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Credits and costs
Enhance Your Penn State Degree
Add a minor to get even more value out of your education.
Gain Specialized Finance Knowledge
Gain Specialized Finance Knowledge
Employers consistently look for individuals with sharp business skills. Graduates with a background in finance can have a competitive advantage when faced with complex business decisions. To help you gain knowledge in the growing field of finance, Penn State World Campus has partnered with the Sam and Irene Black School of Business at Penn State Behrend to offer an Undergraduate Minor in Finance.
The 18-credit finance minor introduces you to a broad range of concepts in such areas as:
- corporate finance and financial markets
- portfolio analysis
- investment strategies
- risk and insurance
- personal financial planning
The courses focus on providing you with a basic understanding of how firms acquire, allocate, and control their financial resources. Through analysis of financial statements, you can learn to assess the past and present performance of a firm. Whether you apply your knowledge to a career in finance or simply want to better manage your personal financial future, this minor can strengthen your ability to make sound financial decisions.
The knowledge and skills that you gain with this minor can help prepare you to work in a variety of fields, including:
- business
- entrepreneurship
- financial planning
- investment brokerage
- insurance
- banking
- accounting
This minor is open to all interested undergraduate World Campus students who meet the prerequisites. Students in business or economics may find this minor particularly useful.
Online Finance Courses
Online Finance Courses
The 18-credit Minor in Finance is composed of two required finance courses, plus four supporting courses selected from a list of available courses in accounting and finance in consultation with an adviser.
A grade of C or better is required in all courses that you take to fulfill requirements for the minor.
Prescribed Courses (6 credits)
- 3credits
Nature of finance function; risk and return concepts; working capital; dividend policies; mergers; security markets; acquisition and management of corporate capital; analysis of operations; forecasting capital requirements; raising capital; and planning profits. Available to baccalaureate students only.
- Prerequisite
(ENGL 15 or ENGL 30) and ACCTG 211 and (ECON 102 or ECON 104) and (SCM 200 or STAT 200)
- C or better
A student enrolled in this course must receive a grade of C or better.
- 3credits
Investment and risk, types of security investments, sources of investment information, the broker, the stock market, portfolio management.
- Prerequisite
FIN 301
- C or better
A student enrolled in this course must receive a grade of C or better.
Supporting Courses and Related Areas (select 12 credits)
At least 6 credits must be at the 400 level.
- Select 9–12 credits from 300- or 400-level FIN courses in consultation with your adviser.
- 3credits
The exploration of conventional and advanced methods of analyzing financial statements, including the assessment of earnings quality.
- Prerequisite
FIN 301
- C or better
A student enrolled in this course must receive a grade of C or better.
Course Availability
If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.
Costs and Financial Aid
Costs and Financial Aid
Learn about this program's tuition, fees, scholarship opportunities, grants, payment options, and military benefits.
Costs and Financial Aid
Undergraduate Tuition
Undergraduate tuition is calculated based on the number of credits for which you register and the number of total credits you have accrued at or transferred to Penn State.
Tuition is due shortly after each semester begins and rates are assessed every semester of enrollment.
2024–25 Academic Year Rates
| How many credits do you plan to take per semester? | If you have 59 or fewer credits | If you have 60 or more credits |
|---|---|---|
| 11 or fewer | $632 per credit | $678 per credit |
| 12–19 | $7,678 per semester | $8,288 per semester |
2025–26 Academic Year Rates
| How many credits do you plan to take per semester? | If you have 59 or fewer credits | If you have 60 or more credits |
|---|---|---|
| 11 or fewer | $638 per credit | $685 per credit |
| 12–19 | $7,755 per semester | $8,371 per semester |
Undergraduate students taking more than 19 credits will be charged the flat tuition rate plus the regular per credit hour rate for each credit above 19.
Financial Aid and Military Benefits
Some students may qualify for financial aid. Take the time to research financial aid, scholarships, and payment options as you prepare to apply. Federal financial aid may only be used to pay for credits used to satisfy program requirements.
Military service members, veterans, and their spouses or dependents should explore these potential military education benefits and financial aid opportunities, as well.
Additional Cost of Attendance Details
To view the detailed list of cost of attendance elements:
- visit the Tuition Information site
- click the plus sign to expand the table
- select a semester from the World Campus row
Upcoming Events
Convenient Online Format
This program's convenient online format gives you the flexibility you need to study around your busy schedule. You can skip the lengthy commute without sacrificing the quality of your education and prepare yourself for more rewarding career opportunities without leaving your home.
A Trusted Leader in Online Education
Penn State has a history of more than 100 years of distance education, and World Campus has been a leader in online learning for more than two decades. Our online learning environment offers the same quality education that our students experience on campus.
How to Add a Minor to Your Degree
How to Add a Minor to Your Degree
You must be a current student and meet specific requirements to apply for a minor.
