Finance

• WSU offers one of the few business programs in the U.S. in which all the business and accounting programs are fully accredited by AACSB International.
• All business and economics courses are taught in a state-of-the-art building containing classrooms with Internet connections and the latest audiovisual technology.
• Get internships with WSU's connections throughout the U.S. and abroad at industrial corporations, banks, thrift institutions, and securities firms.
• Students in one WSU course get to invest a $50,000 portfolio through seed money from D.A. Davidson for its multi-university Student Investment Program.
• A two-semester program allows students to get applied experience by directing $1 million of the University's operating funds.
• Build valuable skills in security analysis and portfolio management by working directly with finance faculty and investment managers.

Certifying into the major

Students on all campuses must meet the following requirements to qualify for certification into a business major:

• Complete the following certification courses with a GPA of 2.50 or better (EconS 101 and 102, Engl 101, Acctg 230 and 231, B Law 210, MgtOp 215, Math 201 and 202, MIS 250)
• Have a cumulative WSU GPA of at least 2.5
• Have earned at least 60 credits

On the Pullman campus, certifying as a business major is competitive and course enrollments are limited.  Pullman campus students are required to apply online to be considered for certification.  If the applicant meets the minimum requirements above, he or she is then ranked by academic performance.  The top students are then certified based on the number of spots available that semester.

On all campuses, transfer course grades will be used to calculate the certification GPA, but they are not included in the WSU cumulative GPA.

Students desiring to certify their business major on the Online, Tri-Cities, or Vancouver campuses should contact a business advisor on that campus for specifics about certifying their major.

Note: Certification is required for enrollment in all 300- and 400-level business courses.

Signature Courses

An example of the courses finance majors generally take:

Acctg 330 - Intermediate Accounting I
Fin 421 - Financial Markets & Intermediation
Fin 425 - Intermediate Financial Management
Fin 427 - Investment Analysis
Fin 437 - Cougar Investment Fund

Note: See the WSU Catalog for degree requirements and talk with your academic advisor about planning and scheduling your courses. All students must meet requirements as outlined in the catalog in order to graduate.

Plan ahead

To certify your major in the Carson College of Business, you will need to complete specific prerequisite courses. Use our list of transfer equivalencies to make sure you take the right transfer courses at your current college.

Also check out our transfer student guide for more information on transferring to WSU. 

A variety of state, federal, and university-sponsored programs are available to help students with educational costs.

Washington State University awards millions of dollars in financial aid and scholarships to students every year based on financial need, academic merit, or a combination of the two.

For all students at WSU

To get all the financial help WSU can provide, start by doing these two things:

• Complete the University's general scholarship application so you can be eligible for scholarship consideration.
• Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) so WSU can consider you for aid (scholarships, grants, loans, etc.) based on financial need.

Click here for more info about WSU scholarships and financial aid

For finance students

The Carson College of Business awarded its students about 140 scholarships valued at nearly $600,000 during the 2013-2014 academic year. About $20,000 in scholarships are awarded annually to WSU's best finance students. Most are available to seniors, but a few are given to outstanding students just entering the program.

The Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate Club hosts guest speakers, travels for on-site business visits, and helps members network with others who share their interests.

Common introductory finance careers include work in corporate finance, financial institutions, and investments.

• Corporate finance specialists help make financial decisions on business expansion, acquisitions, managing cash flows, setting credit terms, and selecting securities.
• Financial institution specialists usually work in the banking industry to evaluate credit, set terms, market loans, and manage risks.
• Investment specialists use their understanding of securities, mutual funds, and laws to build careers as stockbrokers, financial planners, security analysts, and money or portfolio managers.

Alumni work as entrepreneurs, for non-profit organizations, and at such corporations as Merrill Lynch, D.A. Davidson, Wurtz and Associations, U.S. Bank, Boeing Corp., Microsoft, Intel, and Techtronics.

Finance graduates just out of college typically earn salaries of $28,000-$35,000. MBAs with a finance concentration typically receive starting salaries of $40,000-$60,000. Senior positions in industry for finance specialists command $100,000-$200,000, or more, depending on various factors.