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Major · Business, Management & Marketing

Manage money, markets, and the decisions that move capital

Finance, General prepares students to plan, manage, and analyze the financial performance of businesses, banks, and other organizations. It covers accounting principles, capital planning, asset management, and investment analysis. About 42,200 degrees are awarded annually across 735 colleges, at both the associate's and bachelor's level.

Schools offering
735
Annual completions
42,214
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$81k

About this major

Finance, General sits in the quantitative core of business education. The curriculum moves from foundational accounting through corporate finance, financial markets, capital structure, and investment analysis. Students spend substantial time working with financial statements, building valuation models in spreadsheet environments, and analyzing how firms raise capital, manage debt, and allocate assets. The CIP definition describes it as preparation to plan, manage, and analyze the financial and monetary aspects of business enterprises and banking institutions — covering financial instruments, capital planning, funds acquisition, asset and debt management, budgeting, financial analysis, and investments and portfolio management. That scope is accurate to most programs: finance is one of the more technically demanding undergraduate business concentrations, with a quantitative load that goes well beyond an introduction to business.

The major attracts students who are drawn to understanding how capital moves through markets and organizations — people who want to work with numbers in a context that connects directly to high-stakes decisions. A degree of comfort with mathematics helps, particularly in investment analysis and derivatives courses where the models require more than arithmetic. That said, finance is not mathematics-intensive in the way engineering or economics graduate programs are; the technical floor is accessible to motivated students who are willing to engage with the quantitative work seriously.

At scale, Finance is one of the more commonly offered business majors: about 42,200 completions recorded annually across 735 colleges, at both the associate's and bachelor's level. The top-producing programs are at large state universities — Ohio State University (893 completions), CUNY Baruch (827), and Florida State University (627) anchor the list. Career outcomes concentrate in financial management ($161,700 median wage, 14.8% projected growth) and analysis ($101,350), with personal financial advising ($102,140) as a third established destination. The degree also feeds into general management roles, which broadens the eventual option set for graduates who move beyond finance-specific positions.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
General and operations managers $103k +4.4% Bachelor's degree
Financial managers $162k +14.8% Bachelor's degree
Financial and investment analysts $101k +5.7% Bachelor's degree
Personal financial advisors $102k +9.6% Bachelor's degree
Chief executives $206k +4.3% Bachelor's degree
Loan officers $74k +1.7% Bachelor's degree
Financial specialists, all other $80k +3.1% Bachelor's degree
Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists $77k +5.3% Bachelor's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$81k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$52k

Bachelor's

$81k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you find quantitative decision-making more engaging than qualitative analysis — if you would rather build a model to stress-test a business decision than write a memo about it. You may also fit well here if you are drawn to financial markets specifically, want to understand how companies are valued and why capital flows where it does, and are interested in a career where financial manager roles start at a $161,700 median wage with 14.8% projected growth. If you are considering both finance and accounting, finance suits students more drawn to forward-looking analysis and investment decisions; accounting suits those who want the audit and compliance pathway or the CPA credential.

Think twice if you expect the major to be primarily about personal investing or market speculation — most of the curriculum focuses on corporate finance, institutions, and analytical frameworks rather than trading. Think twice also if quantitative modeling sounds like a burden rather than a tool; the upper-division coursework in derivatives, portfolio management, and valuation assumes facility with spreadsheet modeling and financial mathematics that takes real effort to develop. And if you are primarily interested in the broader business strategy side of organizations rather than their financial structure, a general business or management major will give you more flexibility and similar access to many of the same management career outcomes.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Finance, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH 0 893 893
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY 0 827 827
Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 0 627 627
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA 0 533 533
Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ 0 490 490
Florida International University Miami, FL 0 486 486
University of Georgia Athens, GA 0 463 463
The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 0 454 454
University of South Florida Tampa, FL 0 428 428
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 0 427 427
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Business/Commerce, General

42,906 completions/yr

Management Science

7,495 completions/yr

International Business/Trade/Commerce

4,340 completions/yr

Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies

4,070 completions/yr

Public Administration

2,139 completions/yr

Accounting and Finance

1,209 completions/yr

Accounting and Business/Management

780 completions/yr

Financial Planning and Services

713 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Finance, General field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Finance, General worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Finance majors actually study day-to-day?
Coursework moves through accounting fundamentals, corporate finance, financial markets, and investment analysis. You will spend time working with financial statements, building valuation models, and studying how firms raise and deploy capital. Upper-division work typically covers portfolio management, derivatives, risk analysis, and financial planning. Many programs include Excel-intensive projects and case studies drawn from real market data. The CIP definition frames this as instruction in financial instruments, capital planning, funds acquisition, asset and debt management, budgeting, and investments — and that framing accurately describes where most of the curriculum weight sits.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough for Finance?
The degree level makes a significant difference here. Bachelor's completers in this field report median five-year earnings of about $80,909, while associate's completers report about $52,207 — a gap of roughly $28,700. Every career listed for this major, from financial managers at a $161,700 median wage to financial and investment analysts at $101,350, lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry credential. An associate's can qualify you for bookkeeping or entry-level support roles, but the analyst and management tracks that define finance careers require the four-year degree.
What kinds of jobs do Finance graduates end up in?
Financial managers are the most prominent destination, with a median wage of $161,700 and a 14.8% projected job growth rate — the strongest growth figure of any career in this major's profile. Financial and investment analysts ($101,350 median, 5.7% growth) and personal financial advisors ($102,140 median, 9.6% growth) are the next most common paths. General and operations managers ($102,950 median) absorb finance graduates who move into broader management roles. Loan officers ($74,180 median, 1.7% growth) represent a more accessible entry point with a lower ceiling. The chief executive category sits at the top of the earnings range at $206,420, though that title reflects decades of career progression rather than a first-job destination.
How competitive is the job market for Finance graduates?
The job market picture is mixed by role. Financial managers show 14.8% projected growth — well above the 4-5% average for all occupations. Personal financial advisors run at 9.6%. But loan officers show only 1.7% growth, and general financial specialists show 3.1%. Finance is also one of the larger business majors, with about 42,200 completions per year, so competition among candidates is real. The graduates who tend to move into the higher-growth, higher-earning roles are those who pursue professional certifications (CFA, CFP, Series licenses) and internships while still in school — credentials the degree alone does not provide.
Is Finance the right major, or should I consider a related program?
Finance is the most analytically-focused of the core business majors and concentrates more heavily on capital markets and investment analysis than broader business programs. Business/Commerce, General (about 42,900 completions per year) offers more flexibility across functions but less depth in financial analysis. Accounting and Finance (about 1,200 completions) is a narrower hybrid that suits students who want the CPA pathway alongside financial analysis. Financial Planning and Services (about 710 completions) is the more direct route if wealth management and client-facing advising is the specific goal. The career destinations overlap substantially across all of these — the choice mainly affects which technical skills you develop most deeply.
What's a realistic earnings picture after a Finance degree?
Five-year median earnings for this major run about $80,784 across degree levels, with bachelor's completers specifically landing at about $80,909. That figure reflects a mix of graduates still building experience — the roles that drive the highest earnings, like financial manager at $161,700, typically require several years of professional experience and often industry certifications. The floor within finance-specific roles is loan officer at $74,180. The overall earning trajectory for bachelor's-level finance graduates is solidly above average for business degrees, with a genuine high-ceiling path in financial management for those who advance.