Course Descriptions
Scroll down to read descriptions of the finance courses offered at Carthage, or click on these links for additional resources:
ACC 2010
Financial Accounting
4cr
An analysis of accounting, the language of business. Introduction to basic accounting theory, concepts, and practices emphasizing income measurement; study of the accounting cycle; and preparation of basic financial statements.
Fall/Spring
ACC 2020
Managerial Accounting
4cr
This course is focused on the objective of providing managers and other internal users in an organziation with information that improves decision-making and creates organizational value. Foundational concepts include the development of costs of products/ services for inventory valuation and profit computation as well as understanding cost behavior. Those functional concepts are then applied using critical thinking and analytical skills to three major activities of managers: planning, performance evaluation, and tactical decision-making. Methods and approaches that students will learn in those three areas of activity include (but are not limited to): budgeting; cost-volume-profit analysis; variance analysis, including identification of corrective action to improve performance; various differential analysis techniques, including make vs. buy and net present value method for evaluation capital investments.
Prerequisite: ACC 2010
Fall/Spring
ACC 3010
Intermediate Accounting I
4cr
A comprehensive, in-depth, analytical, and interpretive study of alternative accounting procedures for communicating financial and economic information, supported by critical evaluations of current issues and reporting practices. Students conduct a separate analysis of each of the major items appearing in corporate financial statements, with emphasis on theory and the logic involved in selecting one accounting or financial reporting approach over another.
Prerequisite: ACC 2010
Fall/Spring
BUS 4900
Business Policies Senior Seminar
4cr
Business Policies Seminar is a capstone course for seniors majoring in marketing, management, accounting, and finance. It is designed to allow students to integrate their knowledge from other Business Department curriculum and apply those insights in seminar discussion of current business topics and readings. Additionally, under the supervision of the instructor, all students will complete a Senior Thesis/Project fulfilling both the seminar requirement and the general college requirement. Senior Thesis/Project choices are determined by each student, presented to the instructor for approval, and completed over the course of the scheduled term.
Prerequisites: Senior standing, BUS/ECN 2340 or MGT 3100, and MGT 3120
Fall/Spring
ECN 1010
Principles of Microeconomics (SOC)
4cr
The rise and expansion of market economies, and the principles of microeconomic behavior. Topics include an introduction to economic methodologies, the ideas and institutions of the microeconomy, consumer behavior, the business firm and market structure, labor and capital markets, and government policies affecting resource allocation and the distribution of income.
Fall/Spring
ECN 1020
Principles of Macroeconomics (SOC)
4cr
An introduction to the principles and issues of the national economy, and the institutions of macroeconomic behavior. Topics include the role of government in a mixed market economy; measuring and determining national income; money and the banking system; and the public policies available for achieving full employment, price stability, and continuing economic growth in modern industrial and democratic societies.
Prerequisite: None
Fall/Spring
ECN/BUS 2340
Applied Statistics for Management and Economics (MTH)
4cr
The application of statistics to problems in business and economics, encompassing the gathering, organization, analysis, and presentation of data. Topics include descriptive statistics in tabular and graphical forms, the common measures of central tendency and dispersion, sampling and probability distributions, construction of confidence intervals and hypothesis testing, and correlation analysis. This course is offered as BUS 2340 or ECN 2340. Students who earned less than 20 on the math component of the ACT (or equivalent on the SAT) are encouraged to take a math class to strengthen their preparation for this class.
Fall/Spring
ECN 3340
Introduction to Econometrics (SOC)
4cr
Econometrics is a set of tools researchers use to estimate relationships between variables, test theories, and make forecasts, all using real-world data. Econometric analysis supports decision-making in public policy, business, the court system, and academia. This course provides a rigorous introduction to econometrics, with a particular emphasis on multiple regression analysis. Topics include formulating good research questions; estimating regression models using crosssection, time-series, and panel data; conducting hypothesis tests; and interpreting and critically evaluating published regression results.
Prerequisite: BUS/ECN 2340
Spring
FIN 2100
Microsoft Excel for Basic Business Applications
2cr
This course is for students from all majors who wish to attain proficiency in using Microsoft Excel for basic business applications. Students will learn the basic functionalities of Excel, including working with workbooks, worksheets, organizing and analyzing data, creating tables and charts to transform data into meaningful and useful information, and building models to solve practical problems. Integrated into the learning of Excel will be the review of foundational mathematical and statistical concepts. An additional fee is required for the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Excel certification exam.
Fall/Spring
FIN 3110
Intermediate Financial Modeling with MS Excel
4cr
This course focuses on creating financial models using Microsoft Excel to help solve common business problems. It covers the entire problem-solving process - problem identification, identifying data needs, model design, model construction, and model implementation. The model building process will address issues related to user interface, built-in error checking mechanisms, computational efficiency and effective reporting both on-screen and in print. Models which students will learn how to build will include loan amortization, discounted cash flow valuation, capital expenditure budgeting, entegrated financial statements, portfolio optimization, and Monte Carlo simulation models.
Prerequisites: FIN 2100 or ACC 3250
Spring
FIN 3200
Money and Banking (SOC)
4cr
A survey of the financial sector of the economy covering the role and functions of money and other financial instruments, commercial banks and financial intermediaries, the purposes of central banking and the structure and operations of the Federal Reserve, and the relationship between the monetary and credit system and the level of economic activity.
