B.S. in Financial Services

Financial Services is one of the most dynamic fields in finance. It includes banking, securities, insurance and personal financial planning. Personal financial planning is a new service industry that has sprung from its insurance, securities, and banking roots to become an important link between a variety of individuals and businesses and the broad spectrum of financial information. Students interested in working directly with people to help organize their finances and plan for their financial futures should consider a major in financial services. Because financial planners must talk to individuals about all of the possibilities for investment and protection, they need to know about all areas of business and finance. They must also be capable of understanding and dealing with the needs of individuals. Students interested in financial services should possess an unusual combination of qualities. They should be humanistic, that is, they should care about and enjoy working with people. At the same time, they must be able to deal with quantitative measures and information, and to understand sophisticated theoretical concepts. Career Opportunities: A Financial Services major prepares the student for a more specialized career in this rapidly expanding field. Because of the major's breadth of education, rapid advancement is possible once some experience is gained. Performance is objectively measured. Women have been significantly represented in this field at all levels, both historically and at the present. Entry-level career areas include: Financial planning: staff assistants helping to write plans; Banking: loan officers; Insurance: sales representatives, in a management training program; Securities: sales representatives, in a management training program; Real estate finance: Real Estate lending and real estate; Investment counselors: and Public accounting as financial planners.