Accounting & Finance Department
The Accounting and Finance Department offers three majors: Accounting, Finance, and Management Information Systems (MIS).
Accounting is a lot more than counting beans! It is a diverse, dynamic field broadly concerned with the measurement of wealth and the financial impact of transactions. Good accounting results in good decision making. The study of accounting gives students the knowledge and professional judgement to determine the most useful way to communicate financial information.
The Accounting Major is the first step in obtaining a thorough understanding of accounting. After graduation, many students continue in their accounting studies and pursue one of the following professional designations: CA, CGA, or CMA.
Due to their excellent analytical and quantitative skills, accountants are increasingly becoming involved in aspects of business such as auditing, internal control, international management, business valuation, risk management, and strategic decision making. As a result of this wide exposure to the operations of business, top managers of large firms usually have strong accounting backgrounds.
Typical careers: accountant, comptroller, treasurer, auditor, tax consultant, and management consultant.
Student Group: Asper School of Business Accounting Association (ASBAA)
Finance is about raising money (financing) and spending money (investing) and deciding on the best ways to accomplish these tasks. Every decision encountered in a business has financial implications and it is crucial for Management students to have a strong knowledge of financial concepts and theories.
How do you value a share of stock; what about a new company project? What are options, futures, forwards, and swaps? What is the principal-agent problem? What about risk and return? Why diversify? Finance Majors can answer these questions and understand why they are important concepts to know.
The Finance Major gives a thorough exposure to a wide range of finance institutions including stock and bond markets, foreign-exchange markets, commercial banks, investment banks, the Bank of Canada, and the US Federal Reserve. Through problems, cases, and spreadsheets, students apply finance theory to real-world issues and graduate with the skills and understanding necessary for a successful career in the finance industry.
Typical careers: commercial banker, portfolio manager, investment banker, stock broker, financial planner, financial research analyst, corporate financial executive, and financial management consultant.
Student Groups:
· University of Manitoba Finance Organization (UMFO)
· University of Manitoba Investment Group (UMIG)
Management Information Systems
How does the bank keep track of your money? How do you know when your computer has a virus -- or how to fix it? How can you find the person of your dreams? All of this can be done "on-line". Today, organizations and people use computers to accomplish a variety of objectives. They are located in almost every conceivable organization and are being used for almost every conceivable purpose. Soon, there will be a computer in every home, too. Management information systems, known as MIS or IS, deals with how organizations and individuals use computers, how computers can benefit organizations (as well as individuals), and how to manage this widespread technology. MIS is an exciting and attractive field for those who enjoy working with computers as well as people.
As organizations seek to use computers for their benefit, they need in-house personnel or consultants from other organizations to help them translate the technical aspects of the computer into the accomplishment of their business goals. That is where MIS majors come in.
If you like working with computers AND you like working with people, then MIS is the place for you. You will learn about the technology behind the applications and learn how to build applications that don't just work technically, but that get the real business job done. You will also learn how to determine when to build what applications for an organization and how to manage that process.
The job market for MIS majors is growing. A quick read of our local newspapers shows the shortage of MIS professionals in Canada and in Manitoba. So our MIS majors will always be in demand.
Typical Careers: business analyst, network manager, database manager, marketing research database analyst, Web manager, Web developer, and a host of other kinds of positions to translate the technical hardware and software into effective business applications.
Student Group: MIS Association (MISA)
