1. How can I find out who my advisor is?
In order to provide our students with better academic services, the department assigns each student an advisor by the student’s last name. If you want to know who your advisor is, visit the advising page.

2. What is the new curriculum?
The Undergraduate Program in Finance, Insurance and Business Law was recently redesigned to better suit the requirements of students intending to have specialized careers in various aspects of financial management such as investment management, corporate financial management, financial services management and financial accounting.

3. How will the new curriculum affect my course schedule?
Beginning Fall 2005, some of the former courses will be substituted by several new courses and a new course FIN 3154 will be added (Spring 2006) to the curriculum. The following is a table where you can check the specific courses that will be taken place by the new courses. Students graduating in 2006 and 2007 will have to pay close attention in scheduling your courses in order to insure your timely graduation. If you have any further information regarding course substitution, please contact your advisor.

Course Substitutions for Class of 2006/2007

4. What is Upper Division Clearance?
All Pamplin students who plan to take upper division courses FOR THE FIRST TIME, must apply for upper division clearance the semester before taking any upper division courses (BIT 3414, FIN 3055, FIN 3104, FIN 3134, MTG 3304, MGT 3334, MKTG 3104 or MKTG 3154). Applications for the 2005 FALL SEMESTER are available on-line and in 1046 Pamplin Hall.

Prior to enrolling in the junior level business courses, students must meet ALL of the following Upper Division Criteria (UDC).

1) 60 hours passed. (To be on track with the business curriculum, students should have 65 hours at the end of the sophomore year.)
2) 2.0 overall GPA.
3) All UDC courses listed below completed with a final grade of C- or better in each course and
4) a combined average of 2.0 in the nine courses:
o ACIS 1504 - Introduction to Business Information Systems;
o ACIS 2115 and 2116 - Principles of Accounting;
o BIT 2405 and 2406 - Quantitative Methods;
o ECON 2005 and 2006 - Principles of Economics; and
o MATH 1525 and 1526 - Elementary Calculus and Matrices
(or MATH 1015+1016+2015 or MATH 1114+1205+1206 or MATH 1114+1205+2015 or MATH 1205+1526).

5. What is progress toward a degree?
Once students have 72 attempted hours, they must be certified as progressing towards a degree. This means they must be in a major and taking courses for that major. Students should also have completed at least 24 hours of the University Core requirements at 72 attempted hours. Students who fail to meet these criteria will be considered ineligible to register for the next term (hold).

6. Can I minor in Finance?
Unfortunately, the department does not offer a minor in Finance. However you can choose Finance as one of your dual majors, e.g. a dual major in Finance and AIS.

7. What are the requirements for a major in Finance?
You need to fulfill requirements at both Pamplin College of Business and University level before enrolling for finance core courses. The department has a checklist for you to break down the classes you need to take for by the year you plan to graduate. You will also be required to choose one (or more if you want) career tracks preparing you for your interested job positions. Check the following links for department checklists and course requirements http://www.pamplin.vt.edu/finance/students/checksheets.htm

8. What are Finance Career Tracks?
Students select different combinations of elective courses to fulfill the requirements of one or more of the five tracks offered. The five tracts are: Investment Management, Corporate Financial Management, Financial Services Management, Financial Accounting and General Finance.

For more information on each specific Finance Track please visit one of the following:

Investment Management Track
Corporate Financial Management Track
Financial Services Management Track
Financial Accounting Track
General Finance Track

You can find more information about the different tracks in the finance department here.

9. What is DARS?
DARS is an acronym for Virginia Tech's Degree Audit Reporting System. It is a computer generated report for undergraduate and associate level students. The report matches the degree requirements of an undergraduate degree program showing the student's course work already taken toward the requirements. The audit report serves the following purposes:

a. The audit identifies those graduation requirements completed as well as those requirements needing completion prior to graduation.
b. The DARS report provides each student and advisor with an important advising and planning tool to assist with appropriate course schedules each semester.
c. Students should apply for their degree and initiate a DARS Report no later than the first term of junior year.
For more information check this website: http://www.registrar.vt.edu/graduation/dars.php

10. How do I apply for a degree?
You can apply for your degree on HokieSPA by selecting "Application for Degree" from the Degree Menu. In fact, whenever you request a DARS report, you have to apply for your degree first.

