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Money matters.
Every individual, business, and organization needs to secure and effectively allocate financial resources in order to survive and grow. If you're interested in how money works — from assets to investments and beyond — then finance is a great fit.
Our curriculum uses both theory and best practices to teach you how to best understand and solve the financial operating and investment problems that businesses and individuals face. You'll be able to produce the numbers, but also analyze them in ways that can influence decision making and strategy.
Courses and Program Requirements
Our curriculum includes creative, innovative courses designed to teach business fundamentals and new technologies in ways that stick with students. We maintain strong ties with industry leaders who serve as advisors to ensure students have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in the workforce. And we believe that students learn by doing, so much so that we made experiential learning a graduation requirement.
Video Transcript
[00:00] My name is Jacob Irvin and I am a major in finance and a minor in accounting. So I'm originally from Dothan, Alabama. I came here because UAB is known for its research and for its medical school, and I was actually going to be a biology major. My roommate at the time, he was a finance major.
[00:18] He just kind of was explaining his classes to me and it just sounded like things that I was more interested in. In my sophomore year, I decided to change and become a finance major, it was cemented by the UAB Green and Gold fund. They have a program where it's a student investment fund, where we manage as students, solely by students, $600,000 of real money.
[00:37] One of the first things they have us do as analysts in the UAB Green and Gold fund is to become Bloomberg certified. Essentially you get all the bases you need to be able to operate a Bloomberg terminal. You can put that on your resume, which I have it on mine, I think that's been invaluable.
[00:52] So I'm a finance major and an accounting minor, I see that accounting is the language of finance. It takes some degree of knowledge in accounting to be able to even understand the research that you're trying to do. And one of the ways that Collat School of Business allows me to stand out to employers.
[01:06] In the Collat Business Honors Program, I've met different professionals. I met the CEO of Coca-Cola Bottling Company United the other day, and I got to talk to him after class. It's a very physical way that you can stand out to employers.
[01:19] I would describe my friends here, just general finance students that I've been in my classes with. They're all approachable, friendly, and fun, but most of all, I think they're very motivated. Any time I start to feel like I'm not motivated to do something, there's always my friends. Who, just by being around them and their motivation, it kind of pushes me to work harder.
[01:37] The new Collat School of Business building is very impressive, I actually sometimes spend my entire day here, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. It's a great atmosphere to work in. To have these breakout rooms that have TVs for you to put up your displays, if you're working with a team. And even a whiteboard, if you want to work things out, so just kind of having it all available to you is just an invaluable tool.
[01:59] My ultimate goal is to become a manager at a hedge fund. I think that my work here on the UAB Green and Gold fund and my classes, it's going to translate very well to help me get there.
Student Voices
Jacob Irvin changed majors from biology to finance with an accounting minor. Motivated by his UAB Collat School of Business classmates and hands-on experience, he is building a standout resume to one day be a manager at a hedge fund.
Why choose finance at the Collat School of Business?
Award-Winning Green & Gold Fund
The student-managed Green & Gold Fund allows students to gain valuable hands-on investing experience. The award-winning fund manages more than $1M in assets with earnings funding student scholarships and resources.
Year-Round Internship Opportunities
Collat's proximity to Birmingham's businesses allow students to intern anytime they want — not just in the summer — or to complete multiple internships. Gain valuable experience while exploring career options.
Flexible, Customized Curriculum
Students can build their major to best suit their professional interests, whether those interests lie in real estate, investments, banking, insurance, or corporate finance.
Career Opportunities
A Finance degree at UAB prepares you for a career in investments, real estate, banking, corporate finance, data analytics, and insurance.
The job outlook for financial managers includes a 17% growth rate from 2020-30, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Undergraduate RecruiterJames Michael Barlow205-934-2453CSB 155-A
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Internship Coordinator: Accounting; InstructorEddie Nabors MAc205-934-8894CSB 333
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