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Program Mission Statement

Within ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ's Department of Accounting and Finance, the Finance program is committed to providing high-quality undergraduate finance education that serves the needs of Northeast Florida. The faculty is committed to teaching excellence enhanced by research and interaction with finance professionals in the broader business community. Specifically, the Finance program seeks to: 1) provide Bachelor of Business Administration degrees which prepare graduates for entry into professional and managerial positions in finance, 2) provide quality undergraduate instruction in finance which prepares students for lifelong learning and success, 3) provide intellectual contributions that enhance the delivery of instruction to students, improve the application of existing knowledge and provide solutions primarily to regional issues; the primary emphasis for intellectual contributions is applied research followed by instructional research and pure research, 4) provide service which contributes to meeting the personal, professional and life-long learning needs of our students, the University community, the business community and alumni, 5) provide internship and field experience opportunities to finance students, 6) attract and retain quality faculty dedicated to teaching, research and service activities consistent with the goals of the Department, College and University, and 7) pursue continuous improvement in teaching, research and service, the Department and its stakeholders will regularly evaluate its mission, objectives and outcomes.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates will be able to:

Content/Discipline-Specific Knowledge/Skills

• Students will understand the global economy and recognize the impact of diverse socioeconomic and cultural factors on business operations.
• Students will acquire knowledge in the major functional areas of business (accounting, economics, management, finance, marketing, and quantitative business analysis) and understand the interrelationships among them.
• Students will demonstrate a foundational knowledge in the principles of finance.

Communication Skills

Students will demonstrate effective business communication skills.

Critical Thinking Skills

• Students will demonstrate the ability to identify and reconcile ethical issues in decision-making.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to think critically to identify problems, and propose alternatives to these problems and implement solutions.

Assessment Approaches

The Coggin College of Business operates a college-wide strategy to assess its four learning objectives. Each of the 7 programs of study (housed in 4 departments) has adopted these as its learning objectives, which links to the university's three broad learning categories. While each of these objectives is differentially emphasized in the various programs of study, they are common to the core body of knowledge provided to all students majoring in a sub-field of business. The college utilizes a multi-year time horizon to assess alternating objectives.  This time horizon corresponds to the AACSB (re)accreditation cycle.

Functional Business Content Knowledge (objective 1) is assessed via the Major Field Test (MFT) in Business, an instrument provided by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).  It is administered in each student's last term in his/her program of study via the capstone policy course (MAN 4720).   Functional Business Content Knowledge is measured by the overall score (out of 200), as well as the score on each of the following assessment indicators (sub-scores): accounting, economics, management, finance, marketing, and quantitative analysis. 

Global Awareness  (objective 2) is assessed via the Major Field Test (MFT) in Business, an instrument provided by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).  It is administered in each student's last term in his/her program of study via the capstone policy course (MAN 4720). Certain questions are designated as “International Issues” and ETS provides a subscore to reflect performance on these questions. Global Awareness is measured by  the international assessment indicator sub-score (% of international issues questions answered correct).

Effective Communication (objective 3) includes both oral and written communication. The oral communication portion of this objective is assessed in the new required ENC 3202 Professional Communication for Business course. Students are required to give a 5-10 minute presentation (with time for questions) on a business proposal and are assessed using a Speaking & Listening Rubric. Oral communication is measured by overall oral presentation score (out of 4) as well as the score in each area of oral communication (Fluency, Listening, Movement, Word Choice, & Inflection).  The written communication portion of this objective is assessed in the capstone policy course (MAN 4720). Student are required to write a brief essay in response to a case and are assessed using the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ Writes Self-Talk Rubrics #1-5. Written Communication is measured by the overall writing score (out of 4) as well as the score in each area of written communication (Thesis/Central Idea, Paragraph Coherence, Evidence, Grammar, and Stylistic Clarity).

Ethical Reasoning and Decision Making (objective 4) is  assessed in the capstone policy course (MAN 4720). Student are required to write a brief essay in response to a case and are assessed using the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ Writes Self-Talk Rubric #6 that  evaluates ethical awareness and critical thinking. Ethical Reasoning and Decision Making is measured by the Ethical Awareness and Critical Thinking score (out of 4).