Application Instructions
Steps to Apply
To be eligible for admittance into this minor, you must:
- be a current Penn State undergraduate student in your fifth semester and be in a bachelor's degree major
- maintain a grade of C or better in all courses for the minor
- confirm that you do not have a matching minor code and major code
Talk with your academic adviser about incorporating the minor into your major and to develop a semester-by-semester plan for meeting requirements. You should add the minor as early as possible, but you can apply up to the late drop deadline of your graduating semester.
You will receive a confirmation email once you declare the minor in LionPATH.
Admissions Help
Please work with your adviser if you have questions about adding a minor. You can find your adviser's contact information in your student portal or by calling advising at 814-863-3283.
Contact Us
Contact Us
Have questions or want more information? We're happy to talk.
To learn more about the Undergraduate Minor in Finance, please contact:
World Campus Advisers
Phone: 814-863-3283
[email protected]
Dr. Greg Filbeck CFA, FRM, PRM, CAIA
Samuel P. Black III Professor of Finance and Risk Management
Professor of Finance
Sam and Irene Black School of Business
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
286 Burke Center
Erie PA 16563
Phone: 814-898-6549
[email protected]
Learn from the Best
Learn from the Best
The Minor in Entrepreneurship is offered in partnership with the Penn State Behrend Sam and Irene Black School of Business.
Faculty
Jeff Coy
- DegreePh.D., Finance, Florida Atlantic University
- DegreeMBA, University of North Florida
- DegreeB.S., University of North Florida
Dr. Jeff Coy is an assistant professor of finance in the Sam and Irene Black School of Business at Penn State Behrend. He brings more than 10 years of teaching experience in the areas of corporate finance, international finance, investments, and portfolio analysis. Dr. Coy's published research is focused on the areas of cross-border mergers and acquisitions, corporate exchange rate sensitivity, and leveraged buyouts. His current research focuses on corporate diversification, short interest in acquisition targets, and the risk and leverage dynamics of the firm around the exercise of real options.
Hongrui (Harry) Feng
- DegreePh.D., Finance, Oklahoma State University
- DegreeM.S., Quantitative and Computational Finance, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
- DegreeB.S., Finance, Zhejiang University
Dr. Harry Feng, an assistant professor of finance, worked in financial service companies for several years. He teaches financial management, financial modeling, corporate finance, and energy finance courses. His research interests are agency problems and empirical asset pricing.
Greg Filbeck, CFA, FRM, CAIA, CIPM, PRM
- DegreeDBA, Finance, University of Kentucky
- DegreeM.S., Applied Statistics, Penn State
- DegreeB.S., Engineering Physics, Murray State University
Dr. Greg Filbeck holds the Samuel P. Black III Professor of Finance and Risk Management at Penn State Behrend and serves as director of the Black School of Business. Dr. Filbeck has authored or edited nine books and published more than 90 refereed academic journal articles. He has taught courses in corporate finance, investments, portfolio management, and derivatives.
Tim Krause
- DegreePh. D., Financial Economics, University of Texas at San Antonio
- DegreeMBA, Finance, Georgetown University
- DegreeA.B., Government, Georgetown University
Prior to his career in academia, Dr. Tim Krause spent twenty years in the financial services industry as an investment professional and held senior management positions. He is the director of the Intrieri Family Student Managed Fund at the Black School of Business, a student-run investment fund. He teaches Portfolio Management and Analysis, Advanced Energy Finance, Derivative Securities, and Fixed Income Securities. Dr. Krause's research and teaching interests include investments, derivatives, risk management, and financial institutions and markets.
Bob Patterson
- DegreeMBA, Penn State
- DegreeB.S., Accounting, Penn State
Bob Patterson is a lecturer in accounting and has also taught courses in statistics, finance, and operations. He is a CPA who maintains an active practice in individual income taxes. He also serves as an adviser for the Mu Pi chapter of the international fraternity Delta Sigma Pi and has received the Silver Helmet Award for 25 years of service to the chapter. He is currently the longest-serving Delta Sigma Pi chapter adviser in the country.
Eric Robbins
- DegreeMBA, Gannon University
- DegreeB.S., Accounting, Asbury University
Eric Robbins has spent his entire career working with the stock market and managing the invested assets and the retirement income needs of retirees. In 2010, he began teaching corporate finance at Penn State Behrend while still working full-time in wealth management, accepting a full-time teaching position in 2013. He is also a Certified Financial Planner and a CFA charterholder, and he continues to consult periodically with clients about their financial needs.
Xin (Jessica) Zhao
- DegreePh.D., Finance, State University of New York at Buffalo
- DegreeM.A., International Trade, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
- DegreeB.A., English, Tianjin University for Science and Technology
Dr. Xin (Jessica) Zhao received her Ph.D. in finance at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Zhao teaches international finance and corporate finance for both undergraduate and graduate students as a professor at Penn State Behrend. Dr. Zhao's research interests include market microstructure, event studies, financial markets, and asset pricing. Her research in these areas has been published in both academic and practitioner journals. Dr. Zhao has working experience in Da Hua CPA and China Petrochemical Corporation prior to joining Penn State Behrend.