FAQ - the honors concentration in financial services
1. What is the Honors Concentration in Financial Services (HCFS)?
A concentration within the Business Administration Department designed for students who wish to explore critical business disciplines in greater depth and intensity. The program utilizes the financial services industry as its integrating theme.
2. If I choose the Concentration, should I seek a career in finance?
Only if you choose to do so. The Concentration does not make a specialist out of the student. Rather, the graduate is prepared for a number of business and other careers. The Concentration adds to your career skills by the in depth nature of the program.
3. Do I still get a degree in Business Administration?
Yes. The degree received upon graduation, Bachelor of Science (BS), is the same as the regular business administration program. The added feature is that upon successful completion of the Honors Concentration program, the student will graduate with Departmental honors.
4. Would the Concentration allow me to graduate “on time”?
Yes. The number of courses (15) required for the Concentration is the same as that for the regular Business program.
5. What are the requirements to enter the HCFS program?
Students usually enter the Honors Concentration in their sophomore year. A grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.75 in business administration courses is required to enter. In order to graduate with departmental honors, a GPA of at least 3.0 is required in all the courses of the major.
6. What happens if my GPA in business courses is below 3.0 at the time of graduation? Will I still graduate?
Yes. If the student has met all the college and department courses required for graduation but does not have at least a 3.0 in business administration courses, you will still graduate. However, the Honors designation will not be granted.
7. Are there any courses required by the Concentration that differ from the regular business administration program?
Yes. The Concentration alters the regular business administration degree program to some degree. All the lower division courses required for the business administration major are also required in the Concentration. The upper division courses for the Honors Concentration in Financial Services are:
| BusAd 123 | Financial Management | ||
| BusAd 125 | Marketing of Financial Services (BUSAD 124 may also fulfill this requirement). | ||
| BusAd 181* | Ethical, Social, Political Issues in Business (or BusAd 182 - Business, Economics and Catholic Social Ethics) | ||
| Econ 106 | Macro-Economic Theory | ||
| Econ 130 | Money, Credit and Banking | ||
Elective requirement. (choose 1 ): |
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| BusAd 120 | Law and Business | ||
| BusAd 131 | Organizational Theory | ||
| BusAd 180 | International Business | ||
8. Will the courses I have taken in the business administration program count for the Concentration?
Generally yes. In addition to specific required courses for the Concentration, this program has an elective course requirement that can be fulfilled by certain courses already taken in the business administration program.
9. What is the Senior Honors Forum (BusAd 100 A,B,C)?
This is the capstone course for the Honors Concentration and taken in the student’s senior year. This is a year-long course (fall, January Term and spring semesters) taken in the senior year. The course integrates major functional areas of business viewed in the broader context of strategic thinking and analysis.
The Senior Honors Forum adds depth and breadth to the analytical skills in business. The cornerstone of the Honors Forum is the assignment to an off-campus “consulting “ project for a Bay Area enterprise. These are real companies with real questions to be answered by the student team.
10. What are the prerequisites for the Senior Honors Forum?
Before the start of the senior year, the student, at a minimum, must have successfully completed all lower division courses, BusAd 123 (Financial Management); BusAd 125 (Marketing of Financial Services); BusAd 181 (Ethical, Social and Political Issues in Business) or BusAd 182 (Business, Economics and Catholic Social Ethics); and Econ 106 (Macro-Economic Theory).
11. Are there any special non-course opportunities for Concentration students?
Yes. Among the many opportunities are those presented below:
- Several guest speakers in the Senior Honors Forum.
- A dinner session with a guest of merit. In the past there have been several speakers from the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship program, usually a business or political leader from abroad.
- Mock interviews to sharpen job-hunting skills. These are conducted by actual business people from the Bay Area and are conducted as if the interview was “for real”. The interviewer provides instant feedback.
- Career night. An informal session with several representatives of Bay Area businesses to discuss career opportunities in their firms. Often, these representatives are Honors Concentration graduates.
- Opportunities for computer, Internet, and other “lab” offerings.
