Why Study Finance?

Our strong finance curriculum can lead you to a career in corporate finance or in commercial or investment banking. Your courses might include capital markets, options pricing, investments, information intermediation and financial markets, and advanced financial management. You also can choose an advanced elective in asset management, where students manage a portion of the University’s endowment.

The John M. Olin Business School

The Olin Business School, founded in 1917, has a longstanding reputation for outstanding management education. We equip high-potential students with the skills, knowledge, and experiences they need to become leaders in a time of intense competition and global change. Participants in our programs learn much more than management theory and practice; they acquire new ways of thinking that can profoundly change their lives and the success of their organization.

Typical Courses for Finance

All finance majors take:

• Advanced Financial Management
• Capital Markets and Financial Management
• Investments

Finance majors also choose electives from courses like:

• Information, Intermediation, and Financial Markets
• Options, Futures, and Derivative Securities
• Advanced Derivative Securities
• Investment Praxis
• International Finance
• Risk Management
• Computational Finance

Investment Praxis
In this unique elective course, you and your classmates manage a portion of the University’s endowment funds. You address the challenges and restrictions faced by professional managers and experience the issues and considerations of managing investments for the benefit of others. Participants in the equity fund present stock analyses, and the class determines whether to invest in the recommended securities, including blue-chip and high-tech stocks. The equity fund has a present-day value of approximately $950,000. Students managing the new Stern Global Investment Fund use short-term securities and bank deposits denominated in the U.S. dollar, yen, pound sterling, and euro.

Olin’s Study Abroad Programs

• International Internship Program
  Olin’s International Internship Program offers students the opportunity to combine classroom learning with an internship experience in Koblenz, Germany; London, England; or Paris, France. Participants in any of these programs earn 15 units of academic credit and full-time internship placements of approximately 15 weeks in London, France, or Germany. Students also write a significant research paper and present an oral presentation at the end of the program. The International Internship Programs are open to all Olin juniors and seniors who have completed the equivalent of five semesters of course work.
• Olin Exchange Programs
  Olin students have the opportunity to pursue a strictly academic focus in their study abroad experience. Taking classes in a local university, interacting with its students, and experiencing the culture, people, and excitement of a foreign city offer students a challenging and rewarding experience. Olin maintains exchange programs with Bocconi University in Milan, Italy; Carlos III University in Madrid; Chinese University of Hong Kong; Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; University of Melbourne (Australia); and University of Queensland (Australia). Olin students apply to participate in these programs for one semester during junior year.

Special Degree Programs

In addition to the BSBA majors, the Olin School offers special programs:

• Three-Two MBA Program
  This 3+2 Program allows students to complete both undergraduate and graduate work in five years of study. Admission is extremely competitive. Students must have a superior academic record, an outstanding performance on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), and substantive summer internship experience in the corporate world. Students from all five undergraduate divisions are eligible to apply.
• Master of Science in Finance (MS)
  This program will enable you to prepare for sophisticated positions in financial services and corporate finance. It provides you with rigorous specialized training in finance and strong overall preparation in the quantitative aspects of financial analysis. You will be able to complete the Master of Science in Finance program in one year, beginning with foundation course work in the fall and concluding with special capstone course work at the beginning of the following summer.

Honors Programs

• Honors in Management
  The Honors Program consists of a two-semester Honors Seminar taken senior year. Honors candidates must complete a total of 126 credit hours of academic work, including both semesters of the Honors Seminar. To participate in the Honors Program, students are nominated and selected by the School’s faculty.
• Final Honors
  Graduating seniors in the top five percent of their graduating class based on their overall record at Washington University will graduate Summa Cum Laude. Seniors in the next 10 percent will graduate Magna Cum Laude. These designations are recorded on the official University transcript.
• Beta Gamma Sigma
  The top 7 percent of the junior class and the top 10 percent of the senior class are eligible for invitation to Beta Gamma Sigma, the national business honorary. Students must have completed a minimum of 30 credit hours at Washington University to be eligible.

Student Organizations

There are a number of undergraduate student organizations within the Olin School. Students are encouraged to investigate the various organizations and become an active participant in the ones that interest them.

• Accounting Association
• Alpha Kappa Psi, an international business fraternity
• Consulting Association
• Delta Sigma Pi, an international business fraternity
• Female Association for Business
• Korean Undergraduate Business Association
• Marketing Association
• National Black MBA Association
• Olin Business Council
• Olin Cares, a community service organization
• Olin Peer Ambassadors
• Olin Sports Management Organization
• Student Investment Fund

For additional information contact:

Olin Business School
Washington University
Campus Box 1133
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899
Phone: (314) 935-6315

or

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Campus Box 1089
One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899
Phone: (314) 935-6000
Fax: (314) 935-4290
E-mail: admissions@wustl.edu