Finance
Whether you want to turn your investment hobby into a career, help families plan for retirement and college dreams, work with local entrepreneurs or even a corporation in Japan, St. Ambrose University has a remarkable program to help you achieve your goals.
Our graduates work at Deere and Company, Caterpillar, Merrill Lynch, Ameriprise Financial, Inc., and various regional and national corporations.
Ambrose Advantages
- High Quality and Fully Accredited Program
- Education Catered to Your Career Path
- Solid Focus on Finance and Business
At St. Ambrose, you get immersive financial and business experiences, gain highly-developed analytic skills, and a broad-based liberal arts education. This gives you the winning edge to compete in a fast-paced global environment.
2016-17 Year in Review
Here's a look back at all we've accomplished!
More Information on the Finance Program
All finance majors take classes in economics, general business, marketing, and management which include core courses such as investing in global markets, corporate finance, and financial institutions. You can choose from a list of electives, including entrepreneurial finance, estate planning, and wealth management.
Then, you get to choose a concentration based on your intended career path, and we cater the rest of your education to your specific goals. SAU offers courses in the following concentrations: corporate finance, entrepreneurial, financial analyst, financial planning, and financial investment.
You also get to complete a capstone project, which allows you to dive even deeper into your intended field. And, we strongly encourage you to complete an internship. You will get hands-on, real experience in business and finance, and have the opportunity to earn credits as you do.
Our undergraduate finance program is fully accredited by the ACBSP, and you will learn from some of the best minds in business and finance. More than 85% of full-time College of Business faculty members have doctoral degrees, and most have professional work experience in the fields they teach. They are noted for their drive to continually educate themselves.
As an SAU Finance major, you get an education that is highly relevant today and will help you succeed in the future, too.
Finance majors have many career options, including asset manager, financial analyst, financial planner, investment banker, portfolio manager, stockbroker, credit analysts, corporate controller or treasurer, or real estate manager for a financial institution. Graduates can also pursue careers in local, state, and federal government and nonprofit organizations.
Many SAU graduates continue their education and pursue higher degrees in economics or finance, and a number have also gone to law school.Our graduates are in high demand. In a recent survey, 97% of SAU College of Business graduates said they were employed full- or part-time, in graduate school, continuing their education, or weren't seeking employment at the time.
You also get to complete a capstone project, which allows you to dive even deeper into your intended field. And, we strongly encourage you to complete an internship. You will get hands-on, real experience in business and finance, and have the opportunity to earn credits as you do. Our Career Center will help find the internship that's right for you.
- Jacob Schertz '12 is a consultant at FTI Consulting in Chicago
- John Isit '16 works in Des Moines, Iowa, as a risk advisory services consulting associate at RSM U.S. LLP.
- Jacob Foecke '12 double-majored in Finance and Accounting and is an accountant for Quality Plus Feeds in Southeast Iowa.
Take advantage of an internship. It's one of the best ways to get real-world experience, a network of contacts, work samples for your portfolio, and a list of professional references. You can get up to three hours of academic credit, and it's not uncommon for Ambrose interns to be paid for their efforts and contributions.
The College of Business has strong relationships with companies and organizations throughout region, which gives you many opportunities. SAU finance majors have served as interns at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Boy Scouts of America, First National Bank, Modern Woodmen of America, and Morgan Stanley.
Our Career Center will help you find an internship and as you prepare to graduate, they offer job assistance too.
You can join the Finance Club. This organization is a community of your student peers and promotes finance/investment related activities, holds seminars, organizes social events, raises funds, invites guest speakers and alumni, and arranges an annual trip to the Chicago Board of Options Exchange.
Read what Finance Club members said about the most recent trip to the CBOE.
You've heard people say it before: "College will be the greatest time of your life!" With Study Abroad, you can add even more to your college years.
You can study in another country in a semester-long or short-term study abroad program (with a few offered during spring and winterim breaks). No matter the duration, these trips deepen your professional education while earning credit toward graduation.
