Undergraduate - FAQs The following are frequently asked questions. Click on the question to be brought to the answer. 1. How can I find out who is my advisor?
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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 Upper Division Clearance?
3. Can I minor in Finance?
Unfortunately, the department does not offer a minor in Finance. However you can choose Finance as one of your second major or a dual degree.
4. 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
5. 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.
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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.)
9. How to Drop and Add?
Once course schedules 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.
10. What is a “force-add” and what are the processes for force-add?
A Force-Add is a request for a course when a student is unable to register for the course through drop/add. All force-adds are processed as soon as possible. Acceptable uses for a force-add would be trying to enroll in a course where you've taken a pre-requisite at another University and the course has not transfered yet, or other such situations. A force-add is not to change a section, or to waive a pre-requisite. The Force-Add form for Finance courses can be found off the Departmental homepage.
11. 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.
There are two types of Independent Studies.
The most common is an Internship Independent Study.
An Internship Independent Study can be done when an internship requires a student to receive credit in order to be granted the internship. In order to receive Internship IS credit a student must provide the department the following before the start of the internship:
- An offer letter of employment/internship
- A description of the internship
- A completed Independent Study form
In order to receive credit for the Internship I.S. the student must provide:
- A letter of successful completion of the Internship
- A 5 to 7 page report detailing what was learned during the Internship
The Internship I.S. will be 1 credit, pass/fail. It will only count as a free elective.
The second type of Independent study is to further a student's knowledge in a particular area. This type of independent study is rare. Usually it will be counted as 1 credit, though depending on the depth of the work involved, may be approved for 3 credits. To do this type of independent study, first the student needs to find a professor willing to work with him/her, and then fill out the Independent Study Form.
Unfortunately, no. Finance Department doesn’t automatically offer academic credits for any internship. However, please see question 12 above for earning credit for an internship.
14. 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.
15. 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.
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.
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