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Finance & Financial Management

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 52.0801 - 52.0899.

Types of Degrees Finance & Financial Management Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Finance & Financial Management have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	161
Associate’s Degree	343
Bachelor’s Degree	46,953
Master’s Degree	8,314
Doctor’s Degree	30

What Finance & Financial Management Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Finance & Financial Management develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Finance & Financial Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Finance & Financial Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Economics and Accounting — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Finance & Financial Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Finance & Financial Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Finance & Financial Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Finance & Financial Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Sage 50 Accounting	Accounting software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Microsoft Dynamics GP	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Finance & Financial Management graduates include:

• Bank and Savings Securities Trader
• Trust Officer
• Securities Consultant
• Credit Risk Analyst
• Credit Specialist
• Analyst
• Financial Specialist
• Investigator
• Securities Analyst
• Corporate Securities Research Analyst
• Equity Research Analyst
• Bond Analyst
• Securities Research Analyst
• Operational Risk Manager
• Model Risk Manager

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

Graduates with a degree in Finance & Financial Management commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents	9.2%	$49,944	$39,642–$60,245

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Finance & Financial Management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	45.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	19.1%
Master’s degree	13.6%
Some college courses	5.4%
Doctoral degree	4.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.6%
Postsecondary certificate	3.2%
First professional degree	0.9%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%
Less than a high school diploma	0.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Finance & Financial Management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 71.5% of Finance & Financial Management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	16,427	28.5%
Men	41,137	71.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Finance & Financial Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	33,670	58.5%
Asian	4,347	7.6%
Hispanic or Latino	6,876	11.9%
Black or African American	2,706	4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	124	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	58	0.1%
Two or More Races	1,803	3.1%
Race Unknown	4,065	7.1%
International Students	3,915	6.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Finance & Financial Management Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Finance & Financial Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$60,617
4 years	$75,528
5 years	$88,287

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $88,287 — roughly 46% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Finance & Financial Management Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Finance & Financial Management. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	22	11
Bachelor’s	87	78
Master’s	68	49
Doctoral (Research)	3	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Finance & Financial Management Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Finance & Financial Management graduates earn a median of $75,528 four years after completion — roughly 99% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Business Management Marketing Sales	840,037
Business Administration, Management and Operations	402,942
Accounting and Related Services	81,835
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	62,236
Business/Commerce, General	57,976
Marketing	53,750
Human Resources Management and Services	25,424
Business Operations Support and Assistant Services	16,153
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	14,306
Hospitality Administration/Management	13,333
Management Information Systems and Services	12,092
Real Estate	7,906

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.