Undergraduate Finance Minor
Finance Minor Program
The finance minor is a customized 18-unit program available to Main Campus and Arizona Online non-business (BSBA) majors. The curriculum is designed with three prerequisite courses to be taken before the start of Summer Session 1 and four core courses taken during Summer Session 1 and Summer Session 2.
The goal of the finance minor program is to promote financial literacy. In an increasingly complex financial environment, university graduates in all disciplines will require financial management knowledge and understanding in both their professional careers and their personal lives. Specifically, young professionals must know financial terminology, how to manage budgets, how to carefully invest money and resources and how to analyze financial decisions.
This finance minor provides students with an understanding of basic financial theory, applied financial analysis and financial markets. Elective courses include Principles of Financial Management, Personal Investing, Small Business Finance and Real Estate Principles. Students learn basic concepts through lectures and case studies.
Complete the entire program in ONE summer!Summer 2025 Dates:May 19th, 2025 – August 13th, 2025 |
Program Benefits
A minor that employers value and will help you the rest of your financial life: Today’s employers are looking for students who can immediately add value. Understanding finance allows you to differentiate yourself from other students. Moreover, the program will allow you to take charge of your own financial future.
Guaranteed Registration: You can be registered in the finance required and elective courses so that completion of the minor is not dependent on gaining admission to the needed classes that might be closed.
Fast Completion: After taking the required courses, the finance minor electives will be completed in one summer of full-time attendance.
Commitments: The Finance Department will make it possible for admitted students to complete the Finance minor in one summer. As a finance minor student, you must commit to registering for the entire block of courses in one summer.
Current Eller BSBA student? Check out the Finance Certificate! |
Majors of Past Minor Students
Agribusiness Management | Applied Humanities | Applied Mathematics | Communications | Computer Science |
Creative Writing | Criminal Justice Studies | East Asian Studies | Economics | Environmental Sciences |
Health Sciences | Information & Data Sciences | Law | Psychology | Retailing & Consumer Sciences |
Statistics and Data Sciences | Urban & Regional Development |
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Requirements and Policies
- Must be a Main Campus or Arizona Online non-business (BSBA) major.
- Cumulative 2.5 grade point average (GPA) to apply and 2.0 minimum GPA within minor courses.
- Students must have completed college algebra or higher math to be eligible for admission.
- Six three-unit courses (18 units total).
- Minimum nine units upper division coursework.
- At least nine units must be completed in residence at the University of Arizona.
- Can be taken along with business administration minor, marketing minor, or sports management minor.
- Eller does not permit double use of courses in their majors or minors with majors or minors outside of the College. Unique units are required for the student’s major and minor.
Finance Minor Curriculum
Prerequisite Courses
Students will complete the following three prerequisite courses prior to the start of Summer Session 1:
- ACCT 250 – Information for Business Decisions (Typically offered Fall & Spring semesters)
- ECON 200 – Basic Economic Issues (Typically offered Fall, Spring, Winter, & Summer semesters)
- BNAD 304 – Survey of Finance (Typically offered Winter and Summer Pre-Session)
Finance Minor Core Courses
Finance Minor Core Courses are only offered during the summer semester and all courses are online iCourses. |
Students will complete three of the following four core courses offered during Summer Session 1 and Summer Session 2.
- FIN 302 – Personal Investing
- FIN 303 – Small Business Finance
- FIN 304 – Real Estate Principles
- FIN 305 – Financial Management: Applied Methods and Tools*
TOTAL: 18 units
*Note: The Finance Department strongly recommends all Finance Minor students take FIN 305.
Minor Course Descriptions
Personal Investing is a course focusing on the investment decision from the perspective of the individual, rather than the institutional investor. Coverage begins with discussion of establishing investment objectives and review of market efficiency. Additional course topics include risk and the principles of portfolio diversification, asset allocation, fixed income assets, equity assets, mutual funds, portfolio strategies and performance evaluation. Sources of investing information are also discussed.
Units: 3
Offered: Summer Session I
Small Business Finance is a course on the financial management of small businesses - sole proprietorships, partnerships, and small private corporations. The purposes of the course is to prepare the student to effectively plan, research, acquire, and utilize financing for a small business. Among the topics covered are economic concepts in finance; small business management functions; business organizations; elements of a business plan; financial statement analysis and forecasting; break-even analysis; working capital management; and risk management.
