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It’s one of the tru­isms of Amer­i­can life – “It takes mon­ey to make mon­ey.” If that’s true, then there’s no bet­ter field for a career than finance. After all, that’s where the mon­ey makes mon­ey. A bachelor’s degree in finance is the place to start, but finance is a fick­le field; you don’t just get your BS in Finance and expect to walk into a cor­ner office at Berk­shire Hath­away. It takes time to prove your­self, but it also takes get­ting a rep­utable degree from one of the best col­lege for finance.

Why? Because the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance majors don’t just give you a good edu­ca­tion; they give you con­nec­tions, net­works, oppor­tu­ni­ties, that oth­er schools can’t. They don’t have to be in the heart of Man­hat­tan or Boston, but what they do have to have is a clear tra­jec­to­ry and a firm foun­da­tion in the­o­ry, analy­sis, and tech­nol­o­gy. That’s what Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter is look­ing for in our rank­ing of the Best Col­leges for Finance

Methodology: Ranking the Best Bachelor’s Degree in Finance

To rank the best under­grad­u­ate finance pro­grams, Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter edi­tors had to research the vast land­scape of accred­it­ed finance col­leges and uni­ver­si­ties. With our unwieldy list, we ranked pro­grams accord­ing to four metrics:

  • U.S. News & World Report ranking
  • Niche review score
  • Grad­u­a­tion Rate
  • Grad­u­ate employ­ment rate (from IPEDS data)

With these cri­te­ria, BDC ensures that stu­dents will be see­ing a real return on their invest­ment of time, mon­ey, and ener­gy. The best finance under­grad­u­ate pro­grams prove their ROI.

Any­one look­ing for the best under­grad­u­ate finance pro­gram can stop here. All of the insti­tu­tions ranked in the Best Bachelor’s Degree in Finance rank­ing are region­al­ly accred­it­ed, and most busi­ness schools are accred­it­ed by the AACSB – the gold stan­dard in busi­ness edu­ca­tion accreditation.

1. Bentley University Department of Finance

Bent­ley University’s bachelor’s degree in finance isn’t just one degree pro­gram — it’s three spe­cial­ly-designed, inten­sive­ly focused majors built for the com­plex­i­ties and real­i­ties of mod­ern finance. Stu­dents may choose the straight Finance degree, focused sole­ly on apply­ing ana­lyt­i­cal skills and finance the­o­ry to a glob­al per­spec­tive. On the oth­er hand, stu­dents may choose the Eco­nom­ics-Finance pro­gram, designed in col­lab­o­ra­tion with the Eco­nom­ics Depart­ment, or the Cor­po­rate Finance and Account­ing pro­gram, which works with the Account­ing Department.

No mat­ter which route stu­dents choose, Bentley’s BS in Finance pro­grams are sec­ond to none. The phrase “all busi­ness” doesn’t mean much any­more, but Bent­ley Uni­ver­si­ty real­ly is all busi­ness. Found­ed in 1917 as an account­ing school, Bentley’s entire exis­tence is root­ed in busi­ness. With that inten­sive focus, it’s no sur­prise Bent­ley is reg­u­lar­ly ranked among the top busi­ness schools in the nation by pub­li­ca­tions like U.S. News & World Report, Busi­ness­week, and the Prince­ton Review. Bent­ley is bet­ter than the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance — it shows all oth­ers how it’s done.

Busi­ness School: Depart­ment of Finance
Degree: BS in Busi­ness Finance

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2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Sloan School of Management

The MIT Bach­e­lor of Finance pro­gram (called Course 15–3 in MIT’s unique course num­ber­ing sys­tem) puts an empha­sis on com­put­er sci­ence, tech­nol­o­gy, math­e­mat­ics, and eco­nom­ics to pre­pare stu­dents for the world of mod­ern finance. The pro­gram rec­og­nizes that tech­nol­o­gy changes finan­cial ser­vices and pro­vides the skills stu­dents need to thrive in a chang­ing finan­cial indus­try. Stu­dents learn to use math­e­mat­ics and engi­neer­ing to enhance their abil­i­ties in a finan­cial career.

The key aspect that sets MIT apart from oth­er finance pro­grams is their focus on STEM top­ics and the inte­gra­tion of tech­nol­o­gy in the finan­cial degree pro­gram. The Sloan School of Man­age­ment has long been rec­og­nized as one of the most inno­v­a­tive in the world, with field-shift­ing ideas and con­cepts through­out its his­to­ry. The school is also one of the most selec­tive in the US, By giv­ing stu­dents a strong foun­da­tion in tech­nol­o­gy, MIT Sloan pre­pares stu­dents to han­dle any unex­pect­ed chal­lenge they may face in their career.

