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Frequently Asked Questions

Course and Registration

  1. Why can't I get into Finance 221?
  2. Why can't I get into Finance 230?
  3. Why can't I get into Finance 232?
  4. Why can't I get into Finance 300?
  5. What Accy courses do you recommend for Finance majors?
  6. Does the Department of Finance enforce prerequisites?
  7. Can I minor in Business?
  8. I’ve completed my Finance requirements. Should I take additional Finance courses as Credit/No Credit?
  9. I want to get into Fin 232 or Fin 230, but the course was closed. What can I do?
  10. I am not a Finance major, but I want to take some Finance courses. What can I do?
  11. I am trying to get a dual degree in Finance and Accountancy, but I am currently registered as an Accounting major. What can I do to add Finance courses?

Answers

     
  1. Why can't I get into Finance 221?
    • Fin 221 is currently restricted to majors who must have the course to graduate: all BUS, LAS Finance, LAS Economics, LAS Actuarial Science, and ACES (Ag Finance, Ag Accounting, or Consumer Economics).
      • Declared BUS minors should have been pre-authorized for registration; see your BUS advisor.
      • The course will open to other curricula at approximately noon on April 24th. We usually have plenty of space in the course, but declared BUS minors have precedence over undeclared minors and students in ancillary curricula.

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  2. Why can't I get into Finance 230?
    • Fin 230 is one of our more popular courses. If you're interested and can't register you should attend the first few classes. It is instructor policy that you cannot add unless you attend class until you get to enroll. Attend and be sure that you get counted. We usually get them all in, even sophomores and juniors.

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  3. Why can't I get into Finance 232?
    • Fin 232 is among our most popular courses, and often closes early. If you are a business senior, attend class the first day and be sure to sign in. If you are not a business senior, your chances of being able to add the course are extremely low.

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  4. Why can't I get into Finance 300?
    • It's probably the course controls. There are several groups affected:
      • LAS and BUS Finance majors (you must be coded as a major in Banner): If you're in this group, you MUST have the course to graduate. We will do our utmost to get you in, subject of course to fire regulations. See Karen Clark in 340 WH.
      • MAS students (you must be coded as an MAS 4th or 5th year in Banner): Students in this group must also have the course to complete their degree. We will do our utmost to get you in, subject of course to fire regulations. See Karen Clark in 340 WH.
      • Non-Finance BUS majors: Our own majors (who must have it to graduate) are a higher priority. We have to let them in ahead of you. We will release seats on the date stated in the timetable copy.
      • Others: Finance 300 is restricted to those students who must have the course to graduate. If you're not on a limited list of majors who must have the course to graduate, I'm afraid you're out of luck. We can't keep up with the demand for this course. The bottom line is that the number of majors in Finance has expanded much faster than we've been able to hire faculty.

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  5. What Accy courses do you recommend for Finance majors?
    • The Department of Finance recommends that Finance majors in both LAS and BUS take 15 or more hours of Accountancy; this, combined with the strong Finance background achieved by our majors, is attractive to many employers. Required courses for Finance majors remain Accy 201 and 202.
      • The Accountancy Department usually sets aside some seats for a restricted set of majors (including LAS Finance and BUS Finance) starting with the first day of registration.
      • For those interested in financial reporting, we suggest Accy 301 as the next course of choice; should you wish to take additional courses beyond Accy 301, we would recommend Accy 303.
      • For those interested in managerial control and decision making, we would recommend Accy 301 and Accy 302, followed by Accy 304, followed by Accy 312. The Accountancy Department recommends that Accy 301 and 302 be taken concurrently. Further information is available at http://www.business.uiuc.edu/accountancy/

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  6. Does the Department of Finance enforce prerequisites?
    • YES, WE ENFORCE PREREQUISITES:
      • For FIN 221, you must have credit or concurrent registration in Accy 202 and Econ 203. Those working on the Business minor must have Accy 200 completed before registering in Fin 221.
      • For FIN 300, you must have completed FIN 221. Note that there is an exam of prerequisite material on the evening of day 7 of the semester.
      • For FIN 311, 321, 412, 422, 423, 451, 461, and 490 you must have completed FIN 300.
      • NEW PREREQ FOR SPRING 2007: For FIN 422 and 461, you must have completed Fin 321.

      If you want to violate a prerequisite, you should go ahead and register for the class. You will be contacted via email about your status and asked to fill out a petition form. The form will be evaluated by a committee; neither your instructor nor your adviser can grant you permission to violate prerequisites.

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  7. Can I minor in Business?
    • The Business minor is designed for non College of Business students who wish to acquire some of the skills, perspective, and knowledge used in business. Comprised of 6 courses and 2 prerequisites, the new business minor will expose students to Microeconomics, Statistics, Accounting, Marketing, Organizational Behavior, and Corporate Finance. Declared minors have precedence over undeclared minors for registration in Fin 221. See http://www.business.uiuc.edu/undrgrad/Current/Minor.htm

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  8. I’ve completed my Finance requirements. Should I take additional Finance courses as Credit/No Credit?
    • Professor France’s advice is: “taking a course in your major Credit/No Credit is not a good idea. First of all, being a rational being with competing demands on your time, you will find yourself sloughing off the course, even if you start out with the best of intentions. Second, when I read a transcript, I assume that any course taken pass/fail translates to a bare C, for the reasons given above, and that therefore the student really won't have learned the material. I would be willing to bet that many recruiters think the same way I do.”

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  9. I want to get into Fin 232 or Fin 230, but the course was closed. What can I do?
    • These courses are among our most popular ones, and often close early. If you are a business senior, attend class the first day and be sure to sign in. If you are not a business senior, your chances of being able to add the course are extremely low.

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  10. I am not a Finance major, but I want to take some Finance courses. What can I do?

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  11. I am trying to get a dual degree in Finance and Accountancy, but I am currently registered as an Accounting major. What can I do to add Finance courses?
    • We need to be sure all our majors get a first degree, so they will get first priority. In most Finance courses, registration is restricted to BUS majors after this initial period, so if we have space available, you should be able to get in then. See the link above for details on individual courses.

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