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The Ripon College Department of Economics and Business Management prepares students to inform and lead organizations in making and carrying out effective decisions. We collaborate on defining goals and solving problems of resource use in business, non-profit organizations, and government. We integrate approaches from economics and across the liberal arts in study of fundamentals, diverse applications, research, internships and other organizational experiences. These open doors to advanced study, lifelong learning and productive and rewarding careers.
The department offers majors in economics, business management and finance. Early courses in each major’s curriculum address the central problem of economics—the scarcity of resources relative to unlimited material wants. In intermediate and advanced courses of the finance major, students discover and practice ways to conserve, grow and efficiently employ financial resources in pursuit of business and individual goals.
In the finance major, students develop skills broadly applicable to many areas of work and life. They practice problem solving by working through both quantitative and qualitative problems reflecting difficult choices among options. Critical thinking is essential as students consider competing explanations of the many cases of that problem and solutions to it in business and financial management and public policies. Students encounter an array of writing assignments ranging from essay exams to formal research papers, business plans and financial analyses. Students engage in small group discussions, dialogs with guest speakers, and more formal group and individual presentations. In senior capstone courses, students integrate the skills they have developed throughout their course work in the completion of projects that require research, data analysis, critical thinking, and oral and written presentations of information and ideas.
Achieve More
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Faculty
Hauge, Soren
Patricia Parker Francis Professor of Economics
Keuler, Thomas
Instructor of Business Management, CPA
Zhang, Fan
Associate Professor of Business Management
Advising
Ripon College faculty and professional staff are dedicated to helping you reach your goals, whatever they may be and however often they may change along the way. It’s part of our value statement to you.
As a student at Ripon, you will be assigned a faculty adviser based on your area(s) of interest. You will meet with your faculty adviser throughout your time as a student to discuss your current aspirations, plan your course schedule and plot a future trajectory. We also work collaboratively with Ripon College Career and Professional Development to help match your interests and skills to concrete goals and construct a plan for professional success offering personalized career counseling, off-campus learning opportunities and an online job board with potential to connect with local, national and international employers.
Advising at RiponRequirements
| Requirements for a Major in Finance | |
|---|---|
| Prerequisites | BSA 110 Introduction to Management is a prerequisite for BSA 231 Financial Accounting |
| Core Courses | ECO 211/212 Principles of Economics and 502 Economic Research; BSA 231 Financial Accounting with Spreadsheet Applications, 322 Managerial Accounting with Spreadsheet Applications and 501 Business Simulation; ECO/BSA 241 Quantitative Methods (or courses in calculus and probability approved by the major advisor), 313 Corporation Finance and 412 Investment Analysis; MTH 120 Elementary Statistics; PHL 202 Business Ethics, 241 Ethics or 245 Professional Ethics or BSA 223 Business and Society or 227 Business Law |
| Elective Courses | One elective course with substantial finance content, as approved by the major advisor; and one elective focused on management and strategy, as approved by the major advisor. |
| Additional Criteria | In the following combinations of majors and minors, choices of elective courses must satisfy these additional conditions:
The following combinations of majors and minors are not permitted:
|
Career Tracks
Finance majors often attend graduate schools in finance, business and closely related fields. Many find employment in financial institutions and markets, as financial advisors, investment bankers, brokers and loan officers, as well as in financial management of other businesses and non-profit organizations.
Unique Opportunities
- Students in the Investment Analysis course compete in a national investment simulation.
- A student investment club manages a model portfolio of financial securities with mentoring from a faculty advisor.
- Financial internships can earn students academic credit as well as valuable professional experience. A student investment club manages a model portfolio of financial securities with mentoring from a faculty advisor. Senior financial research provides students with an opportunity to integrate the skills they have developed throughout their course work in the completion of a project that requires research, data analysis, critical thinking, and oral and written presentations of information and ideas.