Economics (BA): Finance Concentration
All economics students complete core courses in microeconomics and macroeconomics, as well as specialized elective courses in labor economics, industrial organization, game theory, international economics, econometrics and finance. Poole’s undergraduate economics program gives students the quantitative tools and critical thinking skills that prepare them for post-graduate study or careers in business, finance, government, public policy and more. What sets NC State’s economics major apart is the training in analytical methods, and focus on economic theory and business skills, to provide students opportunities in many career paths.
Finance is at the core of every business in every industry. Whether an entrepreneur is developing a new business or growing an existing one, whether a corporation is launching a new product or a portfolio manager is considering new investments, finance provides tools to evaluate these decisions. At large, finance provides the framework for understanding how businesses, financial institutions as well as individual investors make decisions in accessing and deploying capital (money). As businesses are ever more complex, the tools to help make financial decisions become ever more important.
The concentration’s curriculum explores the topics of financial analysis, capital markets and financial intermediaries, business and project evaluation, personal finance, and international finance – all of which prepare students to answer complex finance questions.
Economics Department
Poole College of Management
4172 Nelson Hall
Raleigh, NC 27695
919.515.5565
Department of Economics
Plan Requirements
Overall GPAÌýfor all coursesÌýattempted at NC State must be 2.0 or higher; and
Overall GPAÌýfor all EC and ECGÌýcourses attempted at NC State must be 2.0 or higher
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| ²ÑÌý100 | Personal and Professional Identity Development | 1 |
| ²Ñ±õ·¡Ìý201 | Introduction to Business | 3 |
| ´¡°ä°äÌý210 | Concepts of Financial Reporting | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý205 | Fundamentals of Economics | 3 |
| ´Ç°ùÌý·¡°äÌý201 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| ´Ç°ùÌý´¡¸é·¡Ìý201 | Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | |
| ·¡°äÌý301 | Intermediate Microeconomics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý302 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý351 | Econometrics I | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý490 | Research Seminar in Economics | 3 |
| Business Analytics | ||
| µþ±«³§Ìý340 | Information Systems Management | 3 |
| µþ±«³§Ìý351 | Introduction to Business Analytics | 3 |
| Economics Electives | ||
| 400/500 Level Econ Electives | 6 | |
| 300/400/500 Level EC Electives | 6 | |
| Humanities and Social Sciences | ||
| Acad Writing and Research 1 | 4 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Public Speaking | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Argumentation and Advocacy | ||
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | ||
| Communication for Business and Management | ||
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| GEP Humanities | 6 | |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| Mathematical and Natural Sciences | ||
| GEP Natural Sciences | 7 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
²Ñ´¡Ìý131 or ²Ñ´¡Ìý141 are encouraged for students who qualify and aspire to take additional calculus. For students completing the ²Ñ´¡Ìý141/241/242 sequence, one credit hour of ²Ñ´¡Ìý141 will count as free elective credit, ²Ñ´¡Ìý241 will count as free elective credit and ²Ñ´¡Ìý242 will substitute for ²Ñ´¡Ìý114. | ||
| Elements of Calculus | ||
| Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| ²Ñ´¡Ìý114 | Introduction to Finite Mathematics with Applications | 3 |
| ´Ç°ùÌý²Ñ´¡Ìý242 | Calculus III | |
| BUS/ST 350 | Economics and Business Statistics | 3 |
| ´Ç°ùÌý³§°ÕÌý312 | Introduction to Statistics II | |
| ´Ç°ùÌý³§°ÕÌý370 | Probability and Statistics for Engineers | |
| ´Ç°ùÌý³§°ÕÌý372 | Introduction to Statistical Inference and Regression | |
| ³§°ÕÌý307 | Introduction to Statistical Programming- SAS | 1 |
| ´Ç°ùÌý³§°ÕÌý308 | Introduction to Statistical Programming - R | |
| Interdisciplinary Perspectives | ||
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| Physical Education | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | |
| Corequisites | ||
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | ||
| GEP Foundations of American Democracy (verify requirement) | ||
| Concentration | ||
| µþ±«³§Ìý320 | Financial Management | 3 |
| µþ±«³§Ìý420 | Financial Management of Corporations | 3 |
| µþ±«³§Ìý422 | Investments and Portfolio Management | 3 |
| Concentration Electives- Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Advanced Investments | ||
| Advanced Personal Financial Management | ||
| International Financial Management | ||
| Capital Markets Essentials | ||
| Financial Analytics | ||
| Financial Modeling | ||
| Free Electives | ||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) 2,3 | 22 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
C- or better
- 2
Students should consult their academic advisors to determine which courses fill this requirement.
