Legal reaccreditationThe Clarion University Center for Legal Education is pleased to receive continuation as an Accredited Provider of Continuing Legal Education in Pennsylvania. Clarion's Center for Legal Education has been providing quality, affordable continuing legal education to local attorneys for 27 years. More than 2,300 attorneys and judges have attended conferences during that time period with an average of 85 attendees per year. The primary counties served have been Clarion, Jefferson, Venango, Butler, and Mercer. |
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Finance, Real Estate & Paralegal Programs
The following programs of study are available:
- B.S.B.A. in Finance with track options in Corporate Finance and Personal Financial Planning (resident and online)
- B.S.B.A. in Paralegal Studies - Program Requirement Sheet
- B.S.B.A. in Real Estate (resident and online)
- Minor in Finance
Certificates:
CFP® BOARD-REGISTERED PROGRAM IN FINANCIAL PLANNING
Finance
The Finance program is designed to provide students with the business and analytical tools necessary for successful careers in Finance.
The Corporate Finance track prepares students for a variety of finance positions in banking, investment and industry. The Personal Financial Planning track is registered with the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. and meets the educational requirement for the CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation. The PFP track is desirable for students planning a career as a financial planner as well as careers in banking, financial investments, and insurance.
Career Placement
Clarion’s finance majors are enjoying a surge in recognition and career placement. Recent employers of our graduates include the following:
- BNY Mellon
- PNC Bank
- Kennametal
- Westinghouse
- Prudential
- Municap, Inc.
- Janney Montgomery Scott
- Key Bank
- Bechtel
- Allegheny Ludlum
- Ameriprise Financial
- Hefren Tillotson
- Stifel Financial
- Northwest Savings Bank
- Bettis Atomic Power Lab
- American Eagle
Internships
Internships provide students with the opportunity to apply their studies in the business world. Recent internships include the following:
- Repsol Energy
- Northwest Savings Bank
- World Trade Center Group, Dublin, Ireland
- Bechtel
- BSI Financial Services
- Ally Financial
- Centauri Advisory Group
- Ameriprise Financial
- WESCO International
- PNC Bank
- Hefren Tillotson
- IA Construction
- American Eagle
- KeyBank
Student Organizations
Student Chapter of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) —The Financial Planning Association® is a student organization created as the definitive resource for students to gain knowledge and establish relationships regarding careers as CFP® Professionals.
The Financial Management Association arranges professional speakers and student competitions. It also organizes trips to sites such as the New York Stock Exchange and New York City investment firms; Washington, D.C. for visits to the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve; the national FMA Student Leaders Conference; the RISE conference (student led portfolios) and other interesting destinations.
Scholarships
- The Henry G. Burns Scholarship Fund was established to recruit outstanding incoming freshmen. The scholarship is renewable for all four years of undergraduate studies. An annual scholarship also is available.
- The department sponsors a four-year renewable scholarship to attract outstanding incoming freshmen, who express a desire to study finance, real estate, or paralegal studies.
- The Paul Gray Scholarship is available for sophomore, junior and senior real estate majors.
- The Friends of the Department of Finance scholarship is available for finance and real estate students.
- Other scholarships are available in the department in the department and College of Business Administration for upperclassmen.
Paralegal Studies
Quality Education
Approved by the American Bar Association, this program holds the highest approval possible for a paralegal course of study. Clarion University is the only university in the State System of Higher Education to achieve ABA approval. It is one of only three institutions of higher learning in western Pennsylvania to achieve this distinction. It is one of only 257 approved programs in the United States.
Clarion University’s Paralegal Program has also been accepted for membership in the American Association of Paralegal Educators.
According the United States Department of Labor, paralegal employment opportunities will grow at a 28 percent rate through 2018. Mean salary across the United States is $46,128 with higher salaries in the Pittsburgh Area.
Program Preparation
Specialized Legal Classes
- Litigation
- Family Law
- Wills and Estates
- Real Estate Law
- Computerized Legal Research
- Administrative Law
Other Law Subjects
- Torts
- Constitution
- Contracts
- Environmental law
- Corporations
- Partnerships
- Legal ethics
- Business entities
All paralegal courses count toward the completion of any other major in the College of Business Administration. The B.S. in Paralegal Integrative Studies is a parallel program for non-business students.
