Online Finance Bachelor's Degree
Overview
The finance field took a direct hit during the recession, but it’s bouncing back and shifting focus. With traditional Wall Street gigs—banking, investment, and lending—taking heat for risky trades and negligent policies, careers in risk management and financial regulation are taking off, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.
An online bachelor’s degree in finance, which combines accounting, investment, and management, can prepare students for both traditional and nontraditional finance jobs.
Coursework
| Example courses | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contemporary regulatory issues | |||||||||
| Financial management | |||||||||
| Global finance | |||||||||
| Investment and portfolio management | |||||||||
| Financial institutions and markets | |||||||||
Students earning their finance degree online will take introductory courses, such as financial reporting, principles of finance, and credit analysis—even psychology, depending on the program— before getting into the nitty-gritty of their field with international finance, portfolio management, and risk management classes.
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Job Outlook
| Median salaries* | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real estate broker and sales agent | $42,500 | ||||||||
| Personal financial adviser | $64,500 | ||||||||
| Budget analyst | $68,000 | ||||||||
| Financial analyst | $74,000 | ||||||||
| Securities and commodities sales agent | $70,000 | ||||||||
| Financial manager | $100,000 | ||||||||
*per the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
Finance ranks among the top 30 undergraduate degrees for salary potential, with a starting median salary of nearly $48,000 and a mid-career median pay of more than $85,000, according to PayScale, an online salary database. Potential career routes for new graduates include budget or financial analyst, personal financial adviser, real estate broker, and securities sales agent.
Students can increase their earning potential by moving into a management position after gaining some experience in the field. Financial managers, for example, have a median salary of more than $100,000, but these positions often require at least five years of experience.
