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SFA Home / Bulletin / College of Business

Department of Economics and Finance

Clifton T. Jones, Chair

McGee 392
(936) 468-4301
Fax: (936) 468-1447
www.sfasu.edu/go/eco-fin

Faculty

Professors
Clifton T. Jones, John H. Lewis, J. Bert Stine, Michael D. Stroup

Associate Professors
T. Parker Ballinger, S. Kyle Jones, G.D. Simmons

Assistant Professors
Todd A. Brown, Stephen M. Kosovich, Mikail Kouliavstev, Ryan T. Phelps, Mark A. Scanlan,

Areas of Study & Degrees

Minors:

Objectives

The Department of Economics and Finance provides modern training in economic and financial theory and practice to prepare students for a successful career in business, industry or government.

Graduates with a degree in business economics or finance are prepared for a wide variety of challenging and rewarding positions in such fields as banking, investments, corporate financial management, insurance, real estate, financial planning, economic research and market analysis. A degree in economics also provides a very solid foundation for further graduate study, especially in law or public affairs.

Definition of Majors and Minors

Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.): Business Economics Major

A first or second major in business economics for a B.B.A. candidate consists of all the degree requirements for the B.B.A. listed earlier in this bulletin (which includes ECO 231, 232 and 339), plus ECO 331, 351, 353 and 12 hours of advanced economics electives. Total 21 hours with at least a 2.0 grade point average in all economic courses. At least 12 advanced hours must be completed at SFA.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.): Economics Major

A first major in economics for a B.A. candidate consists of all the degree requirements for the B.A. in economics listed earlier in this bulletin (which includes ECO 231), plus ECO 232, 331, 339, 351, 353 and 12 hours of advanced economics electives. Total 27 hours with at least a 2.0 grade point average in all economics courses at SFA and overall. At least 12 advanced hours must be completed at SFA.

A second major in economics for a non-B.B.A. candidate consists of ECO 231, 232, 331, 351, 353 and nine hours of advanced economics electives. Total 24 hours with at least a 2.0 grade point average at SFA and overall. At least 12 advanced hours must be completed at SFA.

Economics Minor

A minor in economics for a B.B.A. candidate consists of ECO 231, 232 and 339 (all of which are already included in the B.B.A. degree requirements), 351 or 353, and 6 hours of advanced economics electives. Total 18 hours (only nine additional hours) with at least a 2.0 grade point average. At least nine hours (six of which must be advanced) must be completed at SFA.

A minor in economics for a non-B.B.A. candidate consists of ECO 231, 232, 351 or 353, and nine hours of advanced economics electives. Total 18 hours with at least a 2.0 grade point average. At least nine hours (six of which must be advanced) must be completed at SFA.

Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.): Finance Major

A first or second major in finance for a B.B.A. candidate consists of all the degree requirements for the B.B.A. listed earlier in this bulletin (which includes FIN 333), plus FIN 357, 370, 373; and 18 hours from the following: three to six hours from FIN 401, ACC 331, 332, 333, 343; and 12 to 15 hours from ECO 331, FIN 358, 367, 401 (if not taken above), 410, 415, 433, 458, 471, 474, 475 and 490. Total 27 hours; must have at least a 2.0 grade point average across all 27 hours plus FIN 333. At least 12 advanced hours must be completed at SFA.

Finance Minor

A minor in finance for a B.B.A. candidate consists of FIN 333 (already included in the B.B.A. degree requirements), 357, 370, 373, and six hours from FIN 358, 367, 401, 410, 415, 433, 458, 471, 474, 475 and 490. Total 18 hours (only 15 additional hours) with at least a 2.0 grade point average. At least nine hours (six of which must be advanced) must be completed at SFA.

A minor in finance for a non-B.B.A. candidate consists of ACC 231, FIN 333, 357, 370 and six hours from FIN 358, 367, 373, 401, 410, 415, 433, 458, 471, 474, 475 and 490. Total 18 hours with at least a 2.0 grade point average. At least nine hours (six of which must be advanced) must be completed at SFA.

Bachelor of Business Administration

Suggested Program for Business Economics and Finance Majors

Note:See the Degree Requirements in the College of Business for a complete listing of B.B.A. degree requirements and also see the Notes at the end of the introductory section for the College of Business.

Bachelor of Arts

Suggested Program for Economics Majors

NOTE: See the Degree Requirements for a complete listing of the B.A. in Economics degree requirements.

Course Credit

Unless otherwise indicated, courses are three semester hours credit.

Courses in Economics (ECO)