Prerequisite: ECN 1020 or ECN 1030
Spring
FIN 3210
Corporate Finance
4cr
This course introduces students to the framework and methodology employed in financial decision-making with a focus on three areas. First is an introduction to the financial markets and both investment and financing instruments available to corporations, nonprofits, and individuals. Second is the analysis of financial statements and learning how that information is used to make decisions about the target capital structure for a firm and the dividend policy that would support that capital structure. In the third area, students will learn how to evaluate business projects (capital budgeting) using financial criteria and different financing choices (capital structure) for these projects.
Prerequisites: ACC 2010 and either BUS/ECN 2340, MGT 3100, MTH 1050, or MTH 3050
Fall/Spring
FIN 3290
International Finance
4cr
This course examines the monetary side of international economics and globalization, including the current and historical structure of international financial institutions. Topics include exchange rate theories, monetary regimes, interest rates, asset pricing, risk diversification, the balance of payments, currency crises, and open-economy aspects of fiscal and monetary policies. Emphasis is given to the use of theories in understanding current events and policy issues.
Prerequisites: ECN 1010 and 1020, or ECN 1030
Fall/Spring
FIN 3500
Fixed Income Analysis
4cr
This course covers the major types of fixed-income securities that are available in today’s financial markets. Students will learn the distinguishing features of each type of fixed income security, how they are issued, traded, and valued in the markets. Students will learn how to identify and quantify various kinds of risk (e.g. interest rate risk and credit risk) that are associated with owning fixed-income securities. Students will learn how asset-backed securities (ABSs) are created through a process called securitization and how they are traded. The course will cover ABSs that are backed by assets such as home mortgages, car loans, and credit card loans. Students will also learn modern valuation techniques for fixed income securities, and how to manage a portfolio of fixed income securities, and how to manage a portfolio of fixed income securities.
Prerequisite: FIN 3210
Spring
FIN 3620
Real Estate Analysis
4cr
Nearly everyone will own real estate in their lifetime. Whether you wish to learn how to buy and value a house or duplex, develop a commercial property, or be able to develop a commercial lending real estate proposal, this course will help by examining real estate found in the surrounding community through multiple lenses.
FIN 3800
Trading the Financial Markets: Beyond the Theories and Myths
4cr
This course will introduce the students to the world of trading in the equity markets and their related equity options markets, as well as trading in the futures markets. The focus will be on markets that are available on the U.S. exchanges and through brokerages. Students will learn how to use the tools of technical and fundamental analysis. Students will gain proficiency in using a commercially available trading/investment platform with live data feeds, both for market analysis and simulation trade execution. Students will learn risk management techniques and how to develop a sound trade plan.
FIN 4050
Security Analysis and Portfolio Management
4cr
In this course students employ modern portfolio theory to analyze securities using technical and fundamental analyses, for individual equity securities, and in the context of a diversified portfolio. Students will gain hands-on experience managing multimillion-dollar portfolios using live data feeds, and constructing interactive portfolio allocation models using Microsoft Excel.
Prerequisite: FIN 3210
MGT 3100
Introduction to Business Analytics
4cr
A survey of the mathematical models of Management Science and Operations Research (such as linear programming, queuing theory, decision analysis, and simulation) applied to managerial decisionmaking.
Prerequisites: BUS/ECN 2340, SWK 2330, GEO 2900, MTH 1050, or MTH 3050 and sophomore standing or higher.
MGT 3120
Principles of Management
4cr
This course prepares students for future leadership roles and positions in management. The course’s main focus is directed toward the behavioral aspects of work cultures and to the development of an effective philosophy and strategy for successful management performance in the 21st century. Topics include the changing workplace; the social, ethical, and legal issues in management; cross-cultural awareness; self-awareness; planning and decision-making; project management; motivation; and leading/ working in teams.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
Fall/Spring
MGT 3600
Legal Environment of Business
4cr
This is an introductory, general survey course of American legal principles and their application to the business world. Students will develop an understanding of the legal system, the litigation process, and the ethical considerations attendant to making important business decisions. Areas of study will include contracts, torts, property, business organization, employment law, discrimination, crimes, the Constitution, and the regulatory process. Oral and written analysis of case law will be utilized to help students appreciate, understand, and explain multiple points of view regarding the legal environment of business.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing
Fall/Spring
MTH 1050
Elementary Statistics (MTH)
4cr
Methods of determining averages, variability, hypothesis testing, correlation, and of testing the significance of the statistics, prediction, and distribution-free statistics. A student may not receive credit for Elementary Statistics after receiving credit for any other statistics course. Fall/Spring
MTH 3050
Statistics (MTH)
4cr
Data collection and analysis; continuous and discrete distributions, central limit theorem, sampling theory, confidence intervals and estimation theory, regression analysis and correlation including multiple linear regression models and hypothesis testing and confidence intervals in regression models, chisquare test of independence and other nonparametric statistical tests, time series models and forecasting, linear time series models, moving average and autoregressive models, estimation, data analysis, index numbers, forecasting with time series models, forecasting errors and confidence intervals, and application of statistics to significant realworld data.
Prerequisites: MTH 1050 and MTH 1220 or instructor approval
Spring of odd-numbered years