Finance major
Finance: courses, careers, and where to study
Finance majors learn how money moves, corporate finance, investments, financial markets, and risk management, preparing for roles in banking, investments, and corporate analysis.
A Finance major builds on the business core with deeper coursework in corporate finance, investments, derivatives, financial markets, real estate, international finance, and behavioral finance. Many programs offer concentrations in Investments, Corporate Finance, Real Estate, or FinTech. The CFA Institute publishes a recognized curriculum that some Finance programs align with, check whether your school is a CFA Affiliated University Program.
Finance graduates work in commercial banking, investment banking, asset management, corporate treasury, insurance, real estate, and FinTech. The major pairs well with a CS minor or double major for quantitative finance roles.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Finance maps to CIP 52.0801, Finance, General, within the BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES family. The official definition:
A program that generally prepares individuals to plan, manage, and analyze the financial and monetary aspects and performance of business enterprises, banking institutions, or other organizations. Includes instruction in principles of accounting, financial instruments, capital planning, funds acquisition, asset and debt management, budgeting, financial analysis, and investments and portfolio management.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Finance is awarded as
Of the 49,539 Finance credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate<1%357
- Associate<1%163
- Bachelor's92%45,332
- Graduate7%3,687
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 48 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 3 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Corporate finance and capital structure
- Investments and portfolio theory
- Derivatives and risk management
- Financial markets and institutions
- International finance
- Real-estate finance
- Financial modeling in Excel
- Time-value-of-money and valuation
Typical careers
- Financial Analyst
- Investment Banking Analyst
- Portfolio Manager
- Risk Analyst
- Corporate Treasurer
- Wealth Management Advisor
Typical salary range: $62,000–$95,000 early-career (BLS, 2024 financial and investment analysts median $101,350)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Finance, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $102,950 | 308,700 | +4.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Financial Managers | $161,700 | 74,600 | +14.8% | Bachelor's degree |
| Financial and Investment Analysts | $101,350 | 25,100 | +5.7% | Bachelor's degree |
| Personal Financial Advisors | $102,140 | 24,100 | +9.6% | Bachelor's degree |
| Chief Executives | $206,420 | 22,200 | +4.3% | Bachelor's degree |
| Loan Officers | $74,180 | 20,300 | +1.7% | Bachelor's degree |
| Financial Specialists, All Other | $80,190 | 10,300 | +3.1% | Bachelor's degree |
| Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists | $77,020 | 8,500 | +5.3% | Bachelor's degree |
| Business Teachers, Postsecondary | $97,270 | 8,100 | +5.7% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Financial Risk Specialists | $106,000 | 4,800 | +6.5% | Bachelor's degree |
| Credit Analysts | $80,970 | 3,700 | -4.4% | Bachelor's degree |
| Budget Analysts | $87,930 | 3,100 | +1% | Bachelor's degree |
| Appraisers of Personal and Business Property | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 12 of these 13 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Finance does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Finance major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Finance program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Finance department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Finance program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Finance credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Ohio State University-Main CampusOH · 922
- CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeNY · 827
- Florida State UniversityFL · 657
- Florida International UniversityFL · 605
- The University of AlabamaAL · 571
- University of IowaIA · 568
- Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusPA · 533
- University of GeorgiaGA · 520
- University of South Carolina-ColumbiaSC · 493
- Rutgers University-New BrunswickNJ · 490
- University of South FloridaFL · 479
- Boston CollegeMA · 474
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Finance credentials were awarded
19 states have a distinct enough set of Finance colleges to be worth its own page.
Related majors
Business Administration
Business Administration is the most popular U.S. major, a broad foundation in accounting, finance, marketing, management, and economics that prepares graduates for nearly any industry.
Accounting
Accounting prepares graduates for the CPA exam and careers in public accounting, corporate finance, audit, tax, and forensic accounting, a major with high job placement.
Economics
Economics studies how individuals, firms, and governments allocate resources, combining theory with empirical analysis and a strong mathematical foundation.
Mathematics
Mathematics develops formal proof, abstraction, and quantitative analysis, feeding into research, finance, computing, actuarial science, and graduate programs across STEM.
Still deciding between Finance and something else?
These guides put Financeside by side with the major it is most often confused with, using the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk to show where the two actually lead.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Finance degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Business & Finance careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Management careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Finance degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Finance path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.