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Dahlkemper School of Business Administration

Undergraduate Catalog

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RISK MANAGEMENT MAJOR

RISK MANAGEMENT MAJOR CHARLES YANG, Ph.D., Program Director
Faculty: Assistant Professor: Charles Yang. Lecturers: Michael Bova, Jack Owens, David Russo, Phillip Scrimenti, David Smith, Thomas Umbenhower.

The undergraduate program in risk management and insurance is an innovative course of study providing our students with an overall background in risk management, life and health insurance, property and liability insurance, employee benefits, social insurance, and personal financial planning. Risk management and insurance is a proud profession. Graduates in risk management and insurance find a variety of career opportunities in insurance companies (underwriting, marketing, claims adjusting, rate making, and investment); as risk managers in business; as brokers/agents providing professional risk management/insurance/employee benefits counseling for clients; as consultants and personal financial planners; and in government social insurance programs.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:

RISK 220: Introduction to Risk Management and Insurance
The primary focus of this introductory course is on evaluating life, health, retirement, property and liability exposures to loss and analyzing the methods for managing these risks. Risk management and insurance techniques for dealing with potential losses to individuals and organizations are emphasized.
3 credits

RISK 321: Property and Liability Insurance
This course examines the major types of property and liability insurance. The structure, scope, and limitations of commercial property and liability contracts are analyzed. Coverage principles and concepts are emphasized.
Prerequisite: RISK 220
3 credits

RISK 325: Life and Health Insurance
This course covers the nature and importance of life and health risks and the functions and uses of individual life and health insurance in treating these risks. From both individual and business viewpoints, techniques for evaluating life insurance, health insurance and annuities are covered, including a review of the legal aspects of these contracts.
3 credits

RISK 328: Personal Lines Insurance and Risk Management
This course explores loss exposures faced by individuals and families and the types of insurance and risk management methods to address those situations. Topics include personal auto insurance, home owners insurance, related personal property insurance products, an introduction to basic financial planning, life insurance basics, and descriptions of various personal health insurance products. This course also explores personal lines insurance fraud, identity theft and risks faced by U.S. citizens in foreign countries. This course would be essential for all Risk Management majors and be an interesting business elective for any student who wants to learn about managing exposures that will consume a large percentage of their lifetime incomes. The course would be helpful to ROTC Cadets who may be stationed overseas and business students who may be employed at overseas locations.
Prerequisite: RISK 220
3 credits

RISK 335: Claims Adjusting
This is an introductory course designed to instruct the coverage elements of an insurance policy, legal liability that may be informed and damages that can be assessed under all types of insurance.
3 credits

RISK 340: Health Care Management
This course is a comprehensive analysis illustrating the importance of health care programs that encompass both affordability and availability. Various forms of health care structures such as HMOs, PPOs and governmental programs, such as Medicare and Medicare Supplements, will be identified and an analysis will be provided.
3 credits

RISK 415: Risk Management
This course examines the risk management process, the identification and evaluation of loss exposures, the analysis of the various risk control and financing techniques available to manage the exposures, decision making under conditions of uncertainty, and control mechanisms to monitor the results of the risk management program. Case studies, computer simulation, and assignments to reinforce the risk management concepts covered in the course are required.
Prerequisite: RISK 321, RISK 325
3 credits

RISK 420: Employee Benefits
This course examines the characteristics and design of employee benefit plans, including group insurance, pensions, and 401(k) plans. These plans are evaluated in terms of their cost and effectiveness. Consideration is given to employee communications, taxation, collective bargaining, social insurance systems and international benefit programs.
3 credits

RISK 425: Insurance Operations
This course focuses on the key operational activities of insurance organizations. It specifically covers marketing and distribution systems, underwriting, principles of ratemaking, reinsurance and financial analysis. These functional areas are studied in the context of regulatory and public policy issues. Students will analyze the operational and financial aspects of an insurance company.
3 credits

