The finance major at Santa Clara University will prepare you for success in making and managing financial decisions.
You will learn not only the theory of finance, but the practice of finance in the real world. We will teach you how to apply the skills you learn to meet the ever-increasing complexity and demands of today's industry. Keeping with the university's Jesuit tradition, as a finance major you will examine how ethics and finance shape each other; and the role you, as a future business leader, will play in this process.
You can also minor in Real Estate through the finance department. Real estate is critical in maintaining the economic vitality of Silicon Valley and improving the standard of living. With an increasing need for accommodation of both residential and commercial real estate services for young generations, new home buyers, entrepreneurs, and immigrants, Silicon Valley is confronted with the challenge of offering affordable housing and support for social facilities and organizations - challenges that can only be solved with the resources and competence of the real estate industry. Real estate minor provides undergraduate students from across the university opportunities to develop fundamental skills that can help them create and lead real estate companies to tackle these challenges.
Major Requirements (For Cohorts 2013-2023)
All students wishing to major in finance through the Leavey School of Business must complete both the University core curriculum requirements and the Leavey School of Business core requirements for the bachelor of science in commerce. In addition, students must complete the following departmental requirements:
| Course | Units | Description |
| FNCE 124 | 5 Units | Investments |
| FNCE 125 | 5 Units | Corporate Financial Policy |
| 4 upper-division finance electives | Excluding FNCE 118, 127, 129 and 131 |
All students wishing to major in finance through the Leavey School of Business must complete both the University core curriculum requirements and the Leavey School of Business core requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Commerce. In addition, students must complete the following departmental requirements:
| Course | Units | Description |
| FNCE 124 | 5 Units | Investments |
| FNCE 125 | 5 Units | Corporate Financial Policy |
|
Choose one of the following: Math 12, 31, or FNCE 186 |
4-5 Units |
Calculus & Analytic Geometry II, Calculus for Business II, Applying Financial Models to Financial Data |
| 4 upper-division finance electives* |
*Excluding FNCE 118, FNCE 127, FNCE 129, and FNCE 131. FNCE 186 also qualifies as one of the four upper-division finance electives.
|
Real Estate Minor
Real Estate minor allows undergraduate students from across the university to develop fundamental skills that enable them to support, create, and lead real estate companies. Many disciplines contribute to this truly multidisciplinary field, which embodies the financing, acquisition, development, and ongoing management of real estate. The curriculum is designed to provide students across various disciplines, both within and outside of the business school, the opportunity to explore how to leverage their academic field of expertise in the world of real estate.
*To ensure completion of the minor, it is strongly recommended that students begin the program in their Sophomore year and no later than the beginning of their Junior year.
Given the truly interdisciplinary nature of this minor, students must crosscheck current pre-requisite information for each of the classes below with the University Bulletin and the respective academic departments.
All Real Estate minors must take the following core requirements:
- FNCE 118 - Real Estate Principles
At least one course from:
- FNCE 127 - Introduction to Real Estate Transactions*
- FNCE 129 - Real Estate Development*
*Students who take both FNCE 127 & FNCE 129 can use the second class toward fulfilling their Real Estate Minor elective requirement.
All Real Estate minors must take the following elective requirements:
- Business School Students must complete 3 electives.
- Non-Business School Students must complete 4 electives.**
** Non-Business School Students who have taken the following foundational business courses: BUSN 70, ACTG 11/A, and FNCE 121, need only take 3 electives.
Primary Elective List:
Students may select all of their electives from the Primary Elective List, or they may add at most one elective from the Secondary List.
- FNCE 128 -Real Estate Finance
- FNCE 131 - Real Estate Law
- ECON 156 -Real Estate Economics
- ENVS 116 - Introduction to GIS
- ENVS 128 - Urban and Environmental Planning
- CENG 118 - Introduction to Construction Management
- CENG 119 - Design for Sustainable Construction / Sustainable Real Estate
Secondary Elective List
Students may use at most one of the following courses toward their Real Estate minor.
- CENG 128 - Engineering Project Management
- FNCE 143 - Entrepreneurial Finance
- OMIS 114 - Data Science with Python
- OMIS 115 - Predictive Analytics
- OMIS 116 - Applied Machine Learning
- OMIS 118 - Social Media Analytics
- MKTG 189 - Sustainability Marketing
Note for Finance Majors: FNCE 118, FNCE 127, FNCE 129 and FNCE 131 do not count toward the upper-division elective for finance majors.
Note for Non-Business Majors : FNCE 127 and FNCE 129 extensively use Excel, particularly in making time-value calculations relevant for the assessment of real estate development and transactions (e.g., PV, FV, NPV, IRR, etc.). Many of these functions are introduced in FNCE 118, but students should keep in mind that FNCE 127 and FNCE 129 will place much greater emphasis on the use of Excel to complete individual and group assignments. Although OMIS 15 (Intro to Spreadsheets) is not a prerequisite to these courses, students who feel less comfortable with Excel should reach out to instructors in advance for recommendations on remedial work to ensure a successful experience.
How to Apply:
Fill out the online Program Petition Form on the Office of the Registrar Forms page. Students will receive an email when the program petition form is approved by the academic department and sent to the Office of the Registrar.
Under the legacy requirements (prior to 2022), all Real Estate minors must complete the following:
- FNCE 118 - Prerequisites: Sophomore Standing or Above or ACTG 11 (business majors) / ACTG 11A (non-business majors)
- Four courses from:
- FNCE 127 (Prerequisites FNCE 118)
- FNCE 128 (Prerequisites FNCE 121 or 121S)
- FNCE 129 (Prerequisites FNCE 118)
- FNCE 143 (Prerequisites FNCE 121 or 121S)
- ECON 156 (Prerequisites ECON 3, OMIS 41 or ECON 41 & ECON 42
- ENVS 128
Non-business students minoring in Real Estate must also complete the following requirements:
- FNCE 121 (Prerequisites ACTG 11A & OMIS 40 or Math 8)
- ACTG 11A (non-business majors)
- BUSN 70 or BUSN 170
*Note for finance majors: FNCE 118, 127 and 129 will not meet upper-division elective requirements for the finance major.
How to Apply:
Fill out the online Program Petition Form on the Office of the Registrar Forms page. Students will receive an email when the program petition form is approved by the academic department and sent to the Office of the Registrar.
For Legacy Real Estate minors who would like to change to the 2022 requirements, please email the Finance Department with your request.