BBA in Finance
Hands-on, real-WORLD experiential learning, co-branded microcredentials and hedge fund management toward leadership placements in investment industry
The Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance at GSM provides hands-on, real-world experiential learning courses that impart valuable practical skills and co-branded microcredential certification upon successful completion of the courses toward leadership placements in the investment industry. Students use the lauded Cougar Student Managed Hedge Fund (CSMHF) to achieve the mission of human dignity and the common good. The CSMHF is an innovative application of ESG investments. In 2020, the Financial Times of London named it as one of the best examples of impact investments integrated in finance curriculum in the United States achieving triple bottom line of planet, people and profit.
Why Earn Your BBA in Finance?
The degree is experiential and imparts valuable practical skills and co-branded certification upon successful completion of the course, engages students with asset management community, and provides a path to career development in the investment industry. The course will use fundamental, technical and risk management analyses for the Cougar Student Managed Hedge Fund with a focus on investment-grade ESG investments. This investment style has been lauded by the external community including the Financial Times as a "rather original interesting angle." The impact of changes in the fintech industry will be brought to bear to maximize return on investment -- all the while mastering digital disruption. A textbook, CME Group risk management materials, Barchart Software, and materials from the epicenter of the financial services industry will be used. The co-branded badges and certificate will be provided upon successfully completing the course. SXU's state-of-the art curriculum in a small class environment connects our students with leading finance experts and further supplements with an advisory board from across the financial sectors to mentor finance students with new insights to critical financial problems.
About the Program
At Saint Xavier University, faculty and advisor mentorship and access to Chicago's thriving financial community through formal corporate alliances are just some of the outstanding features that place our undergraduate finance program among the best. Students majoring in finance undertake corporate financial analysis, investments and portfolio management, financial institutions and markets, international financial analysis, derivatives analysis with a focus on risk management leading to creating and managing investment, and managing a hedge fund through an innovative, cutting-edge curriculum in a small class environment. Through close ties with finance professionals, we supplement with an advisory board from across the financial sectors to mentor finance students with new insights to critical finance problems.
Corporations like Barchart, CME Institute, Portfolio Visualizer, and ETF are providing resources to create a virtual lab for hands-on learning for our finance students. In addition, we use the HYFLEX model to bring advisors into the class.
Chicago is a global financial hub and home to the world's largest markets in financial derivatives, and our BBA in Finance puts our student-led, high-impact investment and hedge funds at the center of it.
- Finance students obtain real-world, practical experience, and the student-managed hedge fund exemplifies the notion of theory meeting practice and will impart the skills necessary to lead to meaningful employment opportunities.
- The CSMHF achieves triple bottom line -- people, planet and profit.
- Students use corporate recourses CME Institute, Portfolio Visualizer, Barchart and ETF.
- Students engage in hands-on learnng with risk management.
Saint Xavier University combines classroom learning with hands-on, real-world experiential learning to gain sought-after skills such as financial decision-making, problem solving, designing, using and evaluating financial tools and instruments, and risk management analysis. Small class sizes allow for close interaction with professors, advisors and student colleagues.
SXU's accelerated BBA+MBA Dual Degree program combines a four-year Bachelor of Business Administration and a two-year Master of Business Administration into a five-year program. Students complete 120 credit hours of undergraduate coursework and 30 credit hours of graduate coursework to fulfill the dual BBA+MBA degree. Students may take up to 12 credit hours of MBA coursework concurrent with their undergraduate coursework during their senior year.
Students are encouraged to apply to the 4+1 program in their junior year. Upon acceptance, students may register for courses at the graduate level with permission from the director of the Graham School of Management and the director of the MBA program. The BBA is awarded after successful completion of all undergraduate requirements. The MBA is awarded upon successful completion of the graduate requirements.
For more information, please contact the GSM director at ghoshFREESXU.
A minor in Finance is designed to meet the needs of students specializing in the sciences or the arts whose career opportunities may lead to positions in business or a related field. The Finance minor is designed to provide sound orientation in the basic elements of finance, including money and banking, investments and portfolio management, international finance, and more.
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Contact the Office of Admission
- 773-298-3050
- Toll Free: 844-GOTO-SXU (844-468-6798)
- Fax: 773-298-3076
- Email: admissionFREESXU
- M-F: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
CME Group Trading Challenge
Finance majors participate in the CME Group Trading Challenge when taking FINC 350:
Futures and Options.
The electronic trading competition allows students to experience the excitement, energy
and decision-making environment of real-time trading. Teams of students are provided
an opportunity to trade a variety of CME Group products from multiple asset classes
in a simulated, professional trading platform provided by industry-leading software,
CQG. The students acquire practical trading skills competing against 503 teams from
30 countries and from 214 schools.
"The CME Trading Challenged helped expand my skill set by utilizing real-time trading. While trading, I had the ability to explore different skills such as using market microstructure, fundamental analysis, technical analysis, and other theories which really sets me apart from students who do not get this experience. Trading is about mastering the art and science, which can only be done with experience."
Our Cougar Student Managed Hedge fund was mentioned in the Financial Times.
Other Bachelor of Business Administration Major options
Earn your general BBA degree or choose one of the eight other majors within the Bachelor of Business Administration program. Complete in four years or as few as three years.
Student testimonial
“The Finance program at SXU has provided me with the skills I need to excel in my career. My courses provided me with the fundamentals of finance, and I gained the skills necessary to be a leader in the field. I enjoyed the smaller class sizes and getting to know my classmates and professors on a more personal level. My hands-on experience with the Student Managed Hedge Fund gave me an opportunity to gain skills in portfolio management so I can help others reach their financial goals."
Meet the Faculty
Josh Anderson
Assistant Professor
Phone: 773-298-3614
Email: janderson@sxu.edu
Vincent Cicchirillo
Assistant Professor
Phone: 773-298-3633
Email: cicchirillo@sxu.edu
Jeffrey English
Assistant Professor
Phone: 773-298-3152
Email: jenglish@sxu.edu
Indranil Ghosh
Director of GSM
Phone: 773-341-5015
Email: ghosh@sxu.edu
Brian Hill
Associate Professor
Phone: 773-298-3680
Email: bhill@sxu.edu
Monzurul Hoque
Professor
Phone: 773-298-3616
Email: hoque@sxu.edu
Alexander King
Associate Professor
Phone: 773-298-3632
Email: aking@sxu.edu
Cheryl Luczak
Associate Professor
Phone: 773-341-5014
Email: luczak@sxu.edu
Hamid Mohammadi
Professor
Phone: 773-298-3621
Email: mohammadi@sxu.edu
David Parker
Associate Professor
Phone: 773-298-3664
Email: dparker@sxu.edu
Faisal Rahman
Professor
Phone: 773-298-3606
Email: rahman@sxu.edu
Featured Alumni
Michelle Quiroz, Alumna, Class of 2015
I am beginning my professional career in the corporate financial area because I find the corporate culture and people extremely supportive. I feel that they truly care about their employees. It's not surprising that I was attracted to this sense of community given my experiences here at SXU. Another-high impact experience for me has been the opportunity to form close friendships with a very diverse group of people. My experiences at SXU have helped me break down barriers and pre-conceived notions about individuals from other cultures and backgrounds, thus allowing me to form relationships and connections I never thought were possible. It's the small things that really matter. Sometimes these little things end up having the greatest impact on one's experience. I have taken advantage of so many resources offered here as a Saint Xavier student. Multiple jobs, internships, and scholarship opportunities have helped me finish college with minimal dependence on loans.