There are also opportunities through an exchange program, an overseas internship, or volunteering. The limits for Study Abroad are only ones you set for yourself! SAU students have studied in Italy, Costa Rica, Australia, Korea, United Kingdom, Spain, Ecuador, Japan, Germany, Peru, Cyprus, Croatia, Belize, Canada, Chile, and more.
SAU students returning from their Study Abroad locations talk about their time away as life-changing - personally, emotionally, culturally, and academically. Click here to search our Study Abroad programs, and for general information click here.
Art Moreau, PhD, Professor and Chair
Xiaowei Liu, PhD, Professor
Imtiaz Mazumder, PhD, Assoc. Professor
Liquan Wang, PhD, Assoc. Professor
Degree Requirements
Required:
Financial Core (12 credits)
FNCE 311 Investments in a Global Environment
FNCE 312 Corporate Finance
FNCE 313 Financial Institutions
FNCE 420 CapstoneElectives (Choose 12 credits)
FNCE 411 Derivatives
FNCE 412 Entrepreneurial Finance
FNCE 413 Estate Planning and Wealth Management
FNCE 414 Fixed Income
FNCE 415 Insurance and Risk Management
FNCE 416 Corporate Financial Issues and the Company Life Cycle
FNCE 417 Topics in Finance
Finance Majors have the option of choosing one of five career streams: Corporate, Entrepreneurial, Financial Analyst, Financial Planning, and Investment. Coupling one of these concentrated areas of study allows the student to learn industry specifics for their intended career path.
Corporate Finance: Complete Accounting Major plus FNCE 311; FNCE 312; FNCE 313; FNCE 412 or FNCE 416; FNCE 420
Entrepreneurial Stream: Complete Entrepreneurship Minor plus FNCE 311, FNCE 312, FNCE 313, FNCE 412, FNCE 413, two additional electives, and FNCE 420
Financial Analyst Stream: FNCE 311, FNCE 312, FNCE 313, FNCE 411, FNCE 413, FNCE 414, ECON 447 or FNCE 416, FNCE 420. Business Economics major recommended
Financial Planning Stream: FNCE 311, FNCE 312, FNCE 313, FNCE 412, FNCE 413, FNCE 415, ECON 316, and FNCE 420
Investment Stream: FNCE 311, FNCE 312, FNCE 313, FNCE 411, FNCE 414, two additional electives, and FNCE 420
This is the suggested plan of study to graduate in four years with a degree in Finance.
This plan assumes the student has taken three years of foreign language in high school.
Year One
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACCT 201 Financial Accounting | 3 | ACCT 202 Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| Catholic Intellectual Tradition | 3 | Catholic Intellectual Tradition | 3 |
| COMM | 3 | ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ENGL 101 English Composition | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| STBE 137 Quantitative Methods in Business | 3 | MKTG 209 Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| IL 101 Information Literacy | 1 | KIN 149 Wellness Concepts | 1 |
| Total | 16 | Total | 16 |
Year Two
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| BUS 201 Legal Environment of Business | 3 | FNCE 300 Principles of Finance | 3 |
| ECON 201 Principles of Microeconomics | 3 | STBE 237 Stats for Bus. and Econ. | 3 |
| Liberal Arts | 3 | Catholic Intellectual Tradition | 3 |
| MGMT 210 Principles of Management | 3 | Creative Arts | 2 |
| Science+Lab | 4 | KIN Alternative | 1-2 |
| Humanities | 3 | ||
| Total | 16 | Total | 15-16 |
Year Three
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| FNCE 311 Investments in a Global Environment | 3 | Electives | 9 |
| Electives | 6 | FNCE 313 Financial Institutions | 3 |
| FINCE 312 Corporate Finance | 3 | FNCE Elective | 3 |
| PHIL 305 Business Ethics | 3 | ||
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 |
Year Four
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| FNCE Electives | 6 | FNCE 420 Capstone | 3 |
| INTL 400 | 1 | Electives | 9 |
| MGMT 449 Strategic Management & Policy | 3 | FNCE Elective | 3 |
| Total | 16 | Total | 15 |
Scholarships and Grants
For academic/merit-based awards, eligible students are matched to the qualifying award; some of them are listed below.
