Programme Aims & Learning Outcomes

The financial services industry is a major pillar of modern business. It deals with the efficient flow of funds between various business units.

This programme provides a well-rounded business education and an opportunity to specialize in financial services. Students develop strong analytical skills and critical thinking, which are gained through rigorous training in finance and the associated disciplines.

Programme Characteristics

This programme prepares students for management careers in financial services. Emphasis is placed on developing critical thinking and analytical skills, which enable a better understanding of, and allow graduates to deal with, the increasingly complex business issues that they face.

The programme offers a wide range of subject choices in the field of finance and financial services. For example, students are offered the opportunity to study subjects that focus on investments, banking, derivatives, insurance, corporate finance and financial planning.

All students within the Faculty of Business are encouraged to participate in the Whole Person Development Programme (WPDP), which includes a range of extracurricular activities, such as leadership training camps, peer tutoring, mentorship, and overseas and the Chinese mainland exchanges.

Each student can be assigned a mentor, an experienced executive or manager from the business world and who provides advice and support, and helps students to plan their careers and prepare for their first jobs after graduation.

Subject to availability, the BBA students can spend a semester for studying at another university overseas or in the Chinese mainland, and have the credits counted towards their PolyU degree.

With PolyU's credit-based system, students are able to complement their studies by taking subjects in such areas as finance, logistics or management information systems, to name just a few. Their degrees thus enable them to take advantage of a much broader range of career opportunities.

Curriculum

This is a very flexible programme that offers a wide range of subject choices in the fields of finance and financial services.

In Years One and Two, students study the university core curriculum subjects such as Language & Communication, Freshman Seminar, Leadership & Intra-Personal Development, Service-Learning, and Healthy Lifestyle, as well as fundamental business subjects, such as Accounting, Business Law, Economics, Finance, Information Technology, Management and Marketing Subjects.

In Years Three and Four, students continue their general business education, by taking such subjects as Strategic Management and Corporate Social Responsibility, and also study finance and financial services in greater depth through such subjects as Financial Planning, Investments, Principles of Insurance, Risk Management, and Management of Financial Institutions. Students also have the opportunity to choose Electives from a range of finance and financial services subjects.

Along with a Major in Financial Services students can take a Minor, either in another business discipline or in a non-business discipline, if they wish.

Career Prospects

Graduates with a BBA(Hons) in Financial Services are well qualified to advance their careers in banking, investment, insurance, stock broking, treasury, finance, general commerce and industry.