Department of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate

The Department of Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate offers the Finance major and the Finance major with a concentration in Real Estate and minors in Business Finance, Banking and Financial Services, Real Estate and Risk Management, Financial Planning and Insurance. The Department curriculum provides basic concepts, principles and analytical tools essential for business decisions and affords a broad background for effective functioning within each FIR discipline.

Finance majors study the social, economic, regulatory environment, and the theory and techniques of decisions on business firms, including the applied areas of investment, financial institutions, real estate, and risk management and insurance. Finance majors also are strongly encouraged to take FIR 1220 - Personal Financial Management during their first two years of study. FIR 1220 - Personal Financial Management is available to be taken by high school students through the University’s dual enrollment program. Program objectives for the B.B.A. in Finance are found at https://www.memphis.edu/finance/programs/index.php.

Professional Certificates: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute, the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board Approval, and Professional Real Estate

The Department offers three undergraduate Certificate Programs verifying that each certificate holder possesses initial understanding of topics included in the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program Candidate Body of Knowledge has completed coursework covering all 72 topics tested on the Certified Financial Planner, CFP®, Certification Exam or has completed all course requirements for the Professional Real Estate Certificate.

The worldwide headquarters of both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and the Institute the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board have admitted the Finance curriculum into its recognized academic programs. This recognition indicates that the Financial Planner Certificate holder meets all 72 educational topic requirements to sit for the CFP exam. The Financial Analyst Certificate indicates that certificate holders have covered at least 70% of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge, positioning them to apply to sit for the CFA exam. Finance majors are encouraged to take one or both of these advanced financial literacy certifications and to sit for each of these licensing exams.

Financial Analyst Certificate

Students wishing to receive the Financial Analyst Certificate must take: FIR 3410, 3710, 3720, 4730 and any two of the following: FIR 4331, 4721, 4770, 4911 (internship with a CFA charter holder member). When an appropriate upper-division FIR class is not available, an alternative is to take FIR 4910 (Independent Study in Finance) under the supervision of a faculty member approved by the department chair. Classes taken in conjunction with the Financial Analyst Certificate may count for credit for any students in the B.B.A. Finance major.

Students qualifying for the Financial Analyst Undergraduate Certificate are required to receive a minimum of a B grade in each of the above classes. It is incumbent upon each student to provide his or her qualifications to the department chair in order to receive the certificate. The certificate is issued by the Department of Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate and is not posted on the student’s transcript.

Financial Planner Certificate

The CFP® Certification Education Program Undergraduate Certificate (Financial Planner Certificate) allows students to petition the CFP board regarding his or her completion of the CFP Board Educational Requirements and to sit for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) exam. Students wishing to receive the Financial Planner Certificate must successfully pass: FIR 3410, 3710, 4011, 4620, 4870, and ACCT 3510. The Financial Planner Certificate is issued by the Department of Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate and is not posted on the student’s transcript. The classes taken under this certificate program may also count as credit for any finance major.

Qualifications for either the Financial Analyst Certificate or the CFP® Certification Education Program Certificate (Financial Planner Certificate) may be met in either the FIR undergraduate programs or the FIR graduate programs.

Professional Real Estate Certificate

A Professional Real Estate Certificate is designed for students who desire careers in real estate or for the real estate professional seeking continuing education. It consists of six required courses (18 hours): FIR 3310, 3410, 4310, 4320, 4340, and 4350. This program is independent of any University of Memphis degree program. No transfer credit will be accepted for these six courses. For non-business degree students, there are no prerequisites required. These classes are available on campus and online.

Programs

Major

Minor

Accelerated Bachelor/Masters

Finance major and Finance major with Real Estate Concentration (Accelerated B.B.A/M.S)