Finance Degree: Courses, Careers and Pay

01What you study in a finance degree

A finance degree focuses on decisions about money over time and under uncertainty. Where accounting asks "what happened and how do we report it," finance asks "what is this worth, what will it earn, and what is the risk?" That forward-looking, valuation-centered question shapes the whole curriculum.

A bachelor's degree in finance usually requires about 120 credits: general education, a business core shared with other business majors, and a finance sequence. Typical finance courses include:

• Corporate Finance (Financial Management): time value of money, cost of capital, capital budgeting with net present value, and how companies choose between debt and equity.
• Investments: stocks, bonds, portfolio theory, diversification and the relationship between risk and return.
• Financial Statement Analysis: ratio analysis, cash flow analysis and spotting earnings quality issues.
• Financial Modeling: building forecasts and valuation models in spreadsheets, often the most job-relevant course in the program.
• Financial Institutions and Markets: how banks, the Federal Reserve, interest rates and capital markets work.
• Derivatives and Risk Management: options, futures, swaps and hedging.
• International Finance: exchange rates and multinational financial decisions.
• Personal Financial Planning: retirement, insurance, tax and estate planning for individuals.

Expect prerequisites in financial and managerial accounting, micro and macroeconomics, and business statistics. Some programs require calculus; most focus more on applied algebra and statistics.

02Finance degree vs accounting and economics

Many students double major or minor across these fields. Finance plus accounting is a strong pairing for corporate finance and controller tracks, since you will understand both where the numbers come from and how they are used. If you want the CPA, start from an accounting degree; if you are drawn to theory and policy, look at an economics degree.

03Career opportunities with a finance degree

Finance graduates generally enter one of five areas: corporate finance (financial planning and analysis, treasury), commercial and investment banking, investment management, financial planning for individuals, and insurance and risk. The BLS data below show median pay for May 2025 and the 2025 to 2035 outlook for related occupations where a bachelor's is the typical entry-level education.

Two patterns stand out. Analyst and management roles are growing faster than average, while sales-oriented and underwriting roles are growing slowly or shrinking as automation spreads. And financial managers, which include controllers, treasurers and finance directors, earn the most but typically reach that role after several years as analysts or accountants. See finance degree jobs for a closer look at each path.

04What can you do with a finance degree in your first job?

Entry-level finance hiring rewards demonstrated skills more than most business fields. Employers want evidence you can actually build a model or analyze a company. Practical ways to show it:

1. An internship, ideally in the summer before your final year. Banks and large corporate finance teams often fill entry roles from their intern classes.
2. A modeling portfolio: a three-statement model and a discounted cash flow valuation of a public company, built from its filings.
3. Student investment funds or case competitions, which give you something concrete to discuss in interviews.
4. Relevant licensing if you are heading into brokerage or advisory work, where firms commonly sponsor securities licensing exams after you are hired.

Common first titles include financial analyst, FP&A analyst, credit analyst, treasury analyst, credit or commercial banking associate and financial planning associate.

05Professional credentials: CFA and others

Finance has no single required license the way accounting has the CPA, but several credentials matter in specific paths. The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter is a well-known, demanding credential for investment analysis and portfolio management, earned through a series of exams and relevant work experience; many candidates start the exams near the end of their degree or early in their careers. The Certified Financial Planner (CFP) credential is common among personal financial advisors, and securities licenses are required for many brokerage and sales roles. None of these replace a degree, and none are required to start as a corporate financial analyst. Treat them as tools for a chosen path rather than boxes to check early.

06Online finance degree programs

A finance degree online is widely available at the bachelor's and master's levels. The curriculum is a good fit for online study because so much of the work happens in spreadsheets and written analysis. Formats range from asynchronous courses with weekly deadlines to accelerated eight-week terms and live online sessions.

What you give up online is mainly the recruiting environment: on-campus career fairs, student finance clubs and in-person networking matter in banking and investment roles. If those paths interest you, ask online programs how they connect students with internships, alumni and employers. For corporate finance, where many students already work for the company, the online format is less of a disadvantage.

Federal aid applies at schools that are accredited by a recognized accreditor, participate in Title IV and are authorized in your state. For cost baselines, the College Board's 2025-26 average published tuition and fees are $11,950 at public four-year schools (in-state) and $45,000 at private nonprofit four-year schools. See online business degree programs for comparing formats.

07Master's degree in finance vs MBA

If you plan to go further, the two main graduate options serve different goals:

An online master's degree in finance can be a good choice if your employer supports it and you want stronger technical skills without leaving work. Many MS in Finance programs expect comfort with statistics and some calculus; MBA programs weigh work experience more heavily, and many offer GMAT or GRE waivers. Graduate borrowers should note that from July 1, 2026, Grad PLUS ends for new borrowers and the graduate annual federal loan limit is $20,500. Compare options on our online MBA programs page.

08Is a finance degree a good fit for you?

A finance degree tends to suit people who enjoy numbers with stakes attached: estimating what a business is worth, comparing investments, or deciding whether a project will pay off. You should be comfortable with spreadsheets, willing to learn some statistics, and interested in markets and the economy. Communication matters more than many students expect, since analysts spend much of their time explaining recommendations to people who are not finance specialists.

It may be a weaker fit if you prefer creative or people-centered work, or if you want the clearest possible licensing path, where accounting has the advantage. Many students who are undecided start with the shared business core and choose finance after their first corporate finance course.