What Can You Do with a Finance Degree? 7 Career Paths for 2025

Finance doesn’t have to be all about the money—and it seems people increasingly don’t want it to be anyways. A report by consulting company Deloitte found that members of the millennial and Gen Z generations are more likely to want to work for a company that aligns with their values than previous generations [1]. As social priorities and technology have evolved, so has the world of finance. Explore what a finance career in the twenty-first century looks like.

Build job-ready skills with a Coursera Plus subscription

Start 7-day free trial

• Get access to 10,000+ learning programs from world-class universities and companies, including Google, Yale, Salesforce, and more
• Try different courses and find your best fit at no additional cost
• Earn certificates for learning programs you complete
• A subscription price of $59/month, cancel anytime

Start 7-day free trial

7 finance and banking positions

Here are career paths and job titles in finance projected to have staying power well into the coming years, even as new technologies and shifting values bring about change.

Keep in mind: Bonuses and commissions for some finance professionals can reach tens of thousands. These are not included in the base salaries listed below.

1. Fintech business analyst

New technologies and consumer appetite for transparent products have made financial technology—or fintech—companies see enormous growth [2]. Fintech encompasses many products but broadly refers to technology that automates and digitizes financial services. Fintech companies can provide consumer-facing services like digital banking or business loans or work with traditional financial institutions to modernize their technologies.

Fintech companies often look for business analysts who know the financial realm well. If you’re interested in fintech, gaining some business operations or data analysis experience can give you a competitive edge.

• Business analyst: $93,188 [3]

2. Impact investing analyst

Impact investing and closely related socially responsible investing (SRI) are growing methods in which investors choose to place funds in companies or projects that align with their values. Investors in these fields might screen portfolios for companies their clients see as socially harmful or actively seek out companies working to alleviate a social issue.

As an analyst, you can work for companies that focus on responsible investing or in the impact investing arm of traditional financial organizations like banks or mutual funds. The field has grown rapidly in recent years, with a 14 percent CAGR between 2019 and 2024, according to a survey by GIIN [4].

• Investment analyst: $116,137 [5]

3. Financial analyst

Financial analysts parse data to help investors make sound decisions. Financial analysts can work for large investment organizations like banks or for businesses to find new business or investment opportunities. As a financial analyst, you’ll study big-picture phenomena like market trends and competitor movement and devise models to predict sales or the results of business decisions.

Financial analysts play key roles in media, biotech, and information technology sectors. This makes it a versatile career option to take you into new and growing industries. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the employment of financial analysts is expected to grow by 9 percent—faster than average—from 2023 to 2033 [6].

• Financial analyst: 79,032 [7]

4. Commercial banker

The commercial banking industry has undergone significant shifts in recent years, adopting digital technologies to enhance its services while evolving to accommodate new players in fintech. However, commercial bankers still play a crucial role in communities. As gatekeepers to financial products like business loans or mortgages, they actively contribute to the economic health of local areas.

As a banking relationship manager, loan officer, or development officer, you’ll work with customers directly to assess their financial situation and offer them appropriate financial products. If you’re interested in how finance can touch the everyday lives around you, commercial banking remains relevant and essential in the finance world.

• Relationship manager: $91,919 [8]

• Loan officer: $88,690 [9]

• Development officer: $81,823 [10]

5. Grants analyst

Grants analysts help nonprofits navigate their finances by planning budgets, ensuring compliance, and identifying trends to help guide decision-making. Because nonprofits are different legal entities than businesses, you’ll need a specialized understanding of nonprofit accounting practices.

The nonprofit sector is growing. A report released by Philanthropy Roundtable found that the number of registered nonprofits in the US grew 36 percent from 2000 to 2023, totaling 1.85 million organizations in 2023 [11].

Grants analyst: $75,621 [12]

6. Financial advisor

A financial planner or advisor provides guidance to clients to achieve their short- and long-term financial goals. An advisor might counsel a client on how to structure their investments or prepare a plan to help pay for college for a client’s children. Advisors with established clients or reputations might have the flexibility to set their own schedules later in their careers.

Personal finance advising can be a rewarding career, with ample opportunity for face-to-face interactions and the chance to help people navigate what can be an opaque industry. The outlooks for the job are solid; employment for personal financial advisors in the United States is expected to grow by 17 percent—much faster than average—from 2023 to 2033, according to the BLS [13]. 

• Financial advisor: $77,103 [14]  

7. Accountants and auditors

Accountants and auditors ensure that an organization’s finances are accurate and compliant with laws and regulations. An accountant also might prepare financial statements or file taxes. Accountants and auditors can work in-house within a company or at an accounting company that contracts their services to clients.

Accounting professionals are needed in nearly every industry, including health care, governance, and entertainment. This versatility should make accounting a stable career choice even as factors like the economy or technological change might upend some sectors. According to the BLS, employment for accountants and auditors is projected to grow at 6 percent from 2023 to 2033 in the US [15 ].

• Auditor: $70,230 [16]

• Accountant: $74,745 [17]

Is finance a good major? 

A finance degree is designed to equip you with an understanding of accounting, statistics, and economics and prepare you for a career in managing money in various forms. Finance is a key aspect of most public or private sector organizations, making the field versatile and steadily in demand across many industries.

Studying finance can lead to careers with significant financial rewards, but that’s not the only draw. Finance powers the economy—banks can provide crucial loans to small business owners, financial planners can set up plans for young families to save for college, and smart investing allows people to retire without worry. Finance, in the right hands, can be a powerful force for innovation, prosperity, and social benefit.

Types of degrees in finance

Take a closer look at the types of degrees you can get in finance:

Bachelor’s degree in finance

A bachelor’s degree in finance or a related field is the first stepping stone to many finance careers. Undergraduate coursework generally includes introductory courses in accounting, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and statistics. Some programs may also require calculus or other mathematics.

Master’s degree in finance 

A master’s in finance will build on your understanding of finance basics. Coursework might include financial modeling, data analytics, pricing theory, and financial ethics. A master’s in finance may not be required for entry-level positions. Still, they can enhance your earning potential and prepare you for managerial work that requires a deeper understanding of financial principles. A Master of Business Administration (MBA) can also prepare you for finance careers.

Finance vs accounting degrees: What’s the difference?

Broadly speaking, finance refers to the management of money, and accounting refers to keeping track of money. 

Finance degrees familiarize students with concepts such as economics, business fundamentals, or market risk in order to understand the context in which financial decisions are made. Accounting degrees might expose students to these concepts as well but typically focus on concrete skills that prepare them to monitor financial transactions organizations make. Coursework might include statistics, tax accounting, or fraud examination.

Getting started in finance

A shifting landscape in finance has created several new career paths in the sector. Whether you choose a more innovative or traditional path to pursue, a career in finance can be rewarding and, yes, even help make the world a better place.

If you’re ready to get started, take a look at Coursera’s business, accounting, and finance degrees. You might also consider the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate to improve your data analysis skills.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)