RISK 450: Retirement and Estate Planning
This is a comprehensive course consisting of two parts. First, the practical knowledge needed for choosing the best retirement plan and designing a plan that will meet a client’s needs from a tax and retirement standpoint is discussed, as well as personal retirement planning and retirement distribution planning. Retirement planning topics include qualified plans, nonqualified plans, the IRAs, and retirement needs for individual clients. Second, various aspects of estate and gift tax planning are examined, including the nature, valuation, transfer, administration, and taxation of property. Particular emphasis is given to a basic understanding of the estate and gift tax system, including the strategies used in estate planning.
3 credits

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Risk Management Curriculum

(Numerals in front of courses indicate credits)

 FRESHMAN   SOPHOMORE
3Prin of Microeconomics/BCOR 111
3Algebra for Bus Students/MATH 114
3Business Technology 1/CIS 150
3College Composition/LENG 111
3Introduction to Philosophy/LPHI 131/td>
3Prin of Macroeconomics/BCOR 112
3Financial Accounting/BCOR 201
3Prin of Management/BCOR 251
3Critical Analysis & Comp/LENG 112
3Sacred Scripture/LTHE 121
3Intro to Risk Mgmt & Ins/RISK 220
33Credits
 
6Managerial Accounting/BCOR 202
3Legal Environ of Bus/BCOR 203
3Business Statistics/BCOR 221
3Bus/Prof Comm/BCOR 231
3Prin of Marketing/BCOR 241
3Prop & Liab Ins/RISK 321
3Theology II Series/LTHE
3Philosophy II Series/LPHI
3Hist of West & World/LHST 111
3LS Natural Science
33Credits
 
 JUNIOR   SENIOR
3Global Business/BCOR 306
3Financial Management/BCOR 311
3Life & Health Ins/RISK 325
3Risk Management/RISK 415
3Risk Mgmt & Ins Electives
3Fine Arts Series/LFIN
3Theology or Phil III Series/LTHE or LPHItd>
12Free Electives
33Credits
 
3Experiential Learning/BCOR 450
3Business Policy/BCOR 480
3Employee Benefits/RISK 420
3Ins Oprtations/RISK 425
6Risk Mgmt & Ins Electives
3Literature Series/LENG
12Free Electives
  
33Credits
 
 

THE NEXT STEP

Baccalaureate Degree program for Graduates of Two Year Colleges.

Risk Management

(Numerals in front of course indicate credits)

Pre-Senior Year    Senior Year
3 Business Statistics/BCOR221
3 Business & Prof Comm/BCOR 231
3 Principles of Marketing/BCOR 241
3 Financial Management/BCOR 311
3 Sacred Scripture/LTHE 121
3 Introduction to Philosophy/ LPHI 231
3 Fine Art Series/LFIN
3 Intro to Risk Mgmt & Ins/RISK 220
3 Property & Liability Ins/RISK 321
3 Life & Health Ins/RISK 325
3 Free electives
33 Credits
 
3 Global Business/BCOR 306
3 Experiential Learning/BCOR 450
3 Business Policy/BCOR 480*
3 Theology or Phil Series III/LTHE or LPHI
3 Literature Series/LENG
3 Risk Management/RISK 415
3 Employee Benefits/RISK 420
3 Ins Operations/RISK 425
9 Risk Mgmt & Ins Electives
33 Credits

 
*Fulfills Senior Seminar/LBST 383

Students will complete 66 credits at Gannon. Students will be required to take other courses in substitution for any of the courses listed above which they satisfactorily complete prior to admission to the program. Students are required to take 18 hours from Gannon’s Core of Discovery program.

Prerequisites:
The above course requirements presume that the student has completed the following courses (or their equivalent), typically found in an A.S. degree program, prior to matriculation. If not, these become additional required courses in the program.


Accounting (BCOR 201& 202)                                  Business Technology (CIS 150)
Algebra for Business Students (Math 114)              Legal Env/Bus Law (BCOR 203)
Economics (BCOR 111 & 112)                                 Composition (LENG 111 & 112)
Management (BCOR 251)
 

 

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