Finance & Financial Management

Types of Degrees Finance & Financial Management Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many finance and financial management graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	4,544
Graduate Certificate	1,197
Doctor’s Degree	43

What Finance & Financial Management Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to finance and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Finance Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Finance Majors

A major in finance prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Finance Majors

A major in finance will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Finance & Financial Management Major?

People with a finance degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Budget Analysts	6.5%	$76,220
Business Professors	18.0%	$83,960
Credit Analysts	8.3%	$71,520
Credit Counselors	13.8%	$45,180
Financial Analysts	10.8%	$85,660
Financial Managers, Branch or Department	18.7%	$127,990
Financial Quantitative Analysts	9.6%	$70,280
Fraud Examiners, Investigators and Analysts	9.6%	$70,280
General and Operations Managers	9.1%	$100,930
Investment Underwriters	9.6%	$70,280
Loan Counselors	13.8%	$45,180
Loan Officers	11.4%	$63,040
Personal Financial Advisors	14.9%	$88,890
Risk Management Specialists	9.6%	$70,280
Sales Agents, Financial Services	6.2%	$64,120
Sales Agents, Securities and Commodities	6.2%	$64,120
Securities and Commodities Traders	6.2%	$64,120
Treasurers and Controllers	18.7%	$127,990

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Finance & Financial Management?

Finance and Financial Management runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #42 out of all the graduate majors we track. In 2021, about 4,544 graduates completed their master’s degree in this field. This major attracts more men than women. About 63% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of finance majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	300
Black or African American	308
Hispanic or Latino	483
White	1,754
International Students	1,409
Other Races/Ethnicities	290

Geographic Diversity

Finance appeals to people across the globe. About 31.0% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Saudi Arabia
• India
• Vietnam
• South Korea

How Much Do Finance & Financial Management Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in finance was $66,697 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $58,471 (25th percentile) and $79,048 (75th percentile).

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to finance.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $41,310 to $103,330 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to finance. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Finance & Financial Management

Some degrees associated with finance may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to finance have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.6%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	20.1%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	3.1%
Some College Courses	8.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	6.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	38.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	6.4%
Master’s Degree	10.3%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.4%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.8%
Doctoral Degree	4.3%

Online Finance & Financial Management Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 930 schools offered some type of finance and financial management program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	57	7
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	1
Associate’s Degree	97	24
Bachelor’s Degree	114	38
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	269	53
Post-Master’s	29	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	20	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Finance & Financial Management Worth It?

The median salary for a finance grad is $79,830 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 100% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $798,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Finance & Financial Management

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to finance.

Major	Number of Grads
Business Administration & Management	131,555
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods	31,701
Accounting	19,309
Human Resource Management	12,117
General Business/Commerce	9,137
Marketing	4,011
Management Information Systems	2,766
International Business	2,007
Entrepreneurial Studies	1,823
Taxation	1,350
Hospitality Management	1,341
Real Estate	1,280
Other Business, Management & Marketing	1,073
General Sales & Marketing	537
Construction Management	466
Specialized Sales, Merchandising & Marketing	180
Business/Managerial Economics	162
Insurance	143
Business/Corporate Communications	117
Telecommunications Management	23

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Dave Dugdale under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.