- 3
Free Electives: Some courses will not count as free electives, such as FL 101 or 105 (in the language in which proficiency requirement is met), or MA 101, 101, 103, 105. (12 hours of free electives may be taken for credit only.)
400/500 Level Econ Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý515 | Environmental and Resource Policy | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý528 | Options and Derivatives Pricing | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý530 | Topics in Labor Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý537 | Health Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý540 | Economic Development | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý548 | International Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý561 | Applied Econometrics I | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý562 | Applied Econometrics II | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý563 | Applied Microeconometrics | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý580 | 3 | |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý590 | Special Economics Topics | 1-6 |
| ¹ó±õ²ÑÌý528 | Options and Derivatives Pricing | 3 |
| ²Ñ´¡Ìý528 | Options and Derivatives Pricing | 3 |
| ²Ñµþ´¡Ìý528 | Options and Derivatives Pricing | 3 |
| ³§°ÕÌý561 | Applied Econometrics I | 3 |
| Econ Electives II A | ||
| ·¡°äÌý404 | Money, Financial Markets, and the Economy | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý410 | Public Finance | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý413 | Industrial Organization | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý431 | Labor Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý437 | Health Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý449 | International Finance | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý451 | Econometrics II | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý468 | Game Theory | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý474 | Economics of Financial Institutions and Markets | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý490 | Research Seminar in Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý495 | Special Topics in Economics | 1-6 |
| ·¡°äÌý498 | Independent Study in Economics | 1-6 |
300/400/500 Level EC Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Econ Electives I | ||
| ´¡¸é·¡Ìý336 | Introduction to Resource and Environmental Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý336 | Introduction to Resource and Environmental Economics | 3 |
| Econ Electives I A | ||
| ´¡¸é·¡Ìý336 | Introduction to Resource and Environmental Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý305 | A Closer Look at Capitalism | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý336 | Introduction to Resource and Environmental Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý348 | Introduction to International Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý351 | Econometrics I | 3 |
| Econ Electives II | ||
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý515 | Environmental and Resource Policy | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý528 | Options and Derivatives Pricing | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý530 | Topics in Labor Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý537 | Health Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý540 | Economic Development | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý548 | International Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý561 | Applied Econometrics I | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý562 | Applied Econometrics II | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý563 | Applied Microeconometrics | 3 |
| ·¡°ä³ÒÌý590 | Special Economics Topics | 1-6 |
| ¹ó±õ²ÑÌý528 | Options and Derivatives Pricing | 3 |
| ²Ñ´¡Ìý528 | Options and Derivatives Pricing | 3 |
| ²Ñµþ´¡Ìý528 | Options and Derivatives Pricing | 3 |
| ³§°ÕÌý561 | Applied Econometrics I | 3 |
| Econ Electives II A | ||
| ·¡°äÌý404 | Money, Financial Markets, and the Economy | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý410 | Public Finance | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý413 | Industrial Organization | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý431 | Labor Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý437 | Health Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý449 | International Finance | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý451 | Econometrics II | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý468 | Game Theory | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý474 | Economics of Financial Institutions and Markets | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý490 | Research Seminar in Economics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý495 | Special Topics in Economics | 1-6 |
| ·¡°äÌý498 | Independent Study in Economics | 1-6 |
Acad Writing and Research
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Acad Writing Research | ||
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| ¹ó³¢·¡Ìý101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 |
| Transfer Sequence | ||
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý202 | Disciplinary Perspectives in Writing | 3 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý1³Ò·¡±Ê | 3 | |
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ²ÑÌý100 | Personal and Professional Identity Development | 1 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý101 | Academic Writing and Research (or GEP Natural Sciences with Lab) 1 | 4 |