Units: 3
Offered: Summer Session II
Real Estate Principles covers real estate essentials including property rights, legal concepts, regulation of real estate, real estate evaluation and financing.
Units: 3
Offered: Summer Session II
This course expands on and applies key methods and tools introduced in FIN 301 Principles of Financial Management, with an additional emphasis on analysis and applications in Microsoft Excel. This course challenges you to apply your expanded learning to the subject company for more detailed analysis. More advanced methods will be introduced for solving time value of money problems, analyzing financial statements, and valuing stocks and bonds. Additionally, we cover the following key topics in corporate finance: capital budgeting, short-term financial planning, working capital management, and international finance.
Units: 3
Offered: Summer Session I
Minor Course Substitutions
The University of Arizona has rules against counting a single course for more than one major or minor on a student’s transcript. If you are using ACCT 250 or ECON 200 for another major or minor program, you will need to find a substitute course for either the finance minor or for your other major/minor. If you would rather find a substitute for these courses in your other major or minor, check with the advisors for those programs. Otherwise, read on.
If you are using ACCT 250 and/or ECON 200 for other majors/minors, you may replace that requirement with an additional finance minor elective (FIN 302, FIN 303, FIN 304, or FIN 305) or request approval of a non-finance course to meet the finance minor requirements. Appropriate courses in computer science, economics, engineering retail and consumer sciences and math may be considered. The Eller Finance Advisor will help you find a suitable alternative. It is recommended that you seek an existing approved substitute course which can be completed before or after the summer program but no later than fall semester after completing your finance coursework.
VIEW OFFICIAL ACADEMIC PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS ON UACCESS
Tuition
The cost of the finance minor depends on the number of courses you need to take for the minor and will be affected by your major degree or other minors you are completing. Generally, the summer cost of the program is based on Arizona Resident tuition for all students, whether you are an Arizona Resident or an out-of-state resident. Students generally take 12 to 15 units during the summer to complete the minor requirements. Tuition cost is available at the UA Bursar's Office website here (input Summer semester, Main Campus, Undergraduate, Not Listed and Resident, then Show Tuition).
Application Process
Students must be accepted to the finance minor through an application process. Applications are reviewed periodically by our Admission Committee and students can expect an admission decision within a couple weeks of applying. There is no application fee.
- Early Application deadline: December 1, 2024
- Final deadline: April 1, 2025
Summer 2025 Finance Minor Application
For More Information
For more information on the Finance Minor, please contact the Undergraduate Finance Advisor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Early Application Deadline: December 1, 2024
Final Deadline: April 1, 2025
The Summer 2025 Finance Minor program will run from May 19th – August 13th.
Summer Pre-Session: May 19th – June 7th
Summer Session I: June 9th – July 10th
Summer Session II: July 14th – August 13th
While students from a variety of different majors have completed the program, the most common majors of past students were Economics, Computer Science, Psychology, Agribusiness Management, Applied Humanities, and Law.
The Finance Minor is only open to non-BSBA majors. Eller students interested in complementing their major with Finance coursework may be interested in the Certificate in Finance.
We require a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA to apply and a 2.0 GPA within minor coursework, including the accounting and economics prerequisite courses.
All students must complete three prerequisite courses: ACCT 250, ECON 200, and BNAD 304.
Prerequisite courses need to be completed by the start of the Summer Session 1.
Students must have completed college algebra (MATH 112) or higher math to be eligible for admission. Students who have not completed MATH 112 may need to take MATH 100 first or can re-take their math placement test (PPL). Please note that math placement test scores expire, so a math placement test may need to be re-taken in order to enroll in the necessary math courses.
Math placement resources:
All Finance minor courses are asynchronous online over the summer session allowing students to complete the program alongside internships, jobs, or other programs.
The Finance Minor does not currently have a study abroad option, but the asynchronous online modality of the summer courses would allow students to complete the program alongside a separate study abroad program.
At this time, we only offer the core Finance Minor courses (FIN 302 – FIN 305) during the summer semester.
The cost of the program varies depending on a few factors including the number of units taken but the average program cost, including tuition and fees, for Summer 2024 ranged from $6,500-$8,500. Summer 2025 tuition cost can be estimated with the University Tuition Calculator (Select Summer semester, Main Campus, Undergraduate, and Not Listed, then Results).
For scholarship opportunities, please visit Scholarship Universe. For more information about summer financial aid, please refer to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid’s Summer Financial Aid page.