• To request your DARS report:

o Log onto HokieSPA
o Click on "Degree Menu"
o Click on "Degree Audit Report Menu"
o Click on "Request a Degree Audit Report"
o Choose your degree program and click on "Run Audit".
o Click on "View submitted audits"
o Click on "View link" to see your DARS report

• You can request and view DARS reports at any time after applying for your degree. It is recommended you request a new DARS report at least once each semester.
REMEMBER: If you want to add a minor, concentration or double major, you should do so with your academic dean's office before you can update it on your application for degree.
For possible updated information, visit the following website: http://www.registrar.vt.edu/graduation/dars.php

11. What are graduation requirements?
In order to meet graduation requirements and graduate at the time you want, all students should, in the first semester of the junior year, apply for their degree through the Hokie Spa Degree Menu section. After applying for their degree, they should request their degree audit (DARS) via the Hokie Spa and review it to assure they know the requirements they have yet to complete. Students should request an updated DARS at least once each semester.

To graduate with one of the six (ACIS, BIT, ECON, FIN, HTM, MTG, or MKTG) BS degrees in Pamplin College of Business, all students in the college must complete:

• 125 hours with a minimum 2.0 grade average;
• the college and University Core requirements listed below;
• the specific major requirements for the year in which graduation is planned;and
• have a 2.0 in-major grade point average.

Once 72 semester hours have been attempted, students must have declared a major and be certified as progressing toward that major degree. Students majoring in business information technology, finance, management, and marketing must have at least 50 percent of the curriculum outside the college. (All economics courses and BIT 2405-6 are considered outside the college for this purpose.)

12. How to Drop and Add?
Once class tickets are available, students may make changes to their schedules through "drop/add.” Students may not add or drop past the deadlines. Drop/Add for the fall semester runs through the end of the spring semester and opens again in early August (new students can use Drop/Add during Getting on Track in July.). For the summer terms, Drop/Add is available from late April through the deadlines for adding and dropping courses. For the spring semester, Drop/Add will be available in early December and remain open through the deadlines for adding and dropping spring semester courses. Drop/Add is available through Hokie Spa.

13. What is a “force-add” and what are the processes for force-add?
With respect to the courses that are going to be substituted by courses in the new curriculum, the department is force-adding all Finance majors who have to take those courses at a certain semester in order to make a smooth transition to the new curriculum. Force-adds may also be needed under circumstances where a student takes finance courses as a dual major but the system will not allow the student to register for a certain course. All force-adds are processed as soon as possible. For other courses, there is a pecking order: Fall graduates first, followed by Spring graduates, and then the rest. You are required to fill out a Force Add Request Form.

14. What is a Course Substitution?
(Request for) Course Substitution form is used to request the substitution of a free elective course for a required course. For major requirements, students must obtain approval from the department head of their major before submitting the form to the Undergraduate Programs Office.

15. Independent Study
Independent studies can be done to receive credit for internships or to further a student's knowledge in a particular area. Usually these will be counted as about 1 credit, though depending on the depth of the work involved, may be approved for 3 credits. To do an independent study, first the student needs to find a professor willing to work with him/her, and then fill out the required paperwork, which can be found in the department office at Pamplin 1016. The department of Finance does not directly offer internship credit. To receive credit for an internship, you must go through an Independent Study.

16. I didn’t consult with any faculty member before starting my internship, can I still get any credit for my internship experience?
Unfortunately, no. Finance Department doesn’t automatically offer academic credits for any internship. However, if you conduct an independent study matching your internship in a certain area under the guidance of a faculty member, you can receive some credit(s).

Effective Spring 2003, credit for Work Internships will be accorded only if the conditions laid down below are met. 