Busi­ness School: Sloan School of Man­age­ment
Degree: Course 15–3 (Finance)

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3. University of Pennsylvania — Wharton School

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Penn­syl­va­nia BS in Busi­ness Finance con­cen­tra­tion, from the Whar­ton School (one of the best col­leges for finance in the world) teach­es stu­dents to han­dle a vari­ety of finan­cial ser­vices that range from tra­di­tion­al roles in asset man­age­ment and bank­ing to more rig­or­ous fields of study in com­mer­cial finance and inter­na­tion­al sec­tors. As a busi­ness degree, the pro­gram focus­es on build­ing a stu­den­t’s under­stand­ing of busi­ness as it relates to finance so stu­dents are able to apply their finan­cial skills in any com­pa­ny set­ting. It ensures that stu­dents under­stand busi­ness process­es like merg­ers and acqui­si­tions as well as finan­cial ser­vices and invest­ing skills.

When you look at the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance majors, you will dis­cov­er that the Uni­ver­si­ty of Penn­syl­va­nia is at the top of the list. The Whar­ton School is wide­ly con­sid­ered the first mod­ern busi­ness school, but far from rest­ing on its lau­rels, Whar­ton has remained at the fore­front of busi­ness in the 21st cen­tu­ry. With the Whar­ton rep­u­ta­tion, a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Whar­ton School brings employ­ers to you.

Busi­ness School: Whar­ton School
Degree: BS in Business-Finance

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4. University of Notre Dame — Mendoza College of Business

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Notre Dame BS in Finance, from the world-renowned Men­doza Col­lege of Busi­ness, does more than help stu­dents stand apart from the crowd. The school’s course­work focus­es on inno­va­tion, with small class sizes to ensure that stu­dents have fac­ul­ty sup­port and room to devel­op. Since tech­nol­o­gy is chang­ing the finan­cial indus­try, stu­dents learn to use crit­i­cal think­ing skills to resolve unex­pect­ed chal­lenges and address prob­lems. By focus­ing on inno­va­tion, stu­dents devel­op crit­i­cal think­ing skills that set them apart when look­ing for a career in finance.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Notre Dame is a leg­endary insti­tu­tion, and the Men­doza Col­lege of Busi­ness is reg­u­lar­ly ranked among the great­est busi­ness schools in the world by pub­li­ca­tions like U.S. News and Forbes. The Men­doza school was found­ed in 1921 and has fol­lowed the high stan­dards set by the founder of the col­lege, Father John Fran­cis O’Hara. Undoubt­ed­ly one of the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance majors, Men­doza teach­es stu­dents that the goal of com­merce is ser­vice to mankind above all.

Busi­ness School: Men­doza Col­lege of Busi­ness
Degree: BS in Finance

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5. Cornell University — Dyson School

The Dyson School, part of the SC John­son Col­lege of Busi­ness, offers Cor­nell Uni­ver­si­ty’s Bachelor’s in Applied Eco­nom­ics and Man­age­ment, or AEM. Stu­dents are able to focus their degree with a con­cen­tra­tion in Finance. A focus on com­bin­ing the insights of eco­nom­ics and man­age­ment sets the foun­da­tion for a stu­den­t’s career and teach­es lead­er­ship skills they need to advance in the finance sec­tor. The pro­gram teach­es stu­dents use­ful skills that apply to a vari­ety of busi­ness­es and com­pa­ny settings.

Cor­nell Uni­ver­si­ty is the youngest mem­ber of the Ivy League, found­ed in 1865 well after its peers in New Eng­land. Unlike the oth­er Ivy League uni­ver­si­ties, Cor­nell had its begin­ning as the most cut­ting edge, tech­no­log­i­cal­ly advanced uni­ver­si­ty in the nation, with a mis­sion to pro­vide the most mod­ern, prac­ti­cal, and inno­v­a­tive edu­ca­tion in the world. Today, Cor­nell con­tin­ues that mis­sion, earn­ing recog­ni­tion not only as one of the best research uni­ver­si­ties in the US, but as a pow­er­house of dis­cov­ery and a place for social mobil­i­ty and engage­ment. One of the best col­leges for finance is just one part of Cornell’s excellence.

