Finance（B.S.）

Knowledge and Skills

The B.S. in Finance program includes pivotal sectors such as corporate finance, asset pricing, and international finance. This major is thoughtfully designed to ensure a robust knowledge foundation, not only focusing on essential elements like mathematical finance and econometrics but also encompassing key aspects of the financial sphere. These include investment analysis, portfolio management, financial derivatives, and the intricacies of international financial products and markets. The curriculum also extends to include disciplines integral to finance, such as principles of management, information technology, microeconomics, and macroeconomics. This comprehensive program is tailored to cultivate students’ skills in analyzing, processing, strategizing, and forecasting within the dynamic realm of modern financial challenges.

The program combines theory and practice, offering access to Bloomberg Labs and WRDS as part of its core finance curriculum. This allows students to stay updated on global financial trends, master Bloomberg terminals and University of Pennsylvania’s research database, and gain practical data analysis experience. Consequently, our graduates are well-equipped, holding a competitive edge over peers who lack these experiences.

The B.S. in Finance program achieved recognition as a First-Class Discipline construction project in Zhejiang Province in 2015. By 2019, it had been selected as a Provincial First-Class undergraduate program development project. In 2020, several courses, including financial derivatives, microeconomics, principles of accounting I and II, and management information systems, were distinguished as top-rated courses in Zhejiang Province. In 2023, the Business School was honored with accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an accolade that is awarded to only the top 5% of business schools worldwide. This represents a significant affirmation of the quality of our courses and the caliber of our faculty. The program uniquely incorporates Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) certificate within its core financial courses. Additionally, our finance program is privileged to have access to WRDS, positioning us among the select 29 universities in mainland China with access to this esteemed University of Pennsylvania research database.

The B.S. in Finance is designed to develop skilled experts and leaders in the finance industry. The program provides students with an in-depth understanding of financial systems, international financial market structures, and their operational mechanisms. Students are guided through the essentials of economics and international finance, equipping them with the knowledge to master relevant policies and regulations for both domestic and international trade. They are trained to apply modern financial theories and both qualitative and quantitative methods to real-world financial challenges. Our program emphasizes nurturing students’ analytical skills, critical thinking, and innovative thinking. Graduates from our program will have a comprehensive understanding of the globalization process, covering economic, technological, legal, social, and other relevant aspects. They emerge as highly competent professionals, ready for advanced roles in research, development, application, and evaluation of financial products in various sectors, including banking, securities, insurance, funds, and trust leasing companies.

The Business School encourages the full utilization of multidisciplinary educational resources to expand students' developmental directions. For example, students are provided with the opportunity to minor in economics, thereby broadening their knowledge base and enhancing their future employability.

Program Faculty

Jianing Zhang

Coordinator of Finance
Kwami Hope Quao

Lecturer of Finance
Cagri Onuk

Assistant Professor of Finance

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Career Prospects

The finance sector is experiencing rapid growth both domestically and internationally. Presently, there is a significant demand for finance professionals, particularly those with a global outlook and international experience. Students at WKU have the opportunity to participate in exchange programs with Kean University in the United States, an experience instrumental in cultivating an international vision and fostering a global mindset. Kean University, located just a 30-minute drive from Manhattan’s Financial Center, maintains robust cooperative relationships with numerous financial institutions on Wall Street in New York. This proximity allows for the full utilization of resource advantages, enhancing practical training in teaching practices, and providing WKU students with internship opportunities at renowned financial institutions abroad. Graduates of this program receive a Kean USA degree in finance, internationally recognized and highly valued across universities. This degree offers substantial support for students aspiring to pursue postgraduate studies abroad, especially at prestigious colleges and universities in the United States.

Career Opportunities: Graduates can pursue careers in a range of financial organizations including banks, funds, securities firms, futures companies, financial leasing companies, and asset management companies. Opportunities also exist in government agencies, various institutions, and entrepreneurial ventures.

Further Education: More than 60% of Finance graduates choose to pursue further studies abroad; most of them enter the top 50 universities in the world. Some of the students choose to take Chinese postgraduate entrance exams who have now been admitted to prestigious domestic universities, such as the Peking University and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

Selected Graduate Schools:

Columbia University	University of Pennsylvania	University of Chicago
Cornell University	Duke University	University of California at Berkeley
Johns Hopkins University	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	University of Toronto
Washington University in St. Louis	University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign	Brown University
University College London, UK	University of Edinburgh, UK	Nanyang Technological University
University of Hong Kong	Peking University	…