The Bachelor of Science in Finance with a concentration in risk management and insurance prepares students for careers in the insurance industry on all levels including underwriting, claims adjusting, employee benefits, risk modeling and analysis, risk management in all sectors of the economy, financial planning, and graduate-level study of risk management.

Learning goals

The goal of the risk management and insurance concentration is to provide students with skills in financial management, risk management and financial planning. Graduates will be able to analyze and communicate findings on complex financial issues.

Student learning outcomes 

Upon completing this program:

  • Students will be able to identify risks, measure them and find mitigating solutions using all financial hedging instruments and insurance. The students will use relevant data to measure risks and solutions including design risk/awards and forecasting, loss reserves, frequency and severity. The students will be using appropriate quantitative measures for making informed risk management decisions as well as financial plans.
  • Students will learn how to interpret data and apply the analysis and design they create to various situations.
  • Students will be able to produce written reports and to express verbally the analytic, quantitative and ethical dimensions of risks and risk management of various entities to a variety of audiences.
  • Students will be able to identify and analyze ethical dimensions of every element in risk management situations and relate those dimensions to professional ethical standards. Specifically, students will understand and articulate their fiduciary responsibility in a variety of topics and scenarios.

Special requirements

The admission requirements for the School of Business detail the deadlines and other requirements for students to be admitted to one of these major programs of study. The following courses must be completed before the student may declare a specific business major: ACCT 203, ACCT 204, BUSN 201 or BUSN 205, BUSN 212 or MATH 200, BUSN 225, ECON 210, ECON 211, UNIV 111, UNIV 112 and UNIV 200.

The School of Business has special academic policiesincluding policies on transfer credits, that apply to all undergraduate degrees. 

All baccalaureate degree programs in the School of Business require successful completion of the business knowledge exam as administered in BUSN 499

Students may need to take additional mathematics courses as prerequisites to BUSN 212 or MATH 200. These credits will count as open electives in the degree program. 

No more than six credits from the BUSN 16X Digital Literacy courses may be applied to the degree.

INTL 493 may not be counted toward a business degree.

Credit for SPCH 121 or SPCH 321 will substitute for BUSN 225, and no more than three credits of these courses may be applied toward a business degree. Students who earned a minimum grade of B in either ECON 203 or ECON 205 at VCU may substitute that credit for ECON 210.

The pass/fail grading policy may not be used for many course requirements. Students should check with their academic adviser before taking the pass/fail grading option.

Students must receive a minimum grade of C in FIRE 309, FIRE 317 and FIRE 479 and must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the remainder of the risk management and insurance concentration requirements. Students must attain a minimum grade of C in minimum grade of C in FIRE 309FIRE 317 and FIRE 479​ after two attempts or they will be asked to change concentrations.

Degree requirements for Finance, Bachelor of Science (B.S.) with a concentration in risk management and insurance

Course Title Hours
General education
Select 30 credits of general education courses in consultation with an adviser.30
Major requirements
• Major core requirements
FIRE 312Financial Modeling3
FIRE 317Investments3
• Concentration requirements
FIRE 309Risk Management and Insurance3
FIRE 369Insurance Company Operations 3
FIRE 429Property and Liability Insurance3
FIRE 439Life and Health Insurance 3
FIRE 479Enterprise Risk Management3
Concentration electives
Approved RMI electives (Choose three from approved list.) 9
Ancillary requirements
• Ancillary core courses
ACCT 203
ACCT 204
Introduction to Accounting I
and Introduction to Accounting II
6
BUSN 301Career and Professional Development 1
BUSN 225Winning Presentations3
BUSN 323Legal Environment of Business3
BUSN 499Business Knowledge Exam0
ECON 210Principles of Microeconomics (satisfies general education BOK for social/behavioral sciences and/or AOI for global perspectives)3
ECON 211Principles of Macroeconomics3
FIRE 311Financial Management3
INFO 360Business Information Systems3
MGMT 303Creativity and Ideation3
MGMT 310Managing People in Organizations3
MGMT 434Strategic Management3
MKTG 301Marketing Principles3
SCMA 301Business Statistics I3
SCMA 320Production/Operations Management3
• Additional ancillary requirements
BUSN 201Foundations of Business 13
or BUSN 205 Introduction to the World of Business
BUSN 212Business Problem Solving and Analysis (either satisfies general education quantitative foundations)4
or MATH 200 Calculus with Analytic Geometry I
Open electives
Select any course. 216
Total Hours120
1

BUSN 205 satisfies general education AOI for global perspectives.

2

Students may choose electives to reach the minimum total of 120 credits.

