What Is a Finance Major? Coursework, Careers, and Job Outlook

A finance major may seem like a natural choice if you love working with numbers and money. Yet, finance graduates do so much more. They provide valuable services to corporations, small businesses, non-profits, and individuals to help them manage critical resources. Before you start advising people about where to invest their money and creating financial forecasts, you typically need a degree. Choosing finance as a major could be a good place to start. Learn more about earning your finance degree, with details on coursework, salaries, and career paths for finance majors.

What is a finance major?

The term "finance" refers to the management of money. When you major in finance, you'll generally explore topics like financial planning, banking, and investing, all while developing valuable job skills like problem-solving and communication.

In a finance major degree program, you study financial theories and how they apply in the business world to help companies and individuals make and manage money. You practice using mathematical concepts, statistics, and analytical tools to solve problems and make decisions. With a finance degree, you can prepare for a career as a financial planner, financial analyst, commercial banker, investment manager, and more.

Finance major degree coursework

As a finance major, you study finance-related topics, including math, economics, and statistics. You can expect to take several math classes, such as accounting, calculus, and business math. These courses establish a foundation for finance courses that cover valuation, investing, international banking and finance, econometrics, and buyouts and acquisitions. You may see the following courses in your school's curriculum:

• Analysis of Financial Statement Presentation

• Banking, Financial Institutions, and Society

• Business and Economic Forecasting

• Federal Taxation for Businesses

• Financial Management of the Firm

• Financial Modeling

• Fundamentals of Business Statistics

• Mergers and Acquisitions

• Organizational Behavior

• Principles of Macroeconomics

• Principles of Microeconomics

• Statistical Methods in Business

• Venture Capital and Private Equity

If you're an undergraduate finance major, you will likely spend the first two years of your degree program taking general education courses. Social science, literature, and humanities courses can introduce you to new perspectives and build a broad knowledge base. You may use the skills you learn in composition and public speaking courses throughout your career.  

In your junior and senior years, you typically spend more time taking courses related to your major. This is when you explore topics such as finance and management principles, business law and ethics, corporate valuation, and urban fiscal policy. During your final two years, you may have opportunities to study areas of interest such as real estate development, entrepreneurial finance, hedge fund management, and fintech.

If you're a finance major in a master's program, your courses tend to cover more advanced topics than what's available at the undergraduate level. The concepts tend to be similar, but you have more time to devote to them. You may spend an entire semester examining behavioral finance, business tax laws, bond markets, derivatives markets, portfolio management, venture capital, and more.

What are the requirements for a finance degree?

An undergraduate finance degree requires four years of study, or about 120 credit hours. You can also pursue a master’s in finance once you’ve earned your bachelor’s degree. These graduate-level programs typically require around 30 credit hours, which you can complete in one to two years.  

Is finance a good major?

People who choose to major in finance enjoy working with numbers, learning about financial markets, and finding ways to make money. They tend to be natural problem-solvers who like setting goals and researching ways to reach them. 

Through your coursework, you can build on and expand these skills as you learn how markets work, how to value a business, and how to consider the implications of money-related decisions. 

With a finance degree, you can choose to work in several fields where you can help other people and businesses create plans that help them achieve their goals. The work is not only financially rewarding but also can give you the satisfaction of knowing you helped someone solve a problem or make a dream come true.

You also may find a finance degree practical if you plan to pursue additional education or work in business, law, or a related field. Many finance majors earn professional certifications like Certified Financial Planner (CFP) or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). In doing so, you can expand your skill set and create additional career opportunities.

Finance major salaries: How much can I earn?

The job market for a finance major is favorable, with above-average growth expected in the sector through 2033. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates the industry will add more than 963,500 jobs each year during that period [1]. Part of this demand is the result of the evolving and highly regulated world of finance. Companies need professionals to help them stay in compliance with regulations and tax laws.

Demand for some finance careers is growing more rapidly than the rest of the field. The US BLS expects jobs for market research analysts to grow 8 percent between 2023 and 2033, with nearly 88,500 jobs opening annually [2]. Demand for financial examiners will likely increase by 21 percent, and jobs for management analysts should grow at a rate of 11 percent [3,4].

Finance major jobs: What do finance majors do?

With a finance degree, you can work in various private and public organizations, from a loan officer in a local bank to a personal financial advisor or hedge fund manager. In fact, this versatility is one of the reasons people choose this degree. It's lucrative and practical, and today's graduates may be more interested in jobs that let them help people and communities through financial stewardship and planning. They may take the following roles to make this happen:

*All annual median salary data is sourced from the US BLS as of December 2024.

• Accountant: $79,880

• Actuary: $120,000

• Auditor: $79,880

• Budget analyst: $84,940

• Cost estimator: $74,740

• Financial analyst: $99,890

• Financial examiner: $84,300

• Loan officer: $69,990

• Management analyst: $99,410

• Market research analyst: $74,680

• Personal financial advisor: $99,580

• Property appraiser: $61,630

• Purchasing agent: $77,180

• Real estate broker: $56,620

• Securities sales agent: $76,900

• Underwriter: $77,860

Prepare for your finance major on Coursera

A finance degree prepares you for various career paths in the field, which expands your job prospects. You can start exploring finance concepts and applications before becoming a finance major. In a course like Introduction to Finance: The Basics from the University of Illinois on Coursera, you can learn more about financial statements, financial ratios, and capital allocations. Brush up on your math skills in Introduction to Calculus from the University of Sydney. If you're ready to explore more advanced topics, consider the Finance & Quantitative Modeling for Analysts Specialization from the Wharton School or the Investment and Portfolio Management Specialization from Rice University, both available on Coursera. 

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