Welcome to the Finance Department

The academic mission of the department of finance is to provide an educational experience that:

• stimulates student learning through open dialogue and informed discourse both inside and outside the classroom
• actively engages students in their own learning through problem-based casework, participation in real-world business laboratories, and/or internships in the financial community; and
• prepares students to successfully meet the rigors of the challengingly diverse career opportunities in finance.

Students who elect to major in finance can choose from one of five concentrations. This choice should reflect the student's primary career focus and electives listed in other finance concentrations should be used to complement the coursework in the chosen concentration. Careers in finance that are analytically oriented will generally require proficiency in accounting, economics, and quantitative methods. In contrast, careers in finance that are sales or management oriented will generally require marketing and management skills. Finance majors are strongly encouraged to consult with departmental faculty advisers and/or the department chair in developing their curriculum.

Finance News

• Walton College Recognizes Outstanding Student, Alumni Achievement at Awards Banquet
  The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas held its 20th annual awards banquet Thursday at the Fayetteville Town Center.
• Institute to Host 'How Can I Afford Retirement?' Workshops
  The Garrison Financial Institute is collaborating with the Arkansas Securities Department, the Central Arkansas Library System, the Investor Protection Trust and the Oley E. Rooker Library in Little Rock to present the ''How Can I Afford Retirement?'' series of workshops.
• Walton College Accounting and Finance Students Visit Walmart Home Office
  A group of accounting and finance students, Walton College Career Center staff and finance faculty visited the accounting and finance divisions at Walmart's Home Office in Bentonville as part of the Sam M. Walton College of Business Career Development Center's Company Visit Program.
• Acampora to Speak on Long-Term Investing
  The New York Institute of Finance's director of technical analysis studies will speak April 25 to students and faculty at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.

The Foreclosure Crisis: Predatory Lending or Household Overreaching?

A new study by researchers in the Department of Finance at the University of Arkansas finds that household overreaching drove the foreclosure crisis. The authors find that most households in foreclosure were relatively affluent and highly educated people living in geographical areas that experienced extremely rapid real-estate appreciation. Predatory lending played a smaller role. The researchers are careful not to excuse Wall Street banks for their role in the crisis because reckless lending enabled households to become dangerously leveraged. An important implication of this study is that the Federal Reserve will have to get into the business of recognizing and limiting asset price bubbles. [ view / download paper ]