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.

Approved risk management and insurance electives

Course Title Hours
ACCT 301Federal Income Taxation for Individuals3
ACCT 303Intermediate Accounting I3
ACCT 410Advanced Tax Accounting3
BUSN 400
BUSN 401
Principles of Consulting
and International Consulting Practicum (must get credit for both courses to count toward degree completion)
6
ECON 300Contemporary Economic Issues3
ECON 301Microeconomic Theory3
ECON 302Macroeconomic Theory3
ECON 303Managerial Economics3
ECON 305Public Finance3
ECON 307Money and Banking3
ECON 315Economic Development3
ECON 321Urban Economics3
ECON 325Environmental Economics3
ECON 333Behavioral Economics3
ECON 338Game Theory3
ECON 402Business Cycles and Forecasting3
ECON 403Introduction to Mathematical Economics3
ECON 419History of Economic Thought3
ECON 421Government and Business3
ECON 431Labor Economics3
ECON 442Economic Growth3
FIRE 305Principles of Real Estate3
FIRE 315Real Property Management3
FIRE 316International Financial Management3
FIRE 319Financial Mathematics 3
FIRE 320Actuarial Probability Concepts3
FIRE 359Issues in Risk Management and Insurance3
FIRE 417Security Analysis and Portfolio Management3
FIRE 429Property and Liability Insurance3
FIRE 441Funds Management in Financial Institutions3
FIRE 445Real Estate Investment Analysis3
FIRE 449Employee Benefit Planning3
FIRE 451Options, Futures and Swaps3
FIRE 461Cases in Financial Management3
FIRE 469Advanced Property/Casualty Insurance: Alternative Markets3
FIRE 491Topics in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate1-3
FIRE 492Independent Study in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate1-3
FIRE 493Internship in Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (requires departmental approval)3
MGMT 319Leadership3
MGMT 331Human Resource Management3
MKTG 315Buyer Behavior3
MKTG 335Professional Selling I: The Art of Persuasion3
MKTG 442Services Marketing3
SCMA 302Business Statistics II3
Freshman year
Fall semesterHours
MATH 151 Precalculus Mathematics (counts toward open electives) 4
UNIV 111 Play VideoPlay course video for Focused Inquiry I Focused Inquiry I (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) 3
General education course 3
General education course 3
General education course 3
 Term Hours: 16
Spring semester
BUSN 225 Winning Presentations 3
MATH 200
Calculus with Analytic Geometry I (satisfies general education quantitative foundations)
or Business Problem Solving and Analysis
4
UNIV 112 Play VideoPlay course video for Focused Inquiry II Focused Inquiry II (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) 3
General education course 3
General education course 3
 Term Hours: 16
Sophomore year
Fall semester
ACCT 203 Introduction to Accounting I 3
BUSN 201
Foundations of Business 1
or Introduction to the World of Business 1
3
ECON 210 Principles of Microeconomics (satisfies general education BOK for social/behavioral sciences and/or AOI for global perspectives) 3
UNIV 200 Advanced Focused Inquiry: Literacies, Research and Communication (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) 3
Open elective 3
 Term Hours: 15
Spring semester
ACCT 204 Introduction to Accounting II 3
BUSN 301 Career and Professional Development 1
ECON 211 Principles of Macroeconomics 3
MKTG 301 Marketing Principles 3
SCMA 301 Business Statistics I 3
Open elective 3
 Term Hours: 16
Junior year
Fall semester
BUSN 323 Legal Environment of Business 3
FIRE 311 Financial Management 3
MGMT 310 Managing People in Organizations 3
SCMA 320 Production/Operations Management (Open elective) 3
Open elective 3
 Term Hours: 15
Spring semester
FIRE 309 Risk Management and Insurance 3
FIRE 312 Financial Modeling 3
FIRE 317 Investments 3
MGMT 303 Creativity and Ideation 3
Approved RMI elective 3
 Term Hours: 15
Senior year
Fall semester
FIRE 369 Insurance Company Operations 3.0
FIRE 429 Property and Liability Insurance 3
INFO 360 Business Information Systems 3
Approved RMI elective 3
 Term Hours: 12
Spring semester
BUSN 499 Business Knowledge Exam 0
FIRE 439 Life and Health Insurance 3
FIRE 479 Enterprise Risk Management 3
MGMT 434 Strategic Management 3
Approved RMI elective 3
Open elective 3
 Term Hours: 15
 Total Hours: 120
1

BUSN 205 satisfies general education AOI for global perspectives.

The minimum number of credit hours required for this degree is 120.