Busi­ness School: Dyson School
Degree: Dyson School under­grad­u­ates major in applied eco­nom­ics and man­age­ment (AEM), con­cen­tra­tion in Finance available

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6. Santa Clara University — Leavey School of Business

San­ta Clara Uni­ver­si­ty’s BS in Com­merce — Finance con­cen­tra­tion is a prime bachelor’s degree in finance from one of the best small busi­ness schools in the nation, the Leavey School of Busi­ness. Stu­dents learn prac­ti­cal finan­cial skills as well as psy­chol­o­gy and ethics that sur­round the indus­try. Since psy­chol­o­gy plays a sig­nif­i­cant role in the finance sec­tor, stu­dents learn to rec­og­nize the ways human behav­ior may change out­comes. A Jesuit focus on val­ues and ethics keeps San­ta Clara’s Finance bachelor’s honest.

San­ta Clara Uni­ver­si­ty is a Jesuit Catholic uni­ver­si­ty that dates back to 1851, stand­ing as the old­est remain­ing col­lege in Cal­i­for­nia. How­ev­er, San­ta Clara’s prox­im­i­ty and close rela­tions with Sil­i­con Val­ley ensure that it remains at the fore­front of high­er edu­ca­tion. Stu­dents learn more than just the finan­cial ser­vices. San­ta Clara makes sure stu­dents are pre­pared for the real world of work with a holis­tic approach to edu­ca­tion — not just career-cen­tered, but human-cen­tered. That makes San­ta Clara one of the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance majors who want to make a difference.

Busi­ness School: Leavey School of Busi­ness
Degree: BS in Com­merce — Finance concentration

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7. Washington University in St. Louis — John M. Olin Business School

Wash­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty in St. Louis’ Bachelor’s in Finance comes from the John M. Olin Busi­ness School, one of the most acclaimed busi­ness schools in the Mid­west. The pro­gram rec­og­nizes that you have a vari­ety of career oppor­tu­ni­ties when you study finance, so stu­dents pre­pare for the dif­fer­ent oppor­tu­ni­ties through a vari­ety of course­work and class­es. Stu­dents have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to take advanced cours­es in asset man­age­ment when they want to devel­op spe­cif­ic skills for a career in the finan­cial ser­vices industry.

Washington’s Olin Busi­ness School dates back to 1917, mak­ing it one of the old­est and most pres­ti­gious busi­ness schools in the nation. A key advan­tage that sets Wash­ing­ton Uni­ver­si­ty apart for finance stu­dents is the oppor­tu­ni­ty to man­age a por­tion of the uni­ver­si­ty’s endow­ment funds. The Invest­ment Prax­is elec­tive course gives stu­dents a chance to learn how to invest and take part in the stock mar­ket before they begin a career in finance. That gives stu­dents a com­pet­i­tive edge by teach­ing valu­able skills to lim­it risks and under­stand changes in the stock mar­ket, and makes Wash­ing­ton one of the best col­leges for finance.

Busi­ness School: John M. Olin Busi­ness School
Degree: BS in Finance

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8. Georgetown University — McDonough School of Business

The McDo­nough School of Busi­ness offers George­town University’s BS in Finance, help­ing stu­dents pre­pare for a career in the finance sec­tor. The school rec­og­nizes the grow­ing shift into inter­na­tion­al busi­ness and offers stu­dents a glob­al per­spec­tive that allows them to take part in dif­fer­ent invest­ment oppor­tu­ni­ties. Stu­dents learn to han­dle glob­al invest­ment oppor­tu­ni­ties and finan­cial ser­vices in a vari­ety of dif­fer­ent set­tings and envi­ron­ments. That gives them an edge when they are look­ing for a career in finan­cial services.

George­town Uni­ver­si­ty stands out from oth­er schools because of their glob­al pro­grams. Found­ed in 1789, George­town is the old­est Catholic col­lege in the US, but that’s not what makes it impor­tant — it’s that George­town was right there in the heart of Wash­ing­ton, DC, through­out the cre­ation and devel­op­ment of the Unit­ed States. Few col­leges have the reach of George­town, from the fed­er­al gov­ern­ment to for­eign allies, and a glob­al per­spec­tive means finance stu­dents get one of the best bachelor’s degree in finance pro­grams anywhere.

Busi­ness School: McDo­nough School of Busi­ness
Degree: BS in Finance

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9. University of Virginia — McIntire School of Commerce

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Vir­gini­a’s BS in Com­merce-Finance con­cen­tra­tion from the McIn­tire School of Com­merce puts an empha­sis on lead­er­ship and integri­ty, which allows stu­dents to take on lead­er­ship roles as they move into a cor­po­rate set­ting. From the junior-year Inte­grat­ed Core Expe­ri­ence, one of the most rig­or­ous busi­ness cur­ricu­lums in the nation, stu­dents take on their con­cen­tra­tion in their senior year. McIn­tire stu­dents learn the full range of glob­al com­merce from pro­fes­sion­als who are active prac­ti­tion­ers for the most cur­rent bach­e­lor’s degree in finance possible.