• Internship credit may be granted as an Independent Study only for internships that have been arranged prior to the actual internship and that are supervised by a faculty member of the Department (and approved by the department head);
• Credit will be given subject to approval by the supervising faculty member of a report on the internship written by the student. The nature and organization of the report will be determined by the supervising faculty member and is expected to document the student’s intellectual development;
• Credit may be granted in an academic term after the actual internship only if this was arranged prior to the actual internship;
• Internship credit may only be used to satisfy Free Elective course requirements;
• Internship credit will not be granted for broader life experiences not organized as described above.

 

17. Can I transfer credit on courses I took elsewhere?
To receive transfer credit for courses taken at other colleges or universities, all Transfer Rules listed below must be met. Students planning to take courses at ANY school MUST complete the Authorization to Take Courses Elsewhere form (also available in 1046 Pamplin Hall). A course description must be provided with the authorization form for any school other than Virginia Community Colleges. To see if there may be an equivalent course, student may check the Transfer Equivalency Database. COURSES IN THE DATABASE ARE NOT GUARANTEED TO TRANSFER. Final approval for transfer courses will be given by the undergraduate dean in the Pamplin College of Business. If you plan to attend a Virginia Community College, check the VCCS database for a complete listing of transferable courses.
Once the course is completed with a grade of C or better, the student must have an official transcript sent from the registrar at the school they are attending to: Registrar (0134), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

18. TRANSFER RULES
The following rules apply to any student wishing to take courses towards their degree at another school:
1. Credit will not be transferred while a student is on suspension. Prior to summer 1999, transferring courses while on probation or suspension was not allowed.
2. Only courses with a grade of C or better will transfer. Only credits transfer; transfer grades are not used in Virginia Tech GPA.
3. The course must be offered at an accredited college or university.
4. Only courses listed in the Virginia Tech Transfer Guide will transfer from Virginia Community Colleges.
5. No more than 50% of the credits required for graduation may be transferred from two-year colleges. In the Pamplin College of Business, this maximum is 62 semester hours.
6. No more than 18 hours in the last 45 semester hours before graduation may transfer. The Pamplin College of Business requires at least 50% of all Business semester hours (any required courses taken in Accounting and Information Systems, Business Informaiton Technology, Finance, Management, and Marketing) be taken at Virginia Tech.
7. The Departments of Accounting and Information Systems and Business Information Technology require that all in-major courses be taken at Virginia Tech.
8. If a student fails an upper-division business course at Tech and wishes to repeat it elsewhere, it must be at an AACSB-accredited school.

19. GRADE REQUIREMENTS

Undergraduate courses
0.  Overall GPA of at least 2.0 and in-major GPA of at least 2.0 are required for graduation.
1.  Fin 3134, Fin 3144, Fin 3154: C or better required for graduation.
2.  Fin 3134: C- or better required for taking Fin 3144 and Fin 3154. Must retake the course concurrently with 3144, 3154 if the student earns a C-.
3.  Fin 3144, 3154: C- or better required for taking senior level FIN courses except Fin 4144, Fin 4154, Fin 4284, Fin 4004, Fin 4014.  Must retake the course (s) concurrently with senior level courses if the student earns a C-.
4.  Fin 3104, Fin 4144, Fin 4154, Fin 4224, Fin 4234, Fin 4244, Fin 4264, Fin 4274, ACIS 2504, ACIS 3115: must earn a D- or better [C or better is NOT required].
5.  Fin 3164, Fin 4284, Fin 3304, Fin 4014, Fin 3204, Fin 4004 are not counted as Finance electives.
6.  Any course that satisfies a university, college, or department specific requirement, i.e. not a free elective, cannot be taken as a P/F course.

Graduate courses
7.  Fin 5024: B or better required for taking any 1-cr. hr. course (5044, 5054, 5064, and 5074).
8.  Fin 52xx have only two required 1-cr. hr. courses instead of all 4 required earlier.
9.  Fin 5044, 5054, 5064, 5074: B or better required in the 2 prerequisites to take the corresponding 52xx course.  This requirement becomes effective from Fall 2009 and is not being enforced this semester for 2nd year MBA students.

© 2008 Pamplin College of Business