Finance & Marketing

Introduction

The Department of Finance and Marketing provides the opportunity for study of business administration relating to financial and marketing management. These fields cover a variety of responsibilities in both public and private organizations. An emphasis on breadth, general knowledge and analytical skills pervades all levels of the undergraduate curriculum. Graduates from the finance and marketing department will have completed a broad business program plus a wide range of nonbusiness subjects, reflecting the department’s belief that education should prepare students for satisfying achievements in life as well as business.

Program Objectives

Departmental programs have been designed to prepare students for leadership roles in business and the community.

The educational objectives of the department are to:

Encourage intellectual inquiry
Provide students with the perceptual and analytical skills necessary in making decisions and evaluating policy in business
Develop student understanding of the social, economic and regulatory environment of business
Enhance educational opportunities through research activities of faculty and students

The program is designed for students with a variety of career goals including opportunities with financial institutions, manufacturing and retail firms, service industries and the public sector.

Faculty

EDWIN A. LOVE (2008) Chair and Professor. BA, The Evergreen State College; MBA, University of Arizona; Ph.D, University of Washington.
CATHERINE ARMSTRONG SOULE (2014) Professor. BA, University of Montana; MBA, University of Montana; PhD, University of Oregon.
SARA BASKENLTI (2018) Associate Professor. BS, Bilkent University; MS, Middle East Technical University; MS, University of Cincinnati; PhD, City University of New York.
EARL D. BENSON (1980) Professor. BS, University of Idaho; MA, Pennsylvania State University; PhD, University of Oregon.
SOPHIE X. KONG (2006) Professor. BA, Nanjing University of China; MS, PhD, Florida State University.
PAMELA L. LABORDE (1990) Associate Professor. BS, MPA, DBA, Louisiana Tech University.
LEE D. McCLAIN (1991) Senior Instructor. BA, MA, University of Missouri-Columbia; MBA, University of Pennsylvania
DAN PURDY (2007) Senior Instructor. BA, MBA, Western Washington University
FARROKH SAFAVI (1969) Professor. BA, BS, MBA, University of Teheran; MBA, DBA, University of Southern California.
TEJVIR SEKHON (2017) Associate Professor. BE, University of Delhi; MBA, Indian Institute of Management; Ph.D., Marketing, Boston University Questrom School of Business.
MARK G. STATON (2012) Associate Professor. BA, University of Virginia; MBA Boston University; MS, PhD, University of Washington.
ERIC WEHRLY (2017) Associate Professor. BA, Gonzaga University, MBA, PhD. University of Washington.
NICHOLAS X. WONDER (2002) Associate Professor. BA, University of Washington; PhD, University of California-Berkeley.
STEVEN CHEN (2025) Associate Professor. BA, National Chengchi University; MBA, National Taiwan University; PhD, University of Houston.

Departmental Mission

Finance

The finance faculty provides education in finance to develop students with the goal that they will lead, manage, and positively contribute to firms and other organizations. We originate research and serve our college, university and society at large with professional expertise.

Marketing

The marketing faculty provides education in marketing. We help undergraduates and MBA’s to become better learners and thinkers able to manage firms and organizations in the public interest and in a global context. We originate research and we serve our college, university and society at large with professional expertise.

Application Process

Students must confirm admission to Western Washington University before applying to the College of Business and Economics (CBE). Students are encouraged to apply as soon as they meet the requirements listed below. The electronic application is located on the CBE website and submissions are processed on a continual basis.

Application Requirements

Students with 45 or more college-level credits, a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher for all college-level coursework, and a Western cumulative GPA (if any courses have been completed at Western) of 2.50 or higher may apply regardless of how many business courses have been completed. Students who have not completed the eight business foundation courses will be admitted as pre-majors. Students who have completed all eight foundation courses will be admitted as full majors.
Please note: No individual course grade lower than a C- will be accepted and credited toward degree requirements. Cumulative GPA requirements for College of Business and Economics degrees are listed below.