The paralegal studies programs are designed to provide for the education of paralegals. A legal assistant or paralegal is a person qualified by education, training, or work experience, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency, or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible. A paralegal may not practice law.
Student Organizations
Paralegal Club: Conducts trips to observe local legal proceedings. Previous Paralegal Club trips include a trip to Washington, DC, to the Supreme Court.
A variety of other students organizations are available.
Internships
An internship program in the department provides students with the opportunity to obtain practical experience and interact in the legal community.
Scholarships
Scholarships are available including a paralegal specific scholarship that is awarded yearly.
Real Estate
Ranked No. 1 Best Online Bachelor's in Real Estate
Ranked No. 2 Best Bachelor’s in Real Estate Online 2019
Ranked No. 5 Nationally Best Online Real Estate Degrees
Program Preparation
The Real Estate program is a pragmatic program designed to give students multiple project opportunities indicative of the experiences seen in the profession. The program prepares students for careers in Real Estate Finance, Property Management, Real Estate Investments, and Real Estate Appraisal, the program also meets the educational requirements to become licensed as a real estate salesperson or real estate broker in most states throughout the country.
The Real Estate major consists of a core of intensive real estate courses, which includes
Real Estate Law, Real Estate Finance, Real Estate Investments, and Real Estate Valuation.
In addition to these core courses, the student may take additional coursework in Real
Estate Market Feasibility, Real Estate Development, Infrastructure and Sustainability,
Property Management, Real estate Brokerage, Financial Modeling and/or a selection
of courses from finance, marketing, management, accounting, and economics.
Student Organizations
Rho Epsilon is a national real estate fraternity with many chapters and members across the country. This organization provides the student with potential employment contacts throughout the U.S. Previous Rho Epsilon trips include visiting projects in Hawaii, Toronto, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Falling Water, and other venues.
The Financial Management Association — Organizes speakers, finance-based activities and conducts regular field trips to sites such as New York City to visit the New York Stock Exchange; Washington, D.C. for visits to the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve; the national FMA Student Leaders Conference; the RISE conference (student led portfolios) at interesting venues.
Financial Planning Association is a student organization created as the definitive resource for students to gain knowledge and establish relationships regarding careers as CFP® Professionals.
Student organizations also are available in business, pre-law and paralegal studies.
Internships
An internship program in the department provides students with the opportunity to obtain practical experience, potential career positions and to interact with the business world.
Scholarships
- A substantial donation from the Burns family has been utilized to endow the Henry G. Burns Scholarship Fund to recruit outstanding freshmen. The scholarship is renewable for all four years of undergraduate studies. Other scholarships are available for non-freshmen students.
- The Paul Gray scholarship is available for non-freshmen real estate students.
- The Friends of the Department of Finance Scholarship is available for finance and real estate students.
- Other scholarships are available in the department and College of Business Administration for upperclassmen as listed on the university's website.
Department Contacts
Dr. Jason Heavilin, Chair
339 Still Hall
1 814 393 2626
Ms. Jill Thompson, Secretary
339 Still Hall
1 814 393 2626
Michael Callas
"I received the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation in June of 2018 after passing the exam a few months prior. Clarion was instrumental when it came to placing me in the right position to sit for the exam upon graduating." Read more.
Brittany Miller
"I've always been interested and fascinated about numbers. I'm always one to see how far my dollar can go, and I knew finance would have an array of career opportunities available to me upon graduation." Read more.
jason Heavilin
Dr. Jason Heavilin completed his Ph.D. at the University of Texas - El Paso. He has taught undergraduate and MBA courses in finance, economics, and statistics. His research has been published in peer reviewed journals in the fields of corporate finance, investments, international finance, and behavioral finance.
Heavilin is a United States Army veteran. During his time in the military, he was given the opportunity to serve in Missouri, Georgia, Haiti, California, Germany, and Texas. He also served as a civilian under the Defense Intelligence Agency with the Iraq Survey Group in Qatar. His business experience includes trading, contracting, and consulting in United States, Mexico, Qatar, Dubai, Philippines, and Hong Kong.