For need-based support, eligibility is determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The SAU school code is 001889.
You may also qualify for a scholarship or grant due to your talent in the fine arts or athletics, contact the Admissions Office so we can help be sure you're getting what you need. (You're also encouraged to seek outside scholarships and begin that search early.)
Amounts are for first-year students entering St. Ambrose in the 2020-21 academic year.
There is no need to apply for the scholarships or grants below; students automatically are eligible if they meet specific criteria. The Admissions Office calculates the award amount by using unweighted high school GPA and ACT/SAT scores*.
Your scholarship will automatically renew each year of your undergraduate studies, for up to four years, as long as you maintain satisfactory progress toward an undergraduate degree, a minimum 2.0 GPA, and remain a full-time student.
FOR STUDENTS LIVING ON CAMPUS
On Campus (Merit-Based Scholarships)
Ambrose Advantage Scholarships
Criteria: Iowa resident, Pell Grant eligible, 2020 high school graduate, min. unweighted GPA 2.8, admitted to SAU and FAFSA filed by Mar. 15
Award: Full Tuition
Trustee Scholarships
Criteria: unweighted 3.9 GPA and minimum 29 ACT or 1340 SAT score
Award: $25,000/year and invited to compete for a full tuition scholarship
Presidential Scholarships
Criteria: minimum unweighted 3.8 GPA and 28 ACT or 1310 SAT score
Award: $22,500/year
Academic Scholarships
Criteria: based on unweighted GPA and ACT/SAT score
Award: $14,000-$20,000/year
University Grants
Criteria: based on unweighted GPA and ACT/SAT score
$12,000/year
On Campus (Additional Institutional Scholarships)
Fr. Welch Alumni Scholarships
Criteria: parent is a St. Ambrose graduate
Award: $1,000/year
Freeman Pollard Diversity Awards
Criteria: ethnically diverse student; FAFSA required. Additional aid available.
Award: $1,000/year on campus
FOR STUDENTS LIVING OFF CAMPUS
Off Campus (Merit-Based Scholarships)
Academic Scholarships
Criteria: based on unweighted GPA and ACT/SAT score
Award: $12,000-$15,000/year (Iowa resident) or $13,000-16,000/year (non-Iowa resident)
University Grants
Criteria: based on unweighted GPA and ACT/SAT score
Award: $10,000/year
Off-Campus (Additional Institutional Scholarships)
Fr. Welch Alumni Scholarships
Criteria: parent is a St. Ambrose graduate
Award: $500/year
Freeman Pollard Diversity Awards
Criteria: ethnically diverse student; FAFSA required. Additional aid available.
Award: $500/year
*While St. Ambrose University has a Test-Optional admissions policy, standardized test scores are required for admission to specific programs and eligibility for top academic scholarships.
At SAU, our international students can qualify for university scholarships and grants based on academic achievement, merit, and their performance and abilities in fine arts and athletics.
Below, you'll find a quick summary of financial awards, and we continually look for ways to make an Ambrosian education even more affordable and attainable. Recently, we began offering athletic scholarships for Marching Band and Esports.
If you have any questions or want to apply, please contact the International Student Admissions office.
Institutional Scholarships (2020-21)
There is no need to apply for the scholarships or grants below; students are automatically are eligible if they meet specific criteria, although some may require a certain GPA to stay eligible.
Academic Scholarship – $14,000-$20,000/year
Athletic Scholarships
We have many international student-athletes who are contributing and growing their skills as valued team players. As a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), St. Ambrose can award athletic scholarships to student-athletes. The amount varies and is based on performance and ability. These scholarships allow you to earn a college education while competing in the sport that you love. At Ambrose, we embody the value of developing both the mind and body.
To qualify for an athletic scholarship you must be eligible to play a sport at St. Ambrose. You can read about those qualifications here. The NAIA also has a complete website on how to register for eligibility at playNAIA.org
To learn more about all of our athletic teams and opportunities – including Esports – click here.
