Finance (BA) - Banking Specialization
The Banking specialization under the BA in Finance combines courses offered by the School of Business (specifically in Accounting and Finance) and by the Department of Economics, and three courses with specialized content for a banking curriculum, into a specialization program that educates and positions students to start professional and/or management careers in the field of commercial banking.
The inspiration for a Banking specialization program has its source in the endowed Thompson Center for Integrity in Finance and Economics, which is housed in the School of Business. The Thompson Center was made possible by the generosity of the children of Benedictine College alumnus Byron Thompson, founder of Country Club Bank in Kansas City.
Program objectives include:
- Introduce students to the key terms, concepts, and principles of the banking industry.
- Introduce students to the fundamentals of actual bank management as a particular business entity. This includes learning fundamentals of enterprise (i.e., bank) risk management.
- Introduce students to the fundamentals of commercial banking strategy, with an emphasis on community banking and the analysis and valuation process necessary to assess the credit worthiness of commercial bank clients.
- Educate students on the history of banking and government policies that historically have, currently, and prospectively will, impact the banking industry.
- Prepare students to begin a career in banking
Program Mission
The mission of the Finance Program as a whole, and the Banking Specialization in particular, is to develop graduates who add value to an enterprise by applying their knowledge of business, finance, and banking theory and practice, communicating persuasively, and acting with character and compassion. Graduates of the Benedictine College Finance Program will be able to conduct financial modeling and analysis to assess financial health and need, and to efficiently allocate resources.
Program Outcomes
- Graduates will be able to use professional-quality business communication skills to persuade or inform a specific audience regarding a business issue, mindful of the cultures and values of diverse stakeholders.
- Graduates will be able to act with consistency and integrity, while acknowledging the inherent dignity of all human persons, to influence others and contribute to the greater good by following the model of Jesus Christ.
- Graduates will be able to understand, interpret, identify strengths and weaknesses, and plan for future improvement of an organization’s performance (financial, operational, etc.) by gathering and analyzing relevant quantitative data.
- Graduates will be able to identify internal and external problems and prospects relevant to an organization’s existence (emphasizing social-societal, economic, technological, political-legal, and global issues), and plan for future improvement by persuading internal and external stakeholders to take and support appropriate and ethical action.
- Graduates will be able to analyze complex and ambiguous finance and banking situations, and take appropriate action, applying finance and banking theory and tools in accordance with contemporary professional finance practice.
Required courses for a Finance (BA) with a Banking Specialization
Graduation Requirements for a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Requirements Common to All Majors in the School of Business: Accounting, Finance, International Business, Management, and Marketing
All B.A. candidates in Accounting, Finance, International Business, Management, and Marketing must satisfy the following requirements:
- The candidate must complete the General Education requirements of the College. (See Academic Regulations and Procedures in the Course Catalog.)
- The candidate must complete all courses required for the degree from the School of Business with an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher. Courses required for the degree are grouped in three categories known as the Common Body of Knowledge (common to all Business majors), the Major Requirements (specific to each degree), and the Capstone Curriculum (common to all Business majors). The list of courses in each category is as follows:
- The nine Common Body of Knowledge courses:
Course List Code Title Hours BUSI-2650 Business Statistics 3 or MATH-1220 Introductory Statistics MGMT-2250 Prin of Business Management 3 ACCT-2090 Principles of Financial Accounting 3 ACCT-2100 Principles of Managerial Accounting 3 ECON-2090 Principles of Macroeconomics 3 ECON-2100 Principles of Microeconomics 3 BUSI-3710 Legal Environment of Business 3 MKTG-3100 Principles of Marketing 3 FINC-3100 Principles of Finance 3 Total Hours 27
- The nine Common Body of Knowledge courses:
b. The Major Requirements for Accounting, Finance, International Business, Management, or Marketing. (See below.)
c. The three components of the Capstone Curriculum:
BUSI-4900 Strategic Management BUSI-4850 Seminr on Executive Writing and Communic, BUSI-4860 Seminr on Ethics & Morality for Bus Prof. (It is important for students and advisors to note that THEO-2000 Christian Moral Life and PHIL-3250 Ethics are prerequisites for this Seminar.)
