Finance, B.S.

The field of finance encompasses three closely related perspectives: how businesses raise and invest capital, how individuals allocate their savings among different investment alternatives and how markets function to equate the demand for capital by firms and the supply of capital by investors. The nationally ranked finance program at Saint Louis University's Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business prepares students for successful careers in finance in the increasingly global economy. Students may elect to pursue the financial analysis concentration within the finance major, which helps prepare students to pass the CFA exam. Students may also elect to pursue a real estate finance concentration.

Students are mentored by the outstanding faculty and then encouraged to establish a real, professional career network with the amazing resources provided to them, perfectly setting the students up for success." —Arthur Pach, Class of 2022

CFA Institute University Affiliation Program

This initiative is a relationship between the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute and select colleges and universities worldwide that have embedded a significant percentage (70%) of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge into their degree programs. Only 277 U.S. finance programs are CFA University Affiliated Programs.

Additionally, affiliated institutions have committed to covering CFA Institute's ethical and professional standards in these degree programs. Recognition as a CFA University Affiliate signals to potential students, current students and the marketplace that the university curriculum is closely tied to professional practice and is well suited to preparing students to sit for the CFA exams.

Curriculum Overview

Students majoring in finance at the Chaifetz School of Business gain professional finance knowledge and develop strong critical-thinking, communication, problem-solving, decision-making and data analysis skills for success in today’s environment.

Students monitor and analyze real-time financial data with industry-standard Bloomberg terminals in the state-of-the-art Edward Jones Data Analytics Lab. As part of their major coursework, finance majors utilize Bloomberg Market Concepts learning modules available on the Bloomberg terminals and achieve certification at no additional charge. Senior-level students can gain additional hands-on experience in evaluating common stocks as investments and the fiduciary management of investment assets through the management of $2+ million in University endowment funds through the innovative Applied Portfolio Management course. APM students also receive one-on-one mentoring from industry practitioners as part of this experiential learning opportunity.

Internships/Student Organizations

St. Louis' metropolitan location provides many year-round internship opportunities, which allow students to gain practical, career-related work experience while applying classroom experiences to practice. Most internships are paid, and students may opt to complete one for academic credit. Finance students from the Class of 2023 interned with:

• Investment firms
• Financial institutions
• Consulting firms
• Fortune 500 companies like Boeing, Centene and Wells Fargo
• Nonprofits
• Regulatory agencies

The Department of Finance has launched the Billiken Asset Management (BAM) Investment Fund, an initiative to be led by the SLU Finance Club's Executive Board. Finance Club students will manage fund assets on a semi-active basis using a sector rotation strategy. Participating students will gain meaningful experiences in asset management and benefit from mentorship interactions with professional money managers who will advise the fund.

Careers

Possible career paths with a degree in finance include:

• Public finance
• Commercial loan officer
• Corporate finance officer
• Financial analyst
• Financial planner
• Procurement analyst
• Real estate lender
• Securities broker

SLU graduates have been highly successful on the Series 7 exam and on other professional exams that are necessary for specific career paths in finance. In a survey of SLU's class of 2023 finance graduates, 100% reported they were either employed or attending graduate school within six months of their graduation date. Graduates join a global network of nearly 20,000 alumni from the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business.

Admission Requirements

Freshman

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply. Saint Louis University also accepts the Common App.

All applications are thoroughly and carefully reviewed. Solid academic performance in college preparatory coursework is a primary criterion in reviewing a freshman applicant’s file.

To be considered for admission to any Saint Louis University undergraduate program, the applicant must be graduating from an accredited high school, have an acceptable HiSET exam score or take the General Education Development (GED) test. Beginning with the 2021-22 academic year, undergraduate applicants will not be required to submit standardized test scores (ACT or SAT) in order to be considered for admission. Applicants will be evaluated equally, with or without submitted test scores.

Transfer

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply.

Applicants must be graduates of an accredited high school or have an acceptable score on the GED. An official high school transcript and official test scores are required only of those students who have attempted fewer than 24 transferable semester credits (or 30 quarter credits) of college credit. Those having completed 24 credits or more of college credit need only submit a transcript from previously attended college(s).

Transfer students must have a cumulative 2.70 GPA to be admitted to the accounting program and a 2.50 GPA for all other majors. In reviewing a transfer applicant’s file, the office of admission holistically examines the student’s academic performance in college-level coursework as an indicator of the student’s ability to meet the academic rigors of Saint Louis University.

