Announcing New Majors in Finance and Public Health Policy

October 8, 2024

Dear Campus Community,

We are pleased to share an exciting new development in our academic offerings at Gettysburg College. After a thoughtful and collaborative process led by more than 10 faculty members across disciplines and fields of study, and with an enthusiastic endorsement by the College’s faculty body, we are pleased to announce the addition of two new majors starting in the 2025-2026 academic year: Finance and Public Health Policy.

The new Finance major, jointly developed by the Economics and Management Departments, offers two distinct tracks that share a common set of foundational courses. The Business Track, administered by the Management Department, will focus on finance within the business context, graduating students with the knowledge to properly assess financial statements, corporate risk, capital structure, and cost of capital, as well as forecast budgets and returns on investment and solve financial problems. Meanwhile, the Economics Track, administered by the Economics Department, will incorporate a more technical approach to develop the skills needed to apply economic theory to financial markets and institutions. Students will grow to understand how macroeconomic events impact financial markets around the world, how historical and ethical perspectives intersect in the field, and how financial regulations impact markets. They will also become proficient in statistical analysis and econometrics for financial modeling and forecasting.

Students who pursue the Business Track of the Finance major will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance, while students who take the Economics Track will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Finance.

The Public Health Policy major, jointly administered by the Health Sciences and Public Policy Departments, responds to the global demand for highly skilled public health professionals. Students will learn how to locate, evaluate, communicate, and synthesize public health information and contribute to policy processes in complex and dynamic environments, and graduate ready to pursue impactful careers in government, non-profit organizations, healthcare, and more.

Students who pursue the Public Health Policy major will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health Policy.

For both the Finance major and Public Health Policy major, students can declare as early as the Fall 2025 semester.

We would like to offer our special thanks to the many faculty members who helped to create our new majors, including Linus Nyiwul, Char Weise, Jamie O’Brien, Joseph Radzevick, Heather Odle-Dusseau, Bennett Bruce, Anne Douds, Amy Dailey, Megan Benka-Coker, Chris Rick, Ryan Kerney, Véronique Delesalle, Andy Wilson, Steve James, the Economics Department, the Management Department, the Health Sciences Department, the Public Policy Department, the Provost’s Office, and so many others across the institution.

Learn more about the new majors on the College website.

Our new majors underscore Gettysburg College’s central commitment to providing an education in the liberal arts and sciences that will prepare students for a life of meaning and consequence. We thank our faculty for their leadership and look forward to the vibrant contributions these programs will undoubtedly have on our College community and the communities our students will serve throughout the world.

Sincerely,

Bob Iuliano
President

Jamila Bookwala
Provost