Your Career in Finance Starts with a Degree
With a degree in finance you can work as a financial manager, controller, treasurer, credit or cash manager, risk and insurance manager, bank manager, finance representative, or a manager of international banking. Over 539,000 people worked as finance managers in the U.S. in 2008, employed by banks, savings institutions, finance companies, credit unions, insurance carriers, securities dealers and federal, state, or local government. Related occupations include accountants and auditors, bank managers, budget analysts, financial analysts, finance representatives, and real estate brokers and sales agents. It's a varied career with a lot of possibilities.
Your Degree in Finance can Drive Your Career
Most careers in the world of finance require a bachelor's degree, and some require a master's. A bachelor's degree in finance requires classes in
- Principles of business administration
- Business and professional communications
- International business classes
- Economics
- Business statistics
- Money and banking
- Personal and business finance
- Business law
A bachelor's degree in finance requires 120 credit hours. Along with finance classes you may find you're taking some English and history courses. Almost every firm, government agency, and organization employs a financial manager, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As a financial manager you'd prepare financial reports or direct their preparation, direct investment activity, and create cash management strategies.
Employment in the field of finance is growing as fast as most occupations, with an anticipated 8 percent growth between 2008 and 2018. A degree in finance can start you in this career, where financial managers in securities can earn nearly $135,000 in median annual wages, and those working for local government agencies can earn over $78,500.