International Applicants

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply.

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students, along with the following:

• You must demonstrate English Language proficiency.
• Proof of financial support must include:
  • A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding your time at Saint Louis University.
  • A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of your study at the University.
• Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken post-secondary studies outside the United States must include the courses taken and/or lectures attended, practical laboratory work, the maximum and minimum grades attainable, the grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations, and any honors or degrees received. WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.

Tuition

Additional charges may apply. Other resources are listed below:

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Information on Tuition and Fees

Miscellaneous Fees

Information on Summer Tuition

Scholarships and Financial Aid

There are two principal ways to help finance a Saint Louis University education:

• Scholarships: Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, service, leadership and financial need.
• Financial Aid: Financial aid is provided through grants and loans, some of which require repayment.

Saint Louis University makes every effort to keep our education affordable. In fiscal year 2023, 99% of first-time freshmen and 92% of all students received financial aid and students received more than $459 million in aid University-wide.

For priority consideration for merit-based scholarships, apply for admission by December 1 and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1.

For more information on scholarships and financial aid, visit the Office of Student Financial Services.

Accreditation

The Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the world’s largest business education alliance and accrediting body of business schools, ensuring continuous quality improvement in terms of curriculum, instructional resources, student selection, career placement and intellectual contributions and qualifications of the faculty. Approximately 5% of business schools worldwide have achieved AACSB accreditation. 

1. Graduates will be able to understand essential business concepts and how the various functional areas of business are related.
2. Graduates will be able to demonstrate knowledge of ethical concepts and corporate social responsibility and be able to evaluate business problems from multiple ethical perspectives.
3.  Graduates will be able to identify and structure business problems, propose actionable solutions to business problems and, when applicable, utilize appropriate technology.
4.  Graduates will be able to demonstrate effective written communication.
5.  Graduates will be able to understand how cultures, politics, laws, ethics and economies influence and impact business and use tools and concepts to analyze and formulate an international business strategy.
6.  Graduates will be able to gather data and perform the analysis needed to value any real or financial asset.
7.  Graduates will be able to understand the value of, and tools and techniques for, implementing risk-management strategies.

Standard Track

Eighteen credits in addition to FIN 3010 Principles of Finance (3 cr), which is taken as a business Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) requirement, are required. 

*

Course enrollment is by application only.

†

In addition to completing lower and upper-division coursework in all areas of business, each student typically selects a business major before or during the first semester of the junior year. 18 major-specific credit hours are required as determined by the appropriate department. To broaden their expertise, students may complete more than one major in business, or a major and a minor in business. Outside of the Business Common Body of Knowledge (CBK), however, a maximum of one business course (3 credit hours) may be used to fulfill requirements in two business majors/minors.

‡

General electives may be selected from any area of study within the University, giving the student the opportunity to diversify their experiences.  Students should consider University Undergraduate CORE attribute requirements when selecting electives.

Financial Analysis Concentration

Twenty-one credits in addition to FIN 3010 Principles of Finance (3 cr), which is taken as a business CBK requirement, are required. 

*

Course enrollment is by application only.

†

In addition to completing lower and upper-division coursework in all areas of business, each student typically selects a business major before or during the first semester of the junior year. 18 major-specific credit hours are required as determined by the appropriate department. To broaden their expertise, students may complete more than one major in business, or a major and a minor in business. Outside of the Business Common Body of Knowledge (CBK), however, a maximum of one business course (3 credit hours) may be used to fulfill requirements in two business majors/minors.

§

In addition to course prerequisites, a minimum 2.7 cumulative GPA is a prerequisite for 3000 and 4000-level accounting courses.

‡

General electives may be selected from any area of study within the University, giving the student the opportunity to diversify their experiences.  Students should consider University Undergraduate CORE attribute requirements when selecting electives.

Real Estate Finance Concentration

Eighteen credits in addition to FIN 3010 Principles of Finance (3 cr), which is taken as a business CBK requirement, are required. 

†

In addition to completing lower and upper-division coursework in all areas of business, each student typically selects a business major before or during the first semester of the junior year. 18 major-specific credit hours are required as determined by the appropriate department. To broaden their expertise, students may complete more than one major in business, or a major and a minor in business. Outside of the Business Common Body of Knowledge (CBK), however, a maximum of one business course (3 credit hours) may be used to fulfill requirements in two business majors/minors.

