
| or MATH 130 | Business Calculus | |
| ETHC 341 | Ethics in Business | 3 |
| QUIN 101 | Business Learning and Careers | 0 |
| QUIN 102 | Financial Literacy and Well-Being | 1 |
| Two (2) Writing Intensive Courses 2 | 6 | |
| Global Awareness Course 3 | 3 | |
| Globalization and Local Cultures | ||
| Culture, Society, and Diversity | ||
| Entrepreneurship - Global Opportunity Scan | ||
| Introduction to Global Studies | ||
| International Relations in an Age of Globalization | ||
| Business Core Curriculum | ||
| ACCT 201 | Introductory Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCT 202 | Introductory Accounting II | 3 |
| INFS 343 | Business Analytics | 3 |
| or ECON 346 | Econometrics | |
| ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| FINC 301 | Introductory Business Finance | 3 |
| or FINC 334 | Principles of Corporate Finance | |
| ISSCM 241 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| or STAT 103 | Fundamentals of Statistics | |
| INFS 247 | Business Information Systems | 3 |
| SCMG 332 | Operations Management | 3 |
| LREB 315 | Law and the Regulatory Environment of Business I | 3 |
| MGMT 201 | Managing People and Organizations | 3 |
| MGMT 304 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| MARK 201 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| MS Finance Courses | ||
| Ethics Course | ||
| ETHC 441N | Business Ethics | 3 |
| or MGMT 446 | International Business Ethics | |
| MS Finance Core Coursework | ||
| FINC 452 | Investment Management | 3 |
| FINC 620 | Financial Mathematics and Modeling I | 3 |
| FINC 621 | Financial Mathematics and Modeling II | 3 |
| FINC 622 / ECON 622 | Derivative Securities | 3 |
| FINC 624 | Interest Rate Risk Management | 3 |
| FINC 625 / ECON 625 | Applied Econometrics | 3 |
| FINC 626 | Credit Risk Management and Structured Finance | 3 |
| FINC 630 | Capstone Master of Science Finance | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Students choose 3 electives from an approved list of finance or accounting coursework. Students should seek advising from the MSF program director on the elective options. | ||
| Total Hours | 85 | |
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Students majoring in Economics or Finance should take MATH 130 Business Calculus (or MATH 131 Applied Calculus I or MATH 161 Calculus I). All other students take MATH 110 Business Precalculus (or MATH 131 Applied Calculus I).
International Business Major Group
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 306 | Advanced Financial Accounting | 3 |
| ECON 323 | International Economics | 3 |
| ECON 324 | International Monetary Relations | 3 |
| ECON 325 | Economics of Growth & Development | 3 |
| FINC 355 | International Finance Management | 3 |
| HRER 329 | Global HR and Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| IBUS 201 | Introduction to International Business | 3 |
| IBUS 201H | Business Management: A Global and Social Perspective | 3 |
| IBUS 315 | International Management | 3 |
| INFS 336 | Global Perspectives on Digital Business | 3 |
| MARK 363 | International Marketing | 3 |
| SCMG 338 | Global Supply Chain Management I | 3 |
| SPRT 345 | Globalization of Sport Industry | 3 |
Guidelines for Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs
Terms
- Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs: In this type of program, students share limited credits between their undergraduate and graduate degrees to facilitate completion of both degrees.
- Shared credits: Graduate level credit hours taken during the undergraduate program and then applied towards graduate program requirements will be referred to as shared credits.
Admission Requirements
Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs are designed to enhance opportunities for advanced training for Loyola’s undergraduates. Admission to these programs must be competitive and will depend upon a positive review of credentials by the program’s admissions committee. Accordingly, the admission requirements for these programs may be higher than those required if the master’s degree were pursued entirely after the receipt of a bachelor’s degree. That is, programs may choose to have more stringent admissions requirements in addition to those minimal requirements below.
Requirements:
- Declared appropriate undergraduate major,
- By the time students begin taking graduate courses as an undergraduate, the student has completed approximately 90 credit hours, or the credit hours required in a program that is accredited by a specialty organization,1
- A minimum cumulative GPA for coursework at Loyola that is at or above the program-specific requirements, a minimum major GPA that is at or above the program-specific requirements, and/or appropriate designated coursework for evaluation of student readiness in their discipline.2
Students not eligible for the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program (e.g., students who have not declared the appropriate undergraduate major) may apply to the master’s program through the regular admissions process. Students enrolled in an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program who choose not to continue to the master’s degree program upon completion of the bachelor’s degree will face no consequences.3
Ideally, a student will apply for admission (or confirm interest in proceeding towards the graduate degree in opt-out programs) as they approach 90 credit hours. Programs are encouraged to begin advising students early in their major so that they are aware of the program and, if interested, can complete their bachelor’s degree requirements in a way that facilitates completion of the program. Once admitted as an undergraduate, Program Directors should ensure that students are enrolled using the plan code associated with the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program. Using the plan code associated with the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program will ensure that students may be easily identified as they move through the program. Students will not officially matriculate into the master’s degree program and be labeled as a graduate student by the university, with accompanying changes to tuition and Financial Aid (see below), until the undergraduate degree has been awarded. Once admitted to the graduate program, students must meet the academic standing requirements of their graduate program as they complete the program curriculum.
