Finance

For the economics major, visit economics.

If you're interested in managing money, majoring in finance may be the right path for you. A finance degree can lead to careers in areas such as portfolio management, financial planning, financial service and financial management. It is also excellent training for those planning to own their own business.

What makes the program distinctive?

The nationally recognized Roland George Investments Program is a two-semester program in portfolio management that is available to select students. The students in this program manage an actual portfolio valued at approximately $2.8 million (as of 2012).

Our student-managed fund is one of the oldest and is considered to be one of the best student-managed programs in the United States. Roland George Investments Program students have won either first or second place at nationally recognized student-managed portfolio performance competitions since 2001.

Graduates have gone on to success as financial analysts and money managers, as well as to further graduate training in finance, economics, mathematical finance and law.

Academics and Research

Facilities and opportunities

Housed within the finance department at the Eugene M. and Christine Lynn Business Center is the Roland George Investments Program "trading room," a financial database lab with real-time pricing from Orion Telemet for the World Indexes, New York Stock Exchange, Dow Jones, S&P 500, American Stock Exchange and O.P.R.A.. The research engines in this "trading room" include Bloomberg, Morningstar and Baseline.

Preparation for graduate study

This department also prepare students for further graduate training such as master and doctoral programs, as well as for professional designations such as the Series 7 and 63 licenses and Chartered Financial Analyst (C.F.A.) and Certified Financial Planner (C.F.P.) designations.

Awards and Recognition

Distinguished faculty

Our faculty take pride in a mentoring approach to education. We work with our students as advisors, teachers and career counselors. Our faculty have published research in professional journals for economics, finance and quantitative methods, and several are on editorial boards. Most have taught classes abroad in Innsbruck, Italy, China, Poland and New Zealand.

Undergraduate awards and honors

The finance department and Roland George Investments Program award the School of Business Foundation Eugene M. Lynn Merit Award for Finance, Roland George Investments Program Merit Scholars, Financial Executives International Distinguished Student Award and two Financial Executives International scholarships.

Beyond the Classroom

Internships

Students have internship opportunities with banking institutions, government offices, brokerage and asset management firms, as well as in financial analysis. Some of the businesses at which Stetson University students have interned include Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, KCM Asset Management, Brown & Brown and Siemens Corporation.

After Stetson

Diverse careers

Finance students have gone on to successful careers in brokerage and financial services, financial analysis and asset management with well-known companies such as Merrill Lynch, MorganStanley SmithBarney, Kennedy Capital Management, Dean Witter, Waterstreet Capital Management, Siemens Corp., Raymond James & Associates, Knights of London, Raytheon Corp., Delta Airlines Corporate Finance, University of Florida Law School and Stetson University College of Law.