‡

General electives may be selected from any area of study within the University, giving the student the opportunity to diversify their experiences.  Students should consider University Undergraduate CORE attribute requirements when selecting electives.

Continuation Standards

Finance students must maintain a 2.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) in all courses used to fulfill the major-specific course requirements.  

​Students will be on program probation if their GPA in major-specific courses used to fulfill major requirements falls below a 2.00. Students will have one semester to increase their major-specific cumulative GPA to a 2.00; if not, students will not be allowed to register for 3000- or 4000-level major-specific courses.

Students will be automatically placed on University probation if any of the following occur:

• Their Saint Louis University cumulative grade point average falls below 2.00
• Their Saint Louis University semester grade point average is below a 1.00
• More than two "incomplete" or two "in-progress" grades on their academic transcript

During the probationary period, advisors help students achieve academic success by closely monitoring their academic performance.

In order to improve scholastically and demonstrate their ability to make progress toward a degree, students on probation may not register for more than 12 credits in the fall and spring semesters, three credits in the winter term, and no more than one course/four credits in any single summer session term.

The conditions under which a student is dismissed from the school include:

1. Inability to eliminate probationary status within the two semesters subsequent to the assignment of probation or
2. A grade point average deficit of more than 15 points.

For more information, see University Academic Policies and Procedures.

Graduation Requirements

To be certified for graduation, a student must complete all course requirements and meet all of the following conditions:

• Apply to graduate.
• Complete the University Undergraduate Core.
• Earn a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) in overall SLU coursework, in business school coursework and in major-specific courses. (B.S. Accounting students must earn a minimum 2.70 cumulative GPA in overall SLU coursework, a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in business coursework and grades of C or higher in all courses that fulfill the major-specific requirements.)
• Complete 30 of the final 36 credits at the St. Louis campus or an approved study-abroad program.
• Complete at least 50% of business coursework in residence at the St. Louis campus.*
• Complete major-specific course requirements in residence at the St. Louis campus.*
• Students transferring from the Madrid campus must complete a minimum of 40 credits of coursework, including a minimum of 30 credits of business coursework in residence at the St. Louis campus.*

*

Students may pursue the economics, international business or marketing majors at the St. Louis campus and/or at the Madrid campus. The residency requirement then applies to courses taken at either campus.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester. Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Standard Track 

¹

Must complete in first 36 credit hours at SLU.

²

Must complete in first 60 credit hours at SLU.

³

MATH 1510 highly recommended.

⁴

Must take second semester sophomore year unless studying abroad.

⁶

Must have completed all other Business Common Body of Knowledge courses.

⁷

General electives may be selected from any area of study within the University, giving the student the opportunity to diversify their experiences.  Students should consider University Undergraduate CORE attribute requirements when selecting electives.

Financial Analysis Concentration

¹

Must complete in first 36 credit hours at SLU.

²

Must complete in first 60 credit hours at SLU.

³

MATH 1510 highly recommended.

⁴

Must take second semester sophomore year unless studying abroad.

⁶

Must have completed all other Business Common Body of Knowledge courses.

⁷

General electives may be selected from any area of study within the University, giving the student the opportunity to diversify their experiences.  Students should consider University Undergraduate CORE attribute requirements when selecting electives.

⁸

In addition to course prerequisites, a minimum 2.7 cumulative SLU GPA is a prerequisite for 3000 and 4000-level accounting courses.

Real Estate Finance Concentration

¹

Must complete in first 36 credit hours at SLU.

²

Must complete in first 60 credit hours at SLU.

³

MATH 1510 highly recommended.

⁴

Must take second semester sophomore year unless studying abroad.

⁶

Must have completed all other Business Common Body of Knowledge courses.

⁷

General electives may be selected from any area of study within the University, giving the student the opportunity to diversify their experiences.  Students should consider University Undergraduate CORE attribute requirements when selecting electives.

2+SLU programs provide a guided pathway for students transferring from a partner institution. 

• Finance, B.S. (Jeffco 2+SLU)
• Finance, B.S. (MAC 2+SLU)
• Finance, B.S. (SCNU 2+SLU)
• Finance, B.S. (STLCC 2+SLU)