Concentration in Finance

Catalog Year 2026-2027 | Sample 4-Year Schedule


BS in Business (Concentration in Finance) 

The 4-year degree plan offers a semester-by-semester roadmap of suggested courses designed to facilitate a 4-year graduation path. While this plan serves as a helpful guide, it is not mandatory to follow it strictly. Students should meet with an academic advisor to ensure they remain on track for a timely degree completion.

First Year – Semester 1 (Fall) 

Courses   Credits
ECON 103 Microeconomics   3
BUS 103 Professional Skills I   3
ENGH 101* (or 100) Composition   3 (or 4)
Arts*    3
General Elective    3
(MATH 008 self-paced tutorial if needed)   (0)
  Semester Credits: 15
  Cumulative Credits: 15

First Year – Semester 2 (Spring) 

Courses   Credits
MATH 108* Intro Calc: Business App.   3
COMM 101* Fund. Of Communication   3
BUS 100* Business and Society    3
ECON 104 Macroeconomics    3
General Elective    3
  Semester Credits: 15
  Cumulative Credits: 30

Second Year – Semester 3 (Fall) 

Courses   Credits
ACCT 203 Survey of Accounting   3
BUS 200* Global Environment of Business   3
BUS 210* Business Analytics I    3
Non-Laboratory Science*    3
Literature*    3
  Semester Credits: 15
  Cumulative Credits: 45

Second Year – Semester 4 (Spring) 

Courses   Credits
FNAN 303 Financial Management   3
MKTG 303 Principles of Marketing   3
BUS 310 Business Analytics II    3
HIST 125* Introduction to Global History    3
General Elective    3
  Semester Credits: 15
  Cumulative Credits: 60

Third Year – Semester 5 (Fall) 

Courses   Credits
ACCT 303 Accounting for Decision Making   3
FNAN 311 Principles of Investment**   3
MIS 303* Management Info Systems   3
ENGH 302* (Business section suggested)   3
General Elective   3
  Semester Credits: 15
  Cumulative Credits: 75

Third Year – Semester 6 (Spring) 

Courses   Credits
FNAN 321 Financial Institutions**   3
FNAN Elective   3
BULE 303 Legal Environment of Business   3
BUS 303 Professional Skills II   3
OSCM 303 Operations Management   3
  Semester Credits: 15
  Cumulative Credits: 90

Fourth Year – Semester 7 (Fall) 

Courses   Credits
FNAN 341 Intro to Firm Valuation**   3
FNAN Elective   3
MGMT 303 Principles of Management   3
General Elective   3
General Elective   3
  Semester Credits: 15
  Cumulative Credits: 105

Fourth Year – Semester 8 (Spring) 

Courses   Credits
FNAN Writing Intensive Requirement***   3
FNAN Elective   3
BUS 498* Business Capstone   3
Laboratory Science*   4
General Elective   2
  Semester Credits: 15
  Cumulative Credits: 120

*See MASON CORE on back on page

**Students choose 3 of 4 required courses: FNAN 311, FNAN 321, FNAN 341, and FNAN 401

*** FNAN 498 RS: Contemporary Topics or FNAN 477 Student Managed Investment


FNAN Electives

Course Course Information
FNAN 311 Principles of Investment (if not taken as ** above)
FNAN 321 Financial Institutions (if not taken as ** above)
FNAN 341 Intro to Firm Valuation (if not taken as ** above)
FNAN 351 Principles of Real Estate
FNAN 401 Advanced Financial Management (if not taken as ** above)
FNAN 411 Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management
FNAN 412 Futures & Options Markets
FNAN 421 Money & Capital Markets
FNAN 430 Empirical Methods in Finance
FNAN 431 Venture Capital & Private Finance of Startups
FNAN 432 Fixed-Income Securities
FNAN 436 Probability Methods in Finance
FNAN 440 International Financial Management
FNAN 441 Advanced Topics in Firm Valuation
FNAN 444 Sustainable and ESG Investments
FNAN 451 Real Estate Finance
FNAN 454 Real Estate Development
FNAN 462 Honors Seminar in Finance
FNAN 472 Fintech and Blockchain in Finance
FNAN 477 Student Managed Investment (If not taken as *** above)
FNAN 483 Ethical and Professional Standards
FNAN 491 Special Topics in Finance
FNAN 498 RS: Contemporary Topics in Finance (If not taken as *** above)
FNAN 499 Independent Study
FNAN 492 Internship in Finance

Costello College of Business Policies

Minimum Grade 

  • All Costello College of Business Courses require a minimum grade of C. 

  • Finance and Financial Planning and Wealth Management concentrations are required to earn a B- or higher in FNAN 303 

Termination Policy 

  • Students who do not earn a C or higher in three attempts of College of Business Foundations and Core courses will be terminated from the College of Business. Students terminated from the College of Business are prohibited from enrolling in any College of Business course and will not be eligible to receive a degree from the College of Business. The full termination policy is detailed within the catalog. 


*MASON CORE 

  • The Mason Core is George Mason’s general education program that builds the foundation for The Mason Graduate. All undergraduates seeking a baccalaureate degree must complete Mason Core requirements