Finance
Business & Management · federal classification: Finance and Financial Management Services
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $61,520 | $33,528 to $77,028 | 7 | 100% |
| Bachelor's Degree | $75,807 | $68,408 to $86,952 | 445 | 100% |
| Master's Degree | $107,624 | $91,195 to $123,488 | 79 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +2% (2025 to 2035), about 561,000 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | $105,770 | +5% | 285,000 |
| Financial Managers | $166,570 | +9.7% | 65,600 |
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | $78,660 | +1.4% | 35,100 |
| Tellers | $43,030 | -13.2% | 26,800 |
| Financial and Investment Analysts | $102,740 | +7.2% | 24,700 |
| Chief Executives | $213,990 | +3.2% | 19,100 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a finance program, of 841 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- American College of Financial Services
- CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
- Ohio State University-Main Campus
- Florida State University
- Florida International University
- University of South Carolina-Columbia
- The University of Alabama
- Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.