About the Department of Finance, Insurance & Real Estate (FIR)
What is FIR?
As a FIR major at FCBE, you’ll study the theory, structure and techniques for making decisions that impact businesses, including acquisition of funds and capital budgeting. Our program provides the foundations of investment analysis, investment banking, trading market microstructure, commercial banking and financial institutions management, international finance and real estate. Plus, FIR majors can aim for holistic development by taking courses in accounting, economics and technology.
What Will You Learn?
Our Finance degree programs offer a 3 in 1 value. You can 1) Earn your degree, which can be applied to practically every industry worldwide, from an AACSB-accredited institution 2) Distinguish yourself with globally sought-after Bloomberg, Financial Planning and Financial Analyst Certifications 3) Receive the necessary preparation tools to achieve national licensing distinctions such as CFA, CFP, Real Estate License and more!
Additionally, our Finance Department boasts The Cook Analytics & Trading Lab. This facility mimics a Wall Street trading firm, equipped with twelve Bloomberg terminals. These innovative tools to help supplement traditional classroom teaching and provide resources to help students stay on the cusp of an ever-growing industry. The leading-edge technology and data center allows students to experience pragmatic, hands-on learning in an academic environment, able to run simulations with actual data and observe how their decisions could actually impact the market, with the goal of preparing students to become competent and confident finance professionals.
A Career in Demand
Careers in finance, insurance and real estate offer lucrative earning potential in a field that expects continued growth.
Holding a degree in finance makes you adaptable to every industry, because the crux of any business is financial return for all stakeholders. Companies (including not-for-profit and profit-with-purpose sectors) rely on financial professionals to manage corporate assets and attract capital investment.
Taught by Industry Experts
Faculty in the FIR department at the Fogelman College of Business & Economics (FCBE) bring professional experience in corporations, banks and financial institutions to provide deeper insight from career to classroom. Many of our faculty are prolific authors and have published research in prestigious finance publications. They inspire students to participate in academic research and student competitions to prepare them for careers or post-graduate degrees.
Our faculty are widely cited and internationally renowned. To highlight a few exciting initiatives, Dr. Pankaj Jain is the Principal Investigator for the Robinhood Markets Financial Education for Student Athletes grant that UofM received among other universities such as Duke and UC Berkeley. FIR Assistant Professor and Dr. Kontantin Sololov, received the Dimension Fund Award for the best paper published in the Journal of Finance.