231.    Principles of Macroeconomics (ECON 2301) – Introduction to the behavioral science of economics which focuses on the aggregate behavior of households, firms and the government. Topics covered include gross domestic product, national income, economic growth, unemployment, inflation, the business cycle, fiscal policy and monetary policy, and international trade.
232. Principles of Microeconomics (ECON 2302) – Introduction to the behavioral science of economics which focuses on the behavior of individual consumers, firms, government agencies and resource owners. Topics covered include basic price theory, market allocation of resources, consumer behavior, theory of the firm, governmental regulation of business, and comparative economic systems.
311. Managerial Economics – Application of economic theory to business decisions. Prerequisite: ECO 232.
331. Money and Banking – Study of the monetary system, commercial banking and central banking in the United States. Prerequisite: ECO 231.
337. Public Finance – Study of the government’s role in resource allocation in the economy, including identification of revenue sources and program expenditures, analysis of the effects of taxation and regulation, and understanding political markets and intergovernmental fiscal relations. Prerequisite: ECO 231 or 232.
339. Applied Statistical Analysis – Application of statistical and quantitative methods. Prerequisite: MTH 220.
345. Industry Structure, Market Power and Anti-Trust Legislation - Study of how industry structure determines the market power of individual firms. Examination of the impacts of market power and dominance on consumers and society in general, with an emphasis on the role played by government through anti-trust legislation. Prerequisite: ECO 232.
351. Income and Employment – Overall performance of the economy with emphasis upon the determination of national income, employment, and price levels. Prerequisite: ECO 231.
353. Price Theory – Internal workings of a market economy, including price determination and resource allocation in competitive and monopolistic situations. Prerequisite: ECO 232.
359. Sports Economics – A survey of the economic theory and literature relevant to the various economic issues in professional and amateur sports. Topics include public funding of sports arenas, labor relations and compensation and antitrust issues in sports markets. Prerequisite: ECO 231 or 232.
361. Environmental Economics – Economic treatment of environmental issues, including pollution abatement, air and water quality standards, ozone depletion, recycling and toxic waste, with an emphasis on environmental policy. Prerequisite: ECO 231 or 232.
439. Labor Economics – Theory of labor markets, dealing with labor supply, demand, wage rate behavior, income distribution, wage differentials and unemployment. Prerequisite: ECO 231 or 232.
475. Special Problems in Economics – One to three semester hours. Individual instruction in special topics in economics. Prerequisites: Senior standing and approval of department chair.
480. International Economics – International trade theory, tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade, and international transactions statement analysis; foreign exchange analysis, direct investment, and current issues and events. Prerequisites: ECO 231, 232.
485. Internship in Economics – Supervised on-the-job training in one or more facets of the field of economics. Cannot be used to satisfy any of the advanced economics courses required of economics majors or business economics majors or economics minors. Prerequisites: Junior standing as a major in economics or business economics or a minor in economics; overall GPA of 2.5 or better; economics GPA of 2.8 or better; and consent of department chair. Pass/fail.

Courses in Finance (FIN)

265.    Real Estate Principles (REAL 1301) – Basic principles of real estate transfers with emphasis on contracts of sale, deeds, abstracts, leases, options, liens, taxes, financing, and market conditions.
268. Real Estate Appraisal – Functions, purposes, and techniques of appraising land and improvements. Prerequisite: FIN 265 or consent of instructor.
269. Personal Finance (BUSI 1307) – Introduction to personal financial decision making. Prepares individuals to deal with decisions about goals, spending, home buying, managing risk and insurance, investing and retirement.
333. Introduction to Financial Management – Role of finance in the modern business organization with emphasis on the decision process. Prerequisite: ACC 231.
357. Introduction to Investments – Examination of the operation and functions of the organized security markets with emphasis on the individual investor. Prerequisite: FIN 333 or consent of instructor.
358. International Financial Markets – Study of the operations in important debt, equity, derivative, and swap markets around the world. Focus on issues of valuation and market efficiency, with special attention on measuring and hedging foreign exchange rate risk and interest rate risk. Prerequisite: FIN 333.
361. General Insurance – Introductory course in the principles of insurance: the place of insurance in the economy, the theory and principles of insurance, and comprehensive coverage of all lines of insurance.
366. Real Estate Law – See BLW 366.
367. Real Estate Financing – Financing of commercial and residential real estate with emphasis on the principles of mortgage and equity financing. Prerequisites: FIN 333 and 265 or consent of instructor.
370. Financial Institutions – Thorough study of financial institutions in terms of their characteristics, roles, functions, operations and importance. Prerequisite: FIN 333.
373. Intermediate Financial Management – Study of the conceptual and analytical framework guiding the investment, financing, and dividend decisions of the firm. Prerequisite: FIN 333.
401. Financial Statement Analysis – Current topics in financial analysis. Analytical approach to financial statements with integration of finance and accounting concepts and principles. Prerequisite: FIN 333.
410. Speculative Markets – Study of evolution of financial futures and options with emphasis on strategies and applications. Prerequisite: FIN 333.
415. Personal Financial Planning – Prepares students to assist others in their financial planning and strategies of investment and insurance. Emphasis on retirement planning and needs, risk analysis, trusts, and tax planning and shelters. Utilization of case studies. Prerequisite: FIN 269 or FIN 333 or consent of instructor.
433. International Financial Management – Basic money management for a corporation which operates in the world economy—exchange rate fluctuations, arbitrage, global strategic planning from the corporate viewpoint. Prerequisite: FIN 333.
458. Security Analysis and Portfolio Management – Emphasizes recent theoretical and analytical developments in security selection and portfolio management. Includes a consideration of relevant asset valuation models. Prerequisite: FIN 357.
471. Commercial Bank Management – Designed to provide the student with an understanding of commercial bank operations and management. Prerequisite: FIN 370.
474. Financial Analysis and Policy – Comprehensive case study of problems of financial management. Prerequisite: FIN 373.
475. Special Problems in Finance – One to three semester credit hours. Individual instruction in special topics in finance. Prerequisites: Senior standing and approval of department chair.
485. Internship in Finance – Supervised on-the-job training in one or more facets of the field of finance. This course cannot be used to satisfy any of the advanced finance courses required of finance majors or minors. Prerequisites: Junior standing as a major or minor in finance; overall GPA of 2.5 or better; finance GPA of 2.8 or better; and consent of department chair. Pass/fail.
490. Student Investment Roundtable – Supervised application of security analysis and portfolio management skills, including research techniques, asset allocation, security selection, proxy voting, performance reporting and analysis of current topics in the field. Prerequisites: Finance major or minor, FIN 357 and consent of director of Student Roundtable and department chair.

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