The Bachelor of Business Administration with specialization in Finance and Banking is a program carefully designed to prepare graduates for successful careers in finance, financial Management, the financial services industry and in banking. Its scope extends to include investments, financial derivatives, risk management and international finance.
The Program offers a balanced blend of economic and financial theories with general and industry-specific applications carefully designed to ensure an effective level of financial knowledge and competence. It is structured so that graduates may seek entry level careers in various types of organizations, take the CFA Exam or pursue graduates studies in business or finance.
The purpose of the Finance and Banking Program at the College of Business Administration of Rafik Hariri University is an integrative composite of four main dimensions: General and Specialized Business Knowledge, Communication, Critical Thinking, and Ethics and Social Responsibility.
The Finance and Banking program equips students with skills and competencies to seek and succeed in a wide range of career opportunities in a variety of organizations and in a number of vibrant industries such as banking, insurance, investments and financial services. Possible career opportunities include financial manager, credit analyst, loan officer, branch manager, trust officer, mortgage banker, financial analyst, investment advisor, and financial planner.
This course introduces students to contemporary business principles of ethics and social responsibility. Students learn to make ethical judgments on important ethical issues they face daily by relating them to a framework of ethical principles, including utilitarianism, justice, moral rights, ethics of care, and vices and virtues. Ethical dilemmas related to conflict of interest, sustainability in business strategy, and corporate governance are examples of issues discussed in this course.
Prerequisite: Junior Standing.
This course emphasizes the fundamental principles of chemistry, including stressing atomic structure, bonding, stoichiometry, gases, solutions, acids and bases, and solution equilibria.
Prerequisite: None.
This course provides an opportunity to develop an understanding of several basic environmental functions, the complicated nature of environmental systems, and the need for multidisciplinary solutions to environmental problems. Topics covered include the hydrosphere, water quantity and quality, soil and the soil ecosystem, biological resources, waste disposal, air pollution, ozone depletion, acid rain, and global warming. The course also includes a set of experiments that offer students practical experience in different environmental analysis settings, including air and water quality.
This course is intended to help students be aware of the consequences of war and conflicts on children's mental health and well-being. The course will examine a variety of effects, emphasizing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological conditions that result from war. The course will empower the students with the techniques of working with children affected by war.
Co-requisite: ENGL 210.
Different cultures in different landscapes are compared to the Middle East. This course examines the many issues of human population, perception of the environment, diffusion of ideas, and cultural aspects of resources and urban growth.
This course reviews the fundamentals of good academic writing in English, teaches essay writing essentials and research skills in two rhetorical modes (persuasion and argumentation), and provides practice in writing essays in these modes, research papers and oral presentations.
Prerequisite: ENGL 101 or TOEFL 550+ (paper) or 80+ (computer).
This course is designed to help students develop effective professional communication skills, both orally and in writing. In this course, students learn how to write emails, memos, letters, proposals, reports, and other forms of employment correspondence. In addition, this course helps students sharpen their presentation skills. Broadly, this course enables students to behave professionally and effectively in their prospective jobs.
Prerequisite: ENGL 210.
This course introduces freshman students to poets with intrinsic literary merit. In addition to broadening the student’s understanding and appreciation of literature, the chief aim of the course is to develop the student’s critical thinking and analysis and to encourage original responses to literary expression in well-developed oral and written criticism.
This course introduces literature through works of fiction, poetry, and drama. It introduces students to the pleasures of reading literature and to interpretative approaches to literature. It aims to provide students with competence in critical thinking and practice in close reading and analysis, knowledge of the formal characteristics of each genre, and appreciation of literary excellence. Readings include a variety of short stories, poems, and plays selected from a wide range of British, American, and World literature.
Students study Shakespeare's representative comedies, histories, and tragedies in this course. The plays are read intensively and understood in the context of the period's theatrical conventions, the culture of play in early modern England, and the social, cultural, religious, and intellectual history of the period.
This broad survey course provides a narrative of British history from 1066, including political, social, and cultural developments.
This is an elective course whose major objectives are to familiarize students with contemporary issues to enhance their level from historical and cultural points of view.
This course examines the ties between Europe and the Middle East in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on the reaction of Middle Eastern societies to European intervention and influence.
This elective course aims to familiarize students with various events that shaped the evolution of social and economic developments in the Middle East to enhance their level from the historical and economic dimensions.
This is a study of some major topics in philosophy. The course emphasizes theory of knowledge, theory of mind, determinism and free will, and morality and ethical values. Along with some assigned readings, students will watch movies, the analysis of which will help them comprehend the content of the course better.
This course is a standard introduction to the formal techniques of argument analysis. Formal logic was invented to mirror and evaluate mathematical reasoning; however, this course will concentrate on the relationship between formal logic and everyday reasoning and language usage in general.
