Finance

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https://haslam.utk.edu/finance

Tracie Woidtke, Head
Craig Ruff, Assistant Department Head
Matthew Serfling and Tingting Liu, PhD Program Directors

Professors
Fauver, L.A. (James F. Smith, Jr., Professor), PhD – Florida
Kelley, E.K. (Goodner Professor of Banking), PhD – Texas A&M
Liu, T., PhD – Georgia
Puckett, W.A. (Paul and Beverly Castagna Professor in Investments), PhD – Georgia
Woidtke, T.M. (David E. Sharp/Home Federal Bank Professor), PhD – Tulane

Associate Professors
Daves, P.R. (Voigt Scholar), PhD – North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
Serfling, M.A, (Clayton Chair of Excellence in Finance) PhD – Arizona
Weagley, D., PhD – Michigan

Assistant Professors
Eldemire, A., PhD – South Carolina
Guernsey, S.B., PhD – Oklahoma
Henriksson, M., PhD – Southern Florida
Starkweather, G.A., PhD – Maryland
Ye, Z., PhD – Penn State

Clinical Professors
Fairbanks, J., PhD – Texas Tech
Roark, R.S, PhD – Connecticut
Ruff, C, PhD – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Yates, M.C, PhD – Texas

Clinical Associate Professors
Maslar, D.A, PhD – Missouri

Associate Professor of Practice
Via, M.A., PhD – Alabama

Clinical Assistant Professors
Anderson, K.B, DBA – Memphis
Farley, R.Z, PhD – Tennessee

Lecturers
Lenn, L.S. (Distinguished Lecturer and Sharon Pryse/Trust Company Director of the Masters Investment Learning Center), PhD – Tennessee
Thayer, D.G. (Lecturer and Director of Corporate Outreach), MBA – Tennessee

Adjunct Faculty
Cook, T.L., BS – Utah Valley
Duggins, B.D., MBA - Tennessee
Henry, K., MS – Tennessee
Simmons, B.M., MS – Georgia Tech

Emeriti Faculty
Auxier, A.L., PhD – Iowa
Black, H.A., PhD – Ohio State
DeGennaro, R.P., PhD – Ohio State
Ehrhardt, M.C., PhD – Georgia Tech
Murphy, S., MBA (Distinguished Lecturer Emeritus) – Loyola
Shrieves, R., PhD – California (Los Angeles)
Wachowicz, J.M., PhD – Illinois
Wansley, J.W., PhD – South Carolina

The Finance major offers students a skillset applicable to a broad range of careers across industries that are relevant to public and private businesses, non-for-profits, and government entities alike. General areas of study are how decision-makers evaluate, fund, and manage projects within an enterprise and how financial market participants process information to price risky assets such as stocks or bonds. Finance majors develop analytical skills useful in examining financial statements and evaluating the financial health of companies, assessing dimensions of business problems, evaluating financial implications of corporate and individual actions, and constructing investment portfolios. Finance majors develop the ability to utilize spreadsheets to process and present financial data. In addition, they may gain specialized training in real estate and Bloomberg, which is considered by finance professionals to be the gold standard for accessing current market, economic, and financial information.

Popular careers include Financial Manager, Financial Analyst, Financial Advisor, Portfolio Manager, Financial Risk Management Actuary, Management Analyst (Consultant), Loan Officer, Budget Analyst, Investor Relations Associate, Credit Analyst, Commercial Real Estate Agent and Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents. Many of these are included in the top 20 best business jobs according to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Jobs Rankings for 2017 (https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/best-business-jobs), and their job outlook is forecast to be better than the average for all occupations according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/home.htm).

Finance majors have flexibility to customize their studies through a broad array of electives, student organizations, experiential learning, and collaterals best suited to a particular career path. The department has course listings in investments, financial statement analysis, financial management, financial institutions, international finance, fixed income, real estate, risk and insurance, derivatives, and Bloomberg software training. The Finance department is certified as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Recognized University. As such, students pursuing a major in Finance gain valuable exposure to many topical areas required in sitting for the CFA designation, which is regarded as the key designation for investment professionals worldwide. Sponsorships are available to help cover costs for students sitting for the CFA exams. The Finance department also offers cutting edge resources through the Masters Investment Learning Center. In addition to specialized Bloomberg training, Finance majors gain real-world experiences in value investing or wealth management managing actual portfolios (via FINC 495 ). Finance majors may also enrich their experience through internships and participation in the CFA Global Investment Research Challenge, the Tennessee Capital Markets Society, the Financial Management Association, the Real Estate Club, and the UT Investment Group.

Students who major in Finance need quantitative skills, problem solving skills, and communication skills.

Return to: Haslam College of Business