Entry Requirements
To Declare or Maintain the FIEC BS major, a Student Must:
- Complete ECON 311, ECON 312, and ECON 374 with Cs or better. There may be NO third attempts for any of those three courses.
- Have a GPA of 2.5 or higher across ECON 311, ECON 312, and ECON 374
- Have an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher
FIEC students attempting ECON 311, 312, or 374 a third time will be required first to switch their major as a condition of their enrollment clearance.
Students whose GPA drops below a 2.5, or who have GPA below 2.5 across ECON 311, 312, and 374, will be recommended to switch their major.
A note to students switching to an ECON BA: the BA in Economics also requires the completion of ECON 311 and 312 with a C or better.
Careers in Financial Economics
Program Requirements (pdf)
The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Financial Economics consists of at least 60 credits distributed as described below. A grade of “C” or better is required in each course to fulfill major requirements. Students must take a minimum of 21 credits from UMBC (not transferred) ECON courses. Students may complete a maximum of one major or minor from Economics.
Please note: The online course catalog contains the official listing of program requirements and takes precedence over information posted on this site. Should you discover a discrepancy between the online catalog and any information posted here, please contact the department.
I. General Core: 40-42 credits
- ECON 101 – Principles of Microeconomics
- ECON 102 – Principles of Macroeconomics
- ECON 121 – Principles of Accounting I
- ECON 122 – Principles of Accounting II
- ECON 311 – Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis (Note: Calculus is a prereq.)
- ECON 312 – Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis (Note: Calculus is a prereq.)
- ECON 374 – Fundamentals of Financial Management
- Core: Economics. Students must complete one of the following courses. Additional classes taken from this area will count as Upper Level Econ Electives.
- ECON 320 – Elements of Quantitative Methods for Management
- ECON 421 Econometrics
- ECON 423 Economic Forecasting
- Core: Computer Science. Students must complete one of the following courses:
- COMP 101 – Computational Thinking and Design
- CMSC 104 – Problem Solving and Computer Programming
- CMSC 201 – Computer Science I for Majors
- IS 101 – Introduction to Computer-Based Systems
- IS 125 – Information Systems Logic and Structured Design
- IS 147 – Introduction to Computer Programming
- IS 295 – Intermediate Business Applications
- Core: Statistics. Students must complete one of the following courses:
- ECON 310 — Data Analysis for Economics
- STAT 350 – Statistics with Applications in the Biological Sciences
- STAT 351 – Applied Statistics for Business and Economics
- STAT 355 – Introduction to Probability and Statistics for Scientists and Engineers
- STAT 453 – Introduction to Mathematical Statistics OR CMPE 320 – Probability, Statistics, and Random Processes
- Core: Mathematics. Students must complete one of the following courses:
- MATH 151 – Calculus and Analytic Geometry I
- MATH 155 – Applied Calculus
- Core Economics & Mathematics. Students must complete one of the following courses:
- ECON 490 – Analytic Methods in Economics
- MATH 152 – Calculus and Analytic Geometry II
- MATH 221 – Introduction to Linear Algebra
- MATH 215 – Finite Mathematics for Information Science
- Core Philosophy & Management. Students must complete one of the following courses:
- PHIL 248 – Scientific Reasoning
- PHIL 346 – Deductive Systems
- CMSC 203 – Discrete Structures
- PHIL 253 – Business Ethics
- PHIL 350 – Ethical Theory
- MGMT 385 – Business Ethics
II. Financial Economics Core: 12 credits
Students may choose any four of the following courses, with a maximum of three credits from ECON 410. *ECON 471 OR ECON 475 must be included as one of the four courses.
- ECON 301 – Intermediate Accounting
- ECON 410 – Topics in Financial Economics
- ECON 453 – Household Economics
- ECON 463 – Theory of Public Finance
- *ECON 471 — Financial Markets and Institutions
- ECON 472 – Monetary Theory and Policy
- ECON 474 – Cases in Corporate Finance
- *ECON 475 – Financial Investment Analysis
- ECON 476 – Portfolio Analysis and Management
- ECON 477 – Analysis of Derivative Securities
- ECON 478 – Real Estate Economics and Finance
- ECON 479 – Venture Capital Markets
- ECON 482 – International Finance
III. Upper-Level Economics Electives: 9 credits
Students must complete 9 additional credits in ECON numbered 314 or higher. Students may use any upper-level ECON courses listed in the General Core or the Financial Economics Core as upper-level ECON electives provided the courses are not used to meet the requirements of the respective core.
A maximum of two of the following courses may be substituted for upper-level economics elective courses:
- ECON 302 – Intermediate Accounting II
- ECAC 329 – Cost Accounting
- ECAC 330 – Principles of Taxation
- CMSC 202 – Computer Science II for Majors
- CMSC 331 – Principles of Programming Language
- CMSC 341 – Data Structures
- IS 247 – Computer Programming II
- IS 320 – Advanced Business Applications
- MATH 225 – Introduction to Differential Equations
- MATH 251 – Multivariable Calculus
- MATH 302 – Introduction to Mathematical Analysis II
- MATH 341 – Computational Methods
- MATH 381 – Linear Methods in Operations Research
- STAT 417 – Introduction to Time Series Data Analysis
- STAT 433 – Statistical Computing
- STAT 453 – Introduction to Mathematical Statistics
- STAT 454 – Applied Statistics
- POLI 353 – Governmental Budgeting and Financial Administration
No course in which the students have earned a grade below “C” shall meet the requirements for the major.
Note: The requirements below are for students who began higher education in or after Fall 2004. If you began higher education before Fall 2004 you can follow the requirements in effect at that time. The primary differences are that after Fall 2004 ECON 374 is a general core requirement, and ECON 471 or ECON 475 must be included as a Part II Financial Economics core requirement.