| ²Ñ´¡Ìý121 | Elements of Calculus 2 or Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A or Calculus I | 3 |
| ²Ñ±õ·¡Ìý201 | Introduction to Business | 3 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| FL Proficiency | 0 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ²Ñ´¡Ìý114 or ²Ñ´¡Ìý242 | Introduction to Finite Mathematics with Applications or Calculus III | 3 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý101 | Academic Writing and Research (or GEP Natural Sciences with lab) 1 | 4 |
| ·¡°äÌý205 | Fundamentals of Economics or Principles of Microeconomics or Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 3 |
| ´¡°ä°äÌý210 | Concepts of Financial Reporting | 3 |
| Global Knowledge | 0 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 16 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ·¡°äÌý301 | Intermediate Microeconomics | 3 |
| °ä°¿²ÑÌý110 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication or Argumentation and Advocacy | 3 |
| STÌý350 | Economics and Business Statistics | 3 |
| µþ±«³§Ìý340 | Information Systems Management | 3 |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ·¡°äÌý302 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ·¡°äÌý351 | Econometrics I | 3 |
| µþ±«³§Ìý320 | Financial Management | 3 |
| µþ±«³§Ìý351 | Introduction to Business Analytics | 3 |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| ³§°ÕÌý307 or ³§°ÕÌý308 | Introduction to Statistical Programming- SAS or Introduction to Statistical Programming - R | 1 |
| Ìý | Hours | 16 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Economics Elective | 6 | |
| µþ±«³§Ìý420 | Financial Management of Corporations | 3 |
| ·¡±·³ÒÌý331 | Communication for Engineering and Technology or Communication for Business and Management or Communication for Science and Research | 3 |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Economics Elective | 3 | |
| µþ±«³§Ìý422 | Investments and Portfolio Management | 3 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 3 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Economics Elective | 3 | |
| Concentration Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 9 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ·¡°äÌý490 | Research Seminar in Economics | 3 |
| Concentration Elective | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 4 | |
| GEP Natural Sciences | 3 | |
| Ìý | Hours | 13 |
| Ìý | Total Hours | 120 |
- 1
ENG 101 must be completed with "C-" or better.
- 2
²Ñ´¡Ìý131Ìý´Ç°ùÌý²Ñ´¡Ìý141Ìýare encouraged for students who qualify and aspire to take additional calculus. For students completing theÌý²Ñ´¡Ìý141/241/242 sequence, one credit hour ofÌý²Ñ´¡Ìý141Ìýwill count as free elective credit,Ìý²Ñ´¡Ìý241Ìýwill count as free elective credit andÌý²Ñ´¡Ìý242Ìýwill substitute f´Ç°ùÌý²Ñ´¡Ìý114.
GPA Graduation Requirements
- Overall GPA for all courses attempted at NC State must be 2.0 or higher; and
- Overall GPA for all EC and ECG courses attempted at NC State must be 2.0 or higher
Career Opportunities
An undergraduate degree in economics has long served as the foundation for advanced professional degrees in law and business, graduate study in economics, as well as jobs in business, industry and government.
Career Titles
- Actuary
- Administrative Service Manager
- Business Professor
- Community Outreach Manager
- Compensation Administrator
- Compensation Specialist
- Customer Service Supervisor
- Economics Professor
- Economist
- Employment Administrator
- Environmental Economists
- Environmental Research Analyst
- Equal Opportunity Representative
- Event / Convention Planner
- Financial Analyst
- Financial Examiner
- Financial Planner
- Fundraising Manager
- Government Budget Analyst
- Government Service Executives
- Insurance Claim Examiner
- Intelligence Specialist (Government)
- Internal Auditor
- Investment Fund Managers
- Management Analyst
- Market Research Analyst
- Marketing Managers
- Occupational Analyst
- Operations Research Analyst
- Personnel Administrator
- Product Planner
- Public Relations Manager
- Public Relations Specialist
- Retail Buyer
- Retail Sales Department Supervisor
- Social and Community Service Managers
- Sociologist
- Survey Researchers
- Tax Assessor
- Transportation Planners
- Urban and Regional Planner
Learn More About Careers
Explore North Carolina’s central online resource for students, parents, educators, job seekers and career counselors looking for high quality job and career information.
Browse the Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to view state and area employment and wage statistics. You can also identify and compare similar occupations based on your interests.
View videos that provide career details and information on wages, employment trends, skills needed, and more for any occupation. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Ìý(NC State student email address required)
This career, major and education planning system is available to current NC State students to learn about how your values, interests, competencies, and personality fit into the NC State majors and your future career. An NC State email address is required to create an account. Make an appointment with yourÌýÌýto discuss the results.
Ìý(Available to prospective students)
A career assessment tool designed to support prospective students in exploring and choosing the right major and career path based on your unique personality, interests, skills and values. Get started with Focus 2 Apply and see how it can guide your journey at NC State.