Fine Arts Scholarships
These scholarships are based on your performance and ability in art, music, or theatre, and you may qualify for the Michael Kennedy Theatre Scholarship. Audition or portfolio required. Contact the Admissions office to apply or for more information.
See below to learn more about outside scholarships and we encourage you to begin your search early.
Amounts are for transfer students entering St. Ambrose in the 2020-21 academic year.
St. Ambrose scholarships are awarded for fall and spring semesters only and renewable up to 120 credits of undergraduate study, which includes credits transferred to St. Ambrose from prior attendance. For example: If you transfer in with an AA/AS degree, you would receive a scholarship for two additional years at St. Ambrose.
Scholarships
Phi Theta Kappa
Criteria: awarded to all Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society members transferring from a community college
Award: $15,500
OR
Transfer Academic Scholarships
Criteria: based on GPA
Awards (non-Iowa residents):
3.5-4.00 GPA $15,000
3.0-3.49 GPA $14,000
2.5-2.99 GPA $13,000
2.0-2.49 GPA $11,000
Awards (Iowa residents):
3.5-4.00 GPA $13,000
3.0-3.49 GPA $12,000
2.5-2.99 GPA $11,000
2.0-2.49 GPA $10,000
Fr. Welch Alumni Scholarships
Criteria: parent is a St. Ambrose graduate
Award: $1,000 per year (on campus); $500/year (off campus)
Dual Admission Scholarships
Criteria: participant in SAU/community college dual admission program
Award: $1,000 maximum
Freeman Pollard Diversity Awards
Criteria: Ethnically diverse student; FAFSA required. Additional aid available by application
Award: $1,000/year (on campus); $500/year (off campus)
Federal and State Aid
Iowa Tuition Grant
Criteria: based on financial need, Iowa residents only. File FAFSA as soon as possible after Oct. 1, deadline July 1.
Award: $6,000
Federal Pell Grant
Criteria: based on financial need; file FAFSA as soon as possible after Oct. 1
Award: $6,195 maximum
Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Criteria: based on financial need, priority to Pell Grant recipients. File FAFSA as soon as possible after Oct. 1.
Award: $400 maximum
Federal Work Study
Criteria: based on financial need. File FAFSA as soon as possible after Oct. 1
Award: $1,850
As a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), St. Ambrose can award athletic scholarships to student-athletes.
These scholarships allow you to earn a college education while competing in the sport that you love. At Ambrose, we embody that value of developing both the mind and body.
How do I qualify for an athletic scholarship?
You must first be eligible to play a sport at St. Ambrose. You can read about those qualifications here. The NAIA also has a complete website on how to register for eligibility at playNAIA.org
With more than 31 varsity athletic teams and state-of-the-art facilities in which to play them, the Fighting Bees of SAU are bold contenders on any field. Watch this video
How do I qualify for a fine arts scholarship?
Scholarships are awarded based on performance and ability in art, music and theatre. Review the various requirements below:
There are many opportunities to receive scholarships from outside sources, here are a few websites to begin researching your options:
- Fastweb
- College Board Scholarship Search
- Scholarships.com
- Peterson's Award Database
- Scholly (app download)
Another tip: Next time you're on campus, check out the bulletin board outside Bee Central where we post more flyers and applications for outside scholarships.
Blake Billups '16
"Ambrose provided countless opportunities to engage with local and world leaders. Inevitably, these events can help develop professional communication skills that go a long way in interviews and negotiations." Blake currently is a Credit Analyst for the Wintrust Financial Corporation.
Damon Wolter
Triple Major: Finance, Accounting & Business Economics,Class of 2021
Damon became an Ambrosian in 2017 and his ties to SAU became stronger. As a leading Midwestern university committed to academic excellence, the liberal arts, social justice and service, we mirror Damon’s academic and personal values.
Contact
Art Moreau, PhD, Chairperson
Finance
Ambrose Hall 401
518 W. Locust St.
Davenport, Iowa 52803
563-333-6436
MoreauArthurF@sau.edu