2014-15 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs
Energy Economics and Finance
Energy Economics and Finance Mission
The mission of the Energy Economics and Finance Program is to educate students in the knowledge essential for understanding the business theory, practice, and processes necessary for analyzing the feasibility of projects in the energy industry.
Energy Economics and Finance Program Goals and Outcomes
| Goal | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Meet the financial analysis needs of the energy industry in North Dakota and the Great Plains. | |
| Prepare future business managers to meet energy challenges. | Understand the historical practice and theory of energy markets. |
| Examine energy industry-specific approaches to financial analysis and practice. | |
| Critically analyze energy projects and problems using appropriate data and technology tools. | |
| Provide methods for examining alternative energy sources for their economic and financial suitability in meeting energy users’ needs. | Investigate the economic valuation, strategy, and finance of energy projects. |
| Explore links between energy projects and financial markets. | |
| Value energy projects, including real options. | |
| Gain understanding of renewable energy user markets. | |
| Discover how financing choices affect energy project valuation. | |
| Implement value-at-risk methods for risk management. | |
| Understand economic fundamentals of energy industries. | |
| Assign value to operational components, such as oil fields, pipelines, wind farms, and ethanol/biodiesel plants. | |
| Contribute to our nation’s energy independence and security by educating a workforce dedicated to energy economic and financial analysis. |
Bachelor of Science with a Major in Energy Economics and Finance (120 CR)
The Energy Economics and Finance major is designed to provide a foundation in geological sciences and a rigorous selection of economics and finance courses focused on energy topics to enable students to perform business analyses as members of asset-project teams for a range of business analysis positions in the energy industry, from business and financial analyst or project analyst for an energy company or a utility, to energy loan specialist for a financial institution, to energy economist, to a corporate planner leading eventually to CFO or CEO positions and to positions as energy-audit consultants to public service commissions. The special strengths of the program include its capability to link economic and financial analysis processes and practices with energy-related issues, its ability to offer students the opportunity to enhance this link through “options” that provide specialization, and its uniqueness within the region.
The Energy Economics and Finance program is designed to prepare students to be financial analysts capable of providing value to energy organizations. To meet this objective, the curriculum builds upon a strong business core by further blending knowledge in three areas: geology, economics, and finance. The curriculum has four components: General Education, College of Business Core Requirements, required major courses, and elective options.
| General Education | ||
| General Education courses | 38-40 | |
| College of Business Required General Education Courses | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| College of Business Core Requirements | ||
| ACCT 200 | Elements of Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCT 201 | Elements of Accounting II | 3 |
| ACCT 300 | Legal Environment of Business | 3 |
| BIT 220 | Management Information Systems | 3 |
| BADM 301 | Fundamentals of Management | 3 |
| BADM 321 | Marketing | 3 |
| BIT 318 | Business Communication | 3 |
| BOTE 247 | Spreadsheet Applications | 3 |
| FIN 353 | Corporation Finance | 3 |
| Courses Required for Energy Economics and Finance Major | ||
| ACCT 321 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT 375 | Principles of Energy Accounting | 3 |
| ACCT 415 | Energy Law | 3 |
| BADM 416 | Operations Management | 3 |
| ECON 312 | Price Theory | 3 |
| ECON 314 | National Income Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 320 | Environ and Nat Resource Econ | 3 |
| ECON 410 | Managerial Economics | 3 |
| FIN 281 | Fundamentals of Energy | 3 |
| FIN 357 | Advanced Corporate Finance | 3 |
| FIN 421 | International Energy Markets | 3 |
| FIN 458 | Financial Analysis and Valuation | 3 |
| FIN 459 | Advanced Project Evaluation | 3 |
| FIN 491 | Seminar in Energy Topics (Energy Economics and Finance Required General Education Courses) | 2 |
| GEOL 260 | Energy Resources | 3 |
| MATH 146 | Applied Calculus | 3 |
| Energy Economics and Finance Required General Education Courses | ||
| Environmental Geology with Lab | ||
| Physical Geology with lab | ||
| Electives | 8 | |
| (To meet the 120 SH graduation requirement) | ||
| Total Hours | 120-122 | |