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Programs that have specialized accreditation will adhere to the admissions criteria provided by, or approved by, their specialized accreditors.
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The program will identify appropriate indicators of student readiness for graduate coursework (e.g., high-level performance in 300 level courses). Recognizing differences between how majors are designed, we do not specify a blanket requirement.
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If students choose not to enroll in the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, they still must complete all of the standard requirements associated with the undergraduate degree (e.g., a capstone).
For more information on Admissions requirements, visit here.
Curriculum
Level and progression of courses. The Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs are designed to be competitive and attractive to our most capable students. Students admitted to Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s programs should be capable of meeting graduate level learning outcomes. Following guidance from the Higher Learning Commission, only courses taken at the 400 level or higher (including 300/400 level courses taken at the 400 level) will count toward the graduate program.1,2 Up to 50% of the total graduate level credit hours, required in the graduate program, may come from 300/400 level courses where the student is enrolled in the 400 level of the course. Further, at least 50% of the credit hours for the graduate program must come from courses that are designed for and restricted to graduate students who have been admitted to a graduate program at Loyola (e.g., enrolled in plan code that indicates the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, typically ending with the letter “D”).3
In general, graduate level coursework should not be taken prior to admission into the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program. Exceptions may be granted for professional programs where curriculum for the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program is designed to begin earlier. On the recommendation of the program’s Graduate Director, students may take one of their graduate level courses before they are admitted to the Accelerated Bachelors/Master’s program if they have advanced abilities in their discipline and course offerings warrant such an exception.4 Undergraduate degree requirements outside of the major are in no way impacted by admission to an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program.5
Shared credits. Undergraduate courses (i.e., courses offered at the 300 level or below) cannot be counted as shared credits nor count towards the master’s degree. Up to 50% of the total graduate level credit hours, required in the graduate program, may be counted in meeting both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Of those shared credits, students in an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program should begin their graduate program with the standard introductory course(s) for the program whenever possible. So that students may progress through the Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program in a timely manner, undergraduate programs are encouraged to design their curriculum such that a student can complete some required graduate credit hours while completing the undergraduate degree. For instance, some of the graduate curriculum should also satisfy electives for the undergraduate major.
The program’s Graduate Director will designate credit hours to be shared through the advising form and master’s degree conferral review process. Shared credit hours will not be marked on the undergraduate record as having a special status in the undergraduate program. They will be included in the student’s undergraduate earned hours and GPA. Graduate credit hours taken during the undergraduate program will not be included in the graduate GPA calculation.
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If students wish to transfer credits from another university to Loyola University Chicago, the program’s Graduate director will review the relevant syllabus(es) to determine whether it meets the criteria for a 400 level course or higher.
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Programs with specialized accreditation requirements that allow programs to offer graduate curriculum to undergraduate students will conform to those specialized accreditation requirements.
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In rare cases, the Graduate Director may authorize enrollment in a 400-level course for a highly qualified and highly motivated undergraduate, ensuring that the undergraduate's exceptional participation in the graduate class will not diminish in any way the experience of the graduate students regularly enrolled.
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For example, if a particular course is only offered once every 2-3 years, and a student has demonstrated the necessary ability to be successful, the Graduate Director may allow a student to take a graduate level course to be shared prior to the student being formally admitted to the graduate program. See, also, footnote 3.
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Students should not, for example, attempt to negotiate themselves out of a writing intensive requirement on the basis of admission to a graduate program.
Graduation
Degrees are awarded sequentially. All details of undergraduate commencement are handled in the ordinary way as for all students in the School/College/Institute. Once in the graduate program, students abide by the graduation deadlines set forth by the graduate program. Students in these programs must be continuously enrolled from undergraduate to graduate degree program unless given explicit permission by their program for a gap year or approved leave of absence. In offering the option of an Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s program, the university is making possible the acceleration of a student’s graduate degree completion. It should be understood that students may not request deferral of their matriculation into the Master’s degree program. If students would like to delay their graduate studies after earning the undergraduate degree, they may apply for admission to the traditional master’s degree program. Any application of graduate credit earned while in the undergraduate program is subject to the policies of the graduate degree granting school.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Our Master of Science in Finance program will provide you with specialized knowledge of:
- Financial securities
- Financial markets
- Risk metrics
- Investment criteria
- Capital budgeting techniques
- Hedging strategies
- General modeling and analytical skills
- Writing computer programs
- Working with databases
- Simulating outcomes
- Performing regression analysis
- Solving constrained optimization problems