As one of the orig­i­nal Pub­lic Ivies, found­ed by Thomas Jef­fer­son and car­ry­ing a long tra­di­tion of influ­ence, what sets the Uni­ver­si­ty of Vir­ginia apart is their focus on lead­er­ship. Stu­dents learn to grasp a sit­u­a­tion quick­ly and adapt to the sit­u­a­tion to resolve poten­tial prob­lems. The abil­i­ty to work effec­tive­ly in a group and lead oth­ers will enhance career oppor­tu­ni­ties. By focus­ing on lead­er­ship, the school encour­ages stu­dents to take part in more com­plex roles after they start a new career. That makes the McIn­tire School one of the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance majors by far.

Busi­ness School: McIn­tire School of Com­merce
Degree: BS in Commerce

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10. Boston College — Carroll School of Management

Boston College’s bachelor’s degree in finance comes from the Car­roll School of Man­age­ment, one of the most infa­mous­ly chal­leng­ing — and best-con­nect­ed — busi­ness schools in the world. Since stu­dents must learn effec­tive research skills when work­ing in finance, the Car­roll school takes a quan­ti­ta­tive and ana­lyt­i­cal approach to finance, stu­dents have the skills to han­dle advance­ments in tech­nol­o­gy and the changes that may arise in finance com­pa­nies. With Boston College’s BS in Finance, stu­dents can take on any challenge.

Boston Col­lege is ranked in the top 15 col­leges by U.S. News and World Report for the school’s rig­or­ous train­ing and edu­ca­tion. With its loca­tion in one of the world’s cen­ters for finance and bank­ing, Boston Col­lege gives stu­dents ample oppor­tu­ni­ty to learn from skilled pro­fes­sors who under­stand the finan­cial mar­kets and make time to address con­cerns stu­dents may voice over time. The access to fac­ul­ty com­bined with the inno­v­a­tive approach to the indus­try ensures that stu­dents have the skills they need to suc­ceed in a career, mak­ing BC one of the best col­leges for finance in the world.

Busi­ness School: Car­roll School of Man­age­ment
Degree: BS in Finance

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11. Carnegie Mellon University — Tepper School of Business

Tep­per School of Busi­ness offers Carnegie Mel­lon University’s bachelor’s degree in finance, one of the most inno­v­a­tive and tech­no­log­i­cal­ly advanced in the US.The finance con­cen­tra­tion puts an empha­sis on invest­ment analy­sis and cor­po­rate finance using tech­nol­o­gy. By hav­ing a strong foun­da­tion in busi­ness fol­lowed by learn­ing the skills com­pa­nies need for finan­cial ser­vice pro­fes­sion­als, stu­dents will have the abil­i­ty to han­dle a career in a cor­po­rate or bank­ing envi­ron­ment. No won­der U.S. News ranks Tep­per a top 10 under­grad­u­ate busi­ness school.

Carnegie Mel­lon Uni­ver­si­ty has a com­pet­i­tive edge over oth­er col­leges because it tai­lors cours­es and stud­ies to the com­plex­i­ties of a chang­ing busi­ness envi­ron­ment. From its begin­ning, Carnegie Mel­lon was root­ed in prac­ti­cal, real-world appli­ca­tion, and that’s just as true of the bachelor’s in finance pro­gram. By keep­ing up with chang­ing tech­nol­o­gy and the­o­ries, the school ensures that stu­dents are pre­pared for what­ev­er comes after grad­u­a­tion, and what­ev­er changes shape the finance sector.

Busi­ness School: Tep­per School of Busi­ness
Degree: Bachelor’s in Finance

12. Drake University College of Business & Public Administration

Drake University’s BS in Finance degree pro­gram devel­ops stu­dents’ ana­lyt­i­cal skills and focus­es on com­mu­ni­ca­tion in a cor­po­rate set­ting. By learn­ing to com­mu­ni­cate and ana­lyze infor­ma­tion, stu­dents are able to keep up with the high stan­dards of a finan­cial firm or com­pa­ny. Stu­dents are able to focus their stud­ies on spe­cif­ic areas of finance for a com­pet­i­tive edge when they are look­ing for a new job. Drake’s Col­lege of Busi­ness & Pub­lic Admin­is­tra­tion pro­vides ample oppor­tu­ni­ty for intern­ships and expe­ri­en­tial learn­ing for an imme­di­ate­ly applic­a­ble degree.