3. Policy Statements:
a. Students may petition for more than one major in the School of Business (e.g., a student may double major in Accounting and Finance, or double major in Finance and Marketing, etc.). Students who petition for the International Business major must declare a co-major within the School of Business (e.g. Accounting, Finance, Management, or Marketing).
b. The minor in Business Administration is not available to majors in the School of Business. However, the minors in Accounting, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Sales are available to majors in the School of Business.
c. For students who transfer to Benedictine College and are accepted as a major, the School of Business reserves the right to determine which transferred courses will satisfy the requirements of a major. This determination will be based on a careful review of previous course content and rigor. Up to 40% of major classes may be transferred in to Benedictine College.
Specific requirements for the Finance major with a Banking specialization
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECON-3060 | Money & Banking | 3 |
| FINC-3300 | Principles of Banking | 3 |
| FINC-3950 | Enterprise Risk Management | 3 |
| FINC-4100 | Corporate Finance | 3 |
| FINC-4300 | Bank Management | 3 |
| FINC-4330 | Bank Strategy | 3 |
| FINC-4910 | Investment & Portfolio Analysis | 3 |
| Select 2 electives from the following | 6 | |
| Financial Statemnt Analysis & Busi Valu | ||
or ECON-4130 | Introduction to Econometrics | |
or FINC-4650 | Financial Spreadsheet Modeling | |
or FINC-4940 | History Financial Institutions & Markets | |
| FINC-COMP | Senior Comprehensive Exam | NULL |
| Total Hours | 27 | |
Suggested Sequence of Courses for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Finance with Specialization in Banking
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | |
| ENGL-1010 | English Composition | 3 |
| THEO-1100 | Introduction to Theology | 3 |
| ACCT-2090 | Principles of Financial Accounting | 3 |
| MGMT-2250 | Prin of Business Management | 3 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| PHIL-2100 | Principles of Nature | 3 |
| BUSI-2650 | Business Statistics | 3 |
| ACCT-2100 | Principles of Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| Historical Inquiry Foundation | 3 | |
| Foreign Language | 4 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| FINC-3100 | Principles of Finance | 3 |
| MKTG-3100 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| ECON-2090 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| THEO-2000 | Christian Moral Life | 3 |
| EXSC-1115 | Wellness for Life | 1 |
| Natural World Foundation | 4 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| BUSI-3710 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| ECON-2100 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| PHIL-3250 | Ethics | 3 |
| Aesthetic Foundation | 3 | |
| Natural World Foundation | 3 | |
| EXSC Fitness Course | 1 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| FINC-3300 | Principles of Banking | 3 |
| FINC-4100 | Corporate Finance | 3 |
| Historical Inquiry Foundation | 3 | |
| Elective | 6 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| ECON-3060 | Money & Banking | 3 |
| FINC-4300 | Bank Management | 3 |
| FINC-4910 | Investment & Portfolio Analysis | 3 |
| Historical Inquiry Foundation | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| BUSI-4850 | Seminr on Executive Writing and Communic | 1 |
| FINC-4330 | Bank Strategy | 3 |
| Philosophical Inquiry Foundation | 3 | |
| Aesthetic Foundation | 3 | |
| Electives 1 | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| BUSI-4900 | Strategic Management | 3 |
| BUSI-4860 | Seminr on Ethics & Morality for Bus Prof | 1 |
| FINC-3950 | Enterprise Risk Management | 3 |
| Faith Foundation | 3 | |
| Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| FINC-COMP | Senior Comprehensive Exam | NULL |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Total Hours | 128 | |
- 1
Accounting or Economics
- 2
Finance