School of Business
School of Business
Cash and its current value, is the blood in the veins of a business. Finance is the science of raising cash to invest, investing where there is potential, managing those investments, and estimating their value. This major not only teaches the quantifying skills you will need, but develops your creative selling abilities, and empowers you with the knowledge of investors’ behaviour. It prepares you for corporate financial management, investments industry, and banking.
15.5%
Based on 2019/20 academic year enrolment, 52 out of 335 BBA students are in the Finance major.
Uniqueness of the Finance major
Not only can the Finance major lead to exciting job opportunities — ranging from fund management, portfolio management, commercial banking, and CFO positions — but it is also useful in the personal lives of graduates in areas such as financial and estate planning.
The Finance major provides some of the necessary prerequisites for the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) program.
Student success opportunities
The CFA students Research Challenge is a globally recognized competition (as is the CFA institution and its designation) held at three levels: local, regional, and global.
UFV students have competed four times overall. In the 2016 competition, the UFV team placed third at the local level, behind two post-graduate teams and among seven participating teams from B.C. universities.
"When I decided to study abroad, the thought of living in a country far from home was terrifying. But I wanted to go on this adventure. I chose the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna, mainly because Vienna has been ranked as the most livable city in the world. With each passing day, my worries of living abroad faded away, and soon, Vienna felt like home. I cannot stress enough the importance of my time in Vienna. I will remember it for the rest of my life. I got to meet wonderful friends from all over the world. I discovered that I could go to a place and know nothing about the language, people, and basic life around me and not only survive, but thrive. This won’t be the last time I go to Vienna!"
50
Students are encouraged to view course offerings to find the school that best fits their program.
Typical Co-op jobs
"I decided to participate in the Co-op program to build my résumé. Thanks to the program, I am planning to pursue a career with the RCMP, which I wouldn’t have considered otherwise. My Co-op coordinator encouraged me to apply for all jobs, even those not directly related to finance. I took this advice and applied for an administrative position with the RCMP, which, to my surprise, I really enjoyed. I learned that there are many departments in the RCMP, including one in finance. After graduation, I hope to bridge into a RCMP department."
"The Co-op program presented itself to me halfway through my third year, at a time when I was feeling burnt out at school, and completely dissatisfied with my part-time job at a restaurant. I saw Co-op as my ticket out of both.
"I knew that work experience was extremely necessary to make the most of my degree, and Co-op was a unique opportunity to get related-industry experience without all the necessary qualifications to fully begin my career.
"My experience with Prospera Credit Union in their marketing department, and the Co-op program were nothing short of fantastic. The Co-op experience was a monumental jump-start to my career."
Performs financial analysis; acts as a gatekeeper in monitoring the consistency and quality of financial reporting; and is responsible for analytical work within the department. Conducts regular business performance through insight and analysis (business intelligence); and makes supportable recommendations to improve decision-making and business performance.
$80, 212
Salary range: $54,932 to $119,995 [NOC 1112]
Works with client consultants to provide first class advice to a range of clients on a range of services which include: strategic setting of investment objectives, strategic asset allocation, portfolio construction, manager selection, performance measurement and evaluation, investment manager monitoring, custodian selection, transition advice, statements of investment policy, and global research services.
The Vice President Hedge Funds is responsible for a large role mandate, inclusive but not limited to the following: Coach and lead the hedge funds team; serve as the main point of contact for investors, investment advisors, banks, brokers auditors and many other external parties; ensure client deliverables are met and review work to ensure accuracy; develop, manage and maintain targets for operational deliverables, overtime budgeting and productivity; maintain and leverage existing client relationships to secure new business; and serve as the lead on projects on an ongoing basis in order to effectively grow the business.
The Chief Financial Officer or CFO performs effective risk management and plans an organization’s financial strategy. It is a very important and complex role since an organization can only survive if it actively investigates and safeguards its finances. A CFO must be well-versed in all aspects of financial management ranging from simple accounting to broad investment and banking operations. The main goal of the CFO is to protect a company’s revenues and profits to achieve full financial control and sustainable growth.
$133, 328
Salary range: $65,000 to $200,000 [NOC 0013]
Graduates without relevant work, Co-op, or international study experience should expect an entry-level pay at the lower end of the spectrum.
The 2015-2017 Chair of the UFV Alumni Association, Nikolas Venema, is an alumnus of the BBA program, graduating on the Dean’s List of Distinguished Students.
As a student, he had the opportunity to be heavily involved in governance, serving as an elected student member of both Senate and the Board of Governors. While his education experience at UFV put him on par with other BBA and BComm grads, he says that the “real competitive edge at UFV was in the extra-curricular activities. There were countless leadership opportunities that I took advantage of. I would go back and do it exactly the same way if I had to.”
After graduating with his BBA, Nikolas went on to receive his Masters of Science in Finance at Simon Fraser University. Now, he provides wealth management services to select individuals and their families, foundations, and corporations. He is a Chartered Investment Manager and, in addition to running his wealth management practice, an instructor of risk management and financial engineering at UFV.
Professionally and personally, Nikolas’ UFV experience made a big difference in his life. “I appreciate the close relationships I was able to build with my professors and the support they had for me as I finished my studies at UFV and moved on,” he says. “I still keep in contact with many of them. Not to mention, while at UFV, I met the person who chose to marry me. Needless to say, UFV will always be special for both of us.”
I appreciate the close relationships I was able to build with my professors and the support they had for me as I finished my studies at UFV and moved on.