People often wonder about what makes good ways to live and the right ways to act. They also speculate about the best way of life, what action is right, and what authority moral claims have over us. The course introduces students to the major moral theories and thinkers addressing these questions.
This course introduces contemporary philosophical thinking on ethical issues in business. Students will be exposed to important ethical issues they might face, asked to give sound ethical judgment to problems they might face in their line of work, helped become armed with a set of codes that will prepare them to confront and resolve ethical dilemmas they might encounter at work, and enabled to apply the techniques for analyzing and resolving ethical problems when they arise.
This course introduces students to peace building and conflict prevention by examining the main theories on peace and security. It examines the ideas of Thucydides, Aristotle, Erasmus Grotius, Kant, Gandhi, and other thinkers who believed that the whole peace was of high value. It develops students’ critical skills and understanding necessary to translate their academic learning to specific practical situations, such as those posed by peace building either with the UN, governments, or NGOs. It helps understand the complex and interconnected challenges to peace and provides knowledge to meet them.
Through reading, writing, and speech, students will become familiar with the persuasive strategy described in Aristotle’s Rhetoric and consider how that strategy can be employed in professional and personal situations in writing, public speaking, and negotiation.
This course teaches students rhetorical modes in short essays and journalism, including memoirs, reportage, and reflective essays. Students will practice a writing style focusing on conciseness and clarity, effective oral presentations, and reading articles, essays, and other increasingly complex materials.
This course addresses the ethical problems in journalism, public relations, and advertising, particularly in today’s digital media environment.
Prerequisite: CMNS 301.
This course integrates methods, perspectives, and concepts of Peace Studies, Culture Communication, and Peace Journalism to explain contemporary debates in the global public sphere. It considers how cultural stereotypes about ideology, religion, and culture frame Arabs and Americans in the mass media. RHU students will engage with students from collaborating universities in the United States in online, asynchronous conversation and participate in shared projects that explore the role of the media in influencing Arab and American relations.
This course is designed to provide a practical introduction to the fundamental principles of public speaking and a forum for practicing public speaking skills. Students will learn how effective speeches are conceived, prepared, and delivered through various instructional strategies (discussion, class workshops, readings, lectures, and presentations).
This course surveys some key figures, movements, and texts in cultural studies from the 19th century to the present. The concentration will be on the historical, political, religious, cultural, and institutional aspects during this period. Students will read, analyze, and interpret certain primary works to gain insight into the contexts in which they originated.
This course will examine motivational factors that influence children’s learning. Topics include attribution theory, teacher influences (expectancy effects), learning structures (competitive vs. cooperative learning), family influences (the socialization of achievement), cultural influences (how cultural background impacts college performance), and individual differences (intrinsic motivation and sex differences in learning).
The course surveys selected works in English or translation from non-Anglo-American cultural traditions. Texts can be drawn from African, Asian, European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern literature focusing on their historical and cultural contexts.
This course will survey language acquisition theories. It will deal with human language processing, learners’ motivational factors, and contextual factors influencing language learning. It will uncover the principles of first and second language acquisition.
This course introduces the psychology discipline's theories, concepts, and viewpoints. The course is directed toward understanding human behavior by dealing with topics such as the history of psychology, learning, personality, behavior, motivation, perception, social psychology, mental health, and other areas.
This course studies the dynamics and effects of social influences on individual human behavior. In this course, students will explore topics such as attitude changes, social beliefs, roles, conformity to group processes, and prejudices, with special attention given to the Middle Eastern perspective.
This course presents the theories of personality, including psychoanalytic, behaviorist, humanist, and others, while considering different factors that shape personality and behavior. The study includes methods of assessing personality.
This course examines the biological, sociological, and cultural influences on the psychology of women. It includes such topics as gender stereotypes, the development of gender roles, gender comparisons, women and work, love relations, women’s physical and mental health, violence against women, and women in later adulthood.
This course examines scientific research on happiness and its practical application in three main areas: positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions. This course also presents practical ways to promote and maintain a sense of well-being and happiness in all aspects of one’s life.
This course explores practical theories for understanding congregational conflict and various perspectives on conflict transformation. Students will reflect on their styles of dealing with conflict and learn new ways of responding. They will explore practices of dialogue and mediation for addressing conflict in interpersonal, small group, and congregational settings to develop an approach to addressing inevitable situations of difference, change, and conflict in various situations.
An introduction to the theories of abnormal behaviors, including addiction and substance abuse, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, depression, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, phobias, schizophrenia, and sexual disorders. Students will consider the theoretical implications and treatments for various abnormal behaviors.
This course is designed for psychology, sociology, communications, and other social sciences students. It introduces them to advanced research design and methodology, including statistical analysis.
Prerequisite: MATH 220.
This course explores a variety of sociological theories and approaches to understanding society. The student will learn about human social life, groups, and societies and be helped to detect the social influences shaping our lives. The approach used in this course is a self-exploratory process that develops individual and social awareness. A secondary objective is discussing methods common to sociology, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and feminism.
