Stark State College's associate degree in finance builds practical financial skills for today’s business environment, preparing graduates to support decision-making in corporations, investment firms, accounting firms, or government agencies. Designed with flexible scheduling, the program can be completed in as little as two years and prepares students for roles such as accounting clerk, financial analyst, or financial advisor.
Major code: 2400 Business, Engineering, and Information Technologies Division Accounting and Finance Department
The catalog in force is assigned to students based on the academic year they first applied to the college, and changes only when students change their major or request the change in writing. Refer to Policy No. 3357:15-13-28.
2026-27 Catalog
Effective Summer 2026
Some courses listed within the program may require a prerequisite or co-requisite.
Pre/Co-requisites will be listed within each course hyperlink below.
Refer to Policy No. 3357:15-13-04 and 3357:15-13-05
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Technical | ||
| ACC131 | Taxation I | 4 |
| ACC132 | Financial Accounting 1 | 4 |
| ACC133 | Managerial Accounting | 4 |
| ACC231 | Taxation II | 3 |
| ACC238 | Financial Statement Analysis | 3 |
| FIN110 | Personal Finance | 2 |
| FIN220 | Business Finance | 3 |
| FIN221 | Investments and Securities | 3 |
| FIN227 | Financial Markets and Institutions | 3 |
| FIN230 | Advanced Business Finance | 3 |
| Non-technical | ||
| SSC101 | Student Success Seminar | 1 |
| ACC130 | Business Law and Ethics | 3 |
| ACC237 | Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination | 3 |
| AOT226 | Spreadsheet - Microsoft Excel | 3 |
| BUS124 | Business Analysis | 3 |
| BUS221 | Microeconomics | 3 |
| BUS222 | Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ENG124 | College Composition | 3 |
| MKT121 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| MTH124 | Statistics | 3-4 |
| or MTH125 | College Algebra | |
| Select one (1)Arts & Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 63-64 | |
- 1
Student may elect to take ACC121 Introduction to Accounting prior to taking this course.
Students completing this degree may be eligible to also receive a Financial Services One-Year Certificate (2010).
Full-time Student Advising Notes
Academic Advising
Students should make an appointment to see their advisor before registering for classes each semester. They should have prepared a completed registration form, including courses they wish to take, prior to this meeting.
Course Sequence
The semester-by-semester listing below provides the normal scheduling option for full-time associate degree students who plan to finish in two years.
| First Semester | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| SSC101 | Student Success Seminar | 1 |
| ACC130 | Business Law and Ethics | 3 |
| ENG124 | College Composition | 3 |
| AOT226 | Spreadsheet - Microsoft Excel | 3 |
| ACC132 | Financial Accounting 1 | 4 |
| BUS124 | Business Analysis | 3 |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| FIN110 | Personal Finance | 2 |
| ACC133 | Managerial Accounting | 4 |
| BUS221 | Microeconomics | 3 |
| MTH124 or MTH125 |
Statistics or College Algebra |
3-4 |
| Arts Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15-16 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| BUS222 | Macroeconomics | 3 |
| FIN220 | Business Finance | 3 |
| ACC131 | Taxation I | 4 |
| FIN227 | Financial Markets and Institutions | 3 |
| FIN221 | Investments and Securities | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Semester | ||
| MKT121 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| ACC238 | Financial Statement Analysis | 3 |
| ACC231 | Taxation II | 3 |
| ACC237 | Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination | 3 |
| FIN230 | Advanced Business Finance | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 63-64 | |
Arts & Humanities Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENG233 | British Literature: Medieval to 1785 | 3 |
| ENG234 | British Literature: 1785 to Present | 3 |
| ENG235 | Introduction to Shakespeare | 3 |
| ENG236 | American Literature: Colonial to 1865 | 3 |
| ENG237 | American Literature: 1865 to Present | 3 |
| ENG241 | Major Modern Writers | 3 |
| HIS121 | United States History I to 1877 | 3 |
| HIS122 | United States History II from 1877 | 3 |
| HIS221 | World Civilization to 17th Century | 3 |
| HIS222 | World Civilization from 17th Century | 3 |
| PHL122 | Ethics | 3 |
Program Learning Outcomes
This program is designed to prepare students to demonstrate the following learning outcomes:
- Prepare and analyze the various types of financial information essential for internal and external recordkeeping, reporting and decision making.
- Exhibit a general knowledge of business taxation principles and regulations, including the ability to analyze complex taxation scenarios. Also exhibit an understanding of the nature of business fraud and the responsibility of management for fraud prevention and detection.
- Analyze financial statements, with a particular emphasis on how that analysis impacts managerial decision making. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate liquidity and profitability and to utilize financial data to minimize corporate financial risk.
- Demonstrate the ability to compute cash flows, determine the corporation’s cost of capital, and discuss the risks and costs associated with various forms of corporate financing. Also demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of how money and banking impact corporate financial managers.