Retention Standards

To remain in good standing in CBE, students must maintain a minimum Western cumulative GPA of 2.50.
Should a student fall below the 2.50 Western cumulative GPA retention standard, the student will receive a warning and have one quarter in which to repair the academic record. If the student’s academic record remains below the 2.50 Western cumulative GPA retention standard, the student will be dropped from the college.

All majors in the College of Business and Economics (CBE) must maintain good academic standing with the University. A student with a Western Washington University cumulative GPA average below 2.0 will be dismissed from the college immediately and not permitted to register for additional courses in the College of Business and Economics until the deficiency is repaired. A transfer student with no Western GPA (no graded Western courses) at the time of CBE application must maintain good standing with the University moving forward.

Please note: No individual course grade lower than a C- will be accepted and credited toward degree requirements.

Academic Status

Pre-major: A student who has applied and been accepted to CBE but has not completed the foundation courses required for their major/concentration.
Provisional major: A student who is enrolled in their last foundation course(s). Note: If at the end of their provisional quarter a student does not meet all requirements for full major status, they will revert to pre-major status and cannot register for any major-restricted courses until they repair the deficiency. A student is eligible for provisional major status in CBE only once.
Full major: A student who has completed all foundation courses required for their major/concentration and has a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher for all college-level coursework and a Western cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher.

Other Departmental Information

The Curriculum

Development of the department’s curriculum has been guided by the standards of the AACSB International–The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Students normally devote most of the freshman and sophomore years of study to completion of the General University Requirements (GURs) and the business administration major foundation courses. Several foundation courses satisfy GURs, and careful planning can save time for additional elective course work. Electives that emphasize oral and written communication skills are particularly recommended.

The junior and senior years are devoted primarily to upper-division core requirements and elective course work. The department offers concentrations in finance and marketing. Students who wish to complete a concentration must pay close attention to class scheduling because of prerequisites and limited offerings of some courses. Additional specific information can be found at the department website, cbe.wwu.edu/fmkt.

Business Applications Software

The use of personal computer systems to assist in data management, analysis and reporting of results is widespread in the curriculum of the finance and marketing department. Students are expected to have some proficiency in word processing and spreadsheet software at the time they enter upper-division finance and marketing department classes. The proficiency can be gained through several means, including formal class work at a university or community college, work experience or commercially offered classes. Students who have not otherwise gained these skills are expected to test out of or register for MIS 220 prior to their registration in DSCI 305, MIS 320, and FIN 341. Additional specific information can be found at cbe.wwu.edu/fmkt.

Communications Requirements

All business majors are required to take one communication focus (CF) course and a minimum of three writing proficiency points in approved upper-division writing proficiency courses at WWU with a minimum grade of C-, all taken within the College of Business and Economics (CBE). Consult Browse Classes for the specific course sections that fulfill the CF and WP requirements. The requirements may normally be met by taking designated sections of concentration courses, but may be met by taking any other designated CBE course as well.

Student Advising

For answers to routine questions concerning preparation and progress through the major, students should consult the finance and marketing department and the department website. Non-routine questions should be directed to the department chair or the department’s academic department manager. Questions concerning individual areas of study should be directed to faculty who teach in that area.

After the declaration of a major, a student will be assigned a faculty advisor with whom the student must consult concerning mandatory and elective courses in the chosen major and concentration. The faculty advisor may also be a source of information concerning career objectives and opportunities.

Enrollment Priorities

Because of high student demand for many business administration program courses, the department must give enrollment priority to students for whom those courses are requirements rather than electives. Priority is given to majors in CBE and other declared majors for whom the classes are required.

Programs

Undergraduate Major

Undergraduate Combined Major

Financial Economics, BA (see Economics Department)

Courses

Finance

Courses numbered X37; X97; 300, 400 are described on page 35 of this catalog. NOTE: Not all courses are offered every year. Many elective courses are offered only once each year. See the online Timetable of Classes for current offerings. Consult department for answers to specific questions.

Marketing

Courses numbered X37; X97; 300, 400 are described in the University Academic Policies section of this catalog. NOTE: Not all courses are offered every year. Many elective courses are offered only once each year. See the online Timetable of Classes for current offerings. Consult department for answers to specific questions.