This course introduces the study of sociological concepts as they apply to the institution of education. Students will examine race, class, status, poverty, and bureaucracy issues in the educational setting. They will also examine current perspectives and research about the social aspects of the learning process.
This course deals with cultural issues like cultural awareness, enculturation, acculturation, and cultural shocks. It involves hands-on activities to promote cultural awareness and equip students with skills for dealing with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. It includes team-oriented research and presentation that reflects all the cultural aspects and some minute details of the culture they choose to work on.
Students in this course examine communication theory and case studies to gain insight into the factors that affect human communications. It aims to improve students’ communication skills and equip them with techniques to enhance the quality of their relationships. The course also offers strategies for managing interpersonal conflicts.
This course examines contemporary Arab society, considering its social structures and groups, cultural patterns, and other aspects of the society. Students consider current issues related to Arab culture and society.
Co-requisite ENGL 210.
This course analyzes the role of culture in an individual’s sense of identity, emphasizing how it manifests in the Middle East.
The course addresses class, status, and gender inequalities, examining how they affect individuals and society.
This course tackles the social issues of various political ideologies' historical and contemporary evolution. It aims to develop students’ understanding of the social bases of politics and political ideologies, along with the recent changes in the socio-political world. Different economic and political philosophies are considered, and their effects on the fate of nations and their citizens are detected.
This course introduces students to managerial decision analysis using quantitative tools. The course will introduce students to using and building mathematical models to help managers make informed decisions. The focus is on the applied aspects of statistics and math. As such, the course will cover the basics of probabilistic and statistical techniques, decision analysis, linear programming, optimization, forecasting, and waiting-line theory.
Prerequisite: BADM 250 or MATH 351.
Students will study the general principles of microeconomics. Included are the theoretical constructs of consumer behavior, cost structure, and the operations of business firms in the market economy under conditions of perfect competition, oligopoly, monopoly, and monopolistic competition.
Students will study the general principles of macroeconomics. This course presents the formal Keynesian theory of income determination and its contemporary critiques, including the study of the possible causes and solutions to unemployment and inflation and the importance of the international economy. Government fiscal and monetary policies are examined in detail.
This course will expose students to corporate and business finance and financial management's foundational principles, theories, and applications. It covers simple and compound interest, risk and rates of return, time value of money, stocks and bonds valuations, discounted cash flow analysis, and financial ratios.
Prerequisite: BACC 205.
Students study the basic functions of management and are exposed to modern management practices, current events, problem-solving, and ethical dilemmas. Topics include decision-making, strategic and operational planning, organizational structure, Human Resources management, leadership, and control techniques. The instructor facilitates discussion and integrates these topics through contemporary business issues and case studies.
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to information systems and their application. It explains how to use and manage information technologies to revitalize business processes, conduct electronic commerce, improve business decision-making, and gain competitive advantage.
Prerequisite: BITM 200
This course introduces students to the statistical techniques used to analyze large datasets. The course covers the theory and application of both parametric and nonparametric methods. Students will learn to visualize the data using univariate and bivariate plots and factor and cluster analysis to investigate whether correlation exists in a multidimensional space. They will also build and test predictive models such as linear, logistic, and time-series models.
Prerequisite: BADM 250.
This course introduces students to the basic concepts, analyses, uses, and procedures of management accounting. It would enable students to understand and view cost as part of activities planned and implemented by a company. It aims to develop managerial decision-making skills by covering the following topics: cost categories, cost-volume-profit analysis, master and flexible budgets, direct costs, and manufacturing overhead variances and relevant costs.
This course introduces the basic principles, theories, and marketing practices in our modern, ever-changing business environment. The course covers the marketing process activities on creating value for customers to capture value from customers in return. It also discusses the marketing mix and how to build long-term customer relationships. Students will analyze case studies about a “real-life” product or service. Videos and in-class discussions on current marketing topics will assist in the learning experience.
Co-requisite.: ENGL 210
The Co-op work experience is designed to provide students with full-time work term in business, industry, or government. The main thrust of this course is the opportunity to put into practice the major aspects of the student’s business education. Special emphasis will be placed on assessing the attitude and work ethics of the “co-op” student. Students will be encouraged to network in the industry and to participate in professional organizations.
Prerequisite: ENGL 217 and Senior Standing.
This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of bank management, emphasizing key hard skills essential for success in the banking sector. Topics include asset-liability management, risk management practices, effective financial strategy formulation, and performance evaluation of banking institutions. The course also covers banking regulations, the development of banking systems, and an analysis of products and services offered by banks. Students will explore the internal organization and structure of banks, equipping them with the necessary tools to navigate the complexities of the banking environment.
This course provides a comprehensive exploration of financial markets and institutions, with a focus on equity market organization, security market indices, and market efficiency, examining their implications for investors and policymakers. It also covers fixed-income securities and markets, including issuance, trading mechanisms, funding strategies, and the term structure of interest rates. In addition to traditional financial systems, the course introduces emerging topics in finance, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence in financial analysis, cryptocurrencies, and digital assets, highlighting their impact on market structure and investment strategies. By integrating fundamental concepts with evolving financial technologies, this course equips students with the knowledge and analytical tools needed to navigate today’s dynamic global financial environment.
Prerequisite: BFIN 300.
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to financial reporting and analysis. It covers the structure and interpretation of financial statements, including the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement, along with key accounting principles, revenue recognition, inventory valuation, and long-term asset accounting. Participants will learn financial ratio analysis, assess financial reporting quality, and explore the impact of different accounting policies under IFRS and U.S. GAAP. The course equips learners with the skills to analyze financial statements, detect red flags in reporting, and make informed investment and credit decisions.
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to corporate finance. It covers fundamental concepts such as capital budgeting, cost of capital, capital structure, working capital management, and measures of corporate performance. Participants will explore financial decision-making frameworks, risk and return analysis, dividend policy, and the impact of leverage on a firm’s financial health. Additionally, the course will delve into environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors and their significance in corporate governance, highlighting how these elements influence financial strategies and stakeholder expectations. By the end, learners will develop the skills to assess corporate financial strategies, optimize capital allocation, and make informed investment and financing decisions while considering ESG principles and effective governance practices.
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to financial and risk management in banking, focusing on the key principles of asset and liability management. Students will explore fixed-income risk and return, with an emphasis on duration, convexity, and the impact of interest rate movements on bond pricing and portfolio management. The course covers the fundamentals of credit analysis, including credit risk assessment, credit spreads, and default probabilities. Additional topics include liquidity and capital adequacy management, market risk, operational risk, and regulatory compliance. Students will also examine key risk measurement techniques, such as Value at Risk (VaR) and stress testing, as well as the role of money market operations in financial stability. By integrating theoretical concepts with real-world applications, this course prepares students to analyze and manage financial risks in banking institutions effectively.
Prerequisite: BFIN 305
This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of portfolio management, focusing on investment selection, risk assessment, and portfolio construction. Students will explore key topics such as risk and return trade-offs, diversification, and asset allocation strategies. The course covers portfolio risk management techniques, including systematic and unsystematic risk, beta, and standard deviation, while also examining portfolio performance evaluation methods. Additionally, students will learn the basics of portfolio planning and construction, incorporating principles of asset allocation, rebalancing, and investment objectives. By integrating theoretical frameworks with real-world applications, this course prepares students to develop effective investment strategies in various market conditions.
Prerequisite: BFIN 400.
This course introduces students to financial derivatives and their applications in risk management, corporate strategy, and investment decision-making. Students will learn how derivatives can be used for hedging and speculation, with a focus on instruments such as forwards, futures, options, and swaps. Particular emphasis is placed on their role in foreign exchange trading and financial risk mitigation. Additionally, the course provides an introduction to alternative investments, including private equity, hedge funds, real estate, commodities, and structured products. Students will explore the risk-return characteristics of these assets and their role in portfolio diversification. By integrating derivatives and alternative investments, this course equips students with a comprehensive understanding of modern financial instruments and their strategic applications.
Prerequisite: Senior Standing.
The instructor leads the students through detailed aspects of starting a business, from identifying the opportunity through the feasibility study to preparing a business plan that covers marketing, operational, and financial aspects. Students also learn about funding, expansion, and franchising strategies.
This course will cover the basic concepts of forensic accounting. Topics include detecting, preventing, investigating, and resolving various types of fraud. The course covers many types of financial statement fraud, including asset misappropriation, fraudulent financial statements, tax fraud, and electronic fraud.
Prerequisite: BFIN 300 and BACC 205.
Given the constraints firms face, this course applies microeconomics theory to various management and planning decisions, such as output maximization and cost minimization. Demand analysis, cost analysis, and different market structures are studied.
Prerequisite: BECN 301.
This course exposes students to international financial management and trade from the perspective of managers working in international corporations. Topics include the management of foreign exchange exposure, foreign investments, multinational capital budgeting, the balance of payments, determination of exchange rates, and international banking.
Prerequisite: BFIN 300, BECN 302.
The instructor leads the students through detailed aspects of starting a business, from the identification of the opportunity through the feasibility study, leading up to the preparation of a business plan which covers marketing, operational and financial aspects. Students also learn about funding, expansion, and franchising strategies.
Prerequisite: BACC 202.
If you have a query about a specific major or application, please contact the relevant Administrative Assistant.
Administrative Assistant Tel: +961 5 60 30 90 Ext. 301
E-mail: da_bus@rhu.edu.lb