Drake Uni­ver­si­ty began in 1881 and helped build Iowa’s cul­ture from the fron­tier days until now, when it con­tin­ues as one of the state’s pre­miere pri­vate uni­ver­si­ties. Drake stands out by pro­vid­ing access to pro­fes­sors when stu­dents have ques­tions or con­cerns, using a low student:faculty ratio to pro­vide excep­tion­al men­tor­ship and sup­port. By work­ing with skilled pro­fes­sion­als, stu­dents have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to gain advanced knowl­edge of the finance sec­tor, mak­ing Drake’s bachelor’s degree in finance one of the best in the Midwest.

Busi­ness School: Col­lege of Busi­ness & Pub­lic Admin­is­tra­tion
Degree: BS in Finance

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13. Wake Forest University School of Business

Wake For­est University’s BS in Finance degree pro­gram allows stu­dents to devel­op a strong foun­da­tion in the indus­try before they start a career. The school focus­es on teach­ing stu­dents about busi­ness and eco­nom­ics as well as the finan­cial top­ics they may expect when start­ing the pro­gram. By giv­ing stu­dents a foun­da­tion in oth­er areas of busi­ness, they have the abil­i­ty to han­dle a vari­ety of dif­fer­ent sit­u­a­tions in a cor­po­rate or busi­ness setting.

Wake For­est Uni­ver­si­ty is often con­sid­ered one of the South­ern Ivies, and belongs to the select class of elite pri­vate research uni­ver­si­ties in the South. Wake Forest’s School of Busi­ness is wide­ly ranked one of the best in the nation, includ­ing #1 for aca­d­e­m­ic qual­i­ty accord­ing to Busi­ness­week. The Busi­ness School empha­sizes the inte­gra­tion of stud­ies to pre­pare stu­dents for an inter­na­tion­al stage, mak­ing it one of the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance majors in the South, or nationwide.

Busi­ness School: School of Busi­ness
Degree: BS in Finance

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14. Lehigh University College of Business and Economics

Lehigh Uni­ver­si­ty’s Bachelor’s in Finance degree pro­gram comes from the Perel­la Depart­ment of Finance in the Col­lege of Busi­ness and Eco­nom­ics. This AACSB-accred­it­ed pro­gram pro­vides a cross-dis­ci­pli­nary MS in Ana­lyt­i­cal Finance. Each of these pro­grams receives instruc­tion from expert fac­ul­ty mem­bers in their state of the art Cen­ter for Finan­cial Ser­vices lab. Stu­dents have the option of par­tic­i­pat­ing in the stu­dent invest­ment club when pur­su­ing their bach­e­lor’s degree in finance as well.

Found­ed in 1865 as a pri­vate insti­tu­tion, Lehigh has remained a small school, with an under­grad­u­ate pop­u­la­tion of just 5000. That small size has allowed Lehigh to build a rep­u­ta­tion for stu­dent sup­port and men­tor­ship that makes it one of the best col­leges for finance and dozens of oth­er majors. U.S. News and World Report ranks Lehigh as a best val­ue, and their online busi­ness pro­grams have been ranked in the top 20 nation­al­ly. Named a Hid­den Ivy (a tes­ta­ment to its low pro­file and excel­lent qual­i­ty), Lehigh is eas­i­ly among the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance majors.

Busi­ness School: Col­lege of Busi­ness and Eco­nom­ics
Degree: Bachelor’s in Finance

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15. Villanova University School of Business

Vil­lano­va University’s BS in Finance degree pro­gram pro­vides under­stand­ing of tech­nol­o­gy, quan­ti­ta­tive meth­ods, eth­i­cal issues, glob­al issues, and com­mu­ni­ca­tion. A unique Applied Quan­ti­ta­tive Finance Con­cen­tra­tion (AQF) is also avail­able, focus­ing on uti­liz­ing quan­ti­ta­tive tech­niques for tar­get­ing prac­ti­cal appli­ca­tions. The qual­i­ty of one of the best col­leges for finance is even greater with all of the extracur­ric­u­lar oppor­tu­ni­ties for finance majors. Those study­ing for their BS in Finance have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to par­tic­i­pate in the Vil­lano­va Uni­ver­si­ty Equi­ty Soci­ety, Vil­lano­va Fixed Income Soci­ety, Vil­lano­va Finan­cial Man­age­ment Soci­ety, and the Vil­lano­va Tech­ni­cal Analy­sis Group.

Vil­lano­va Uni­ver­si­ty began in 1842 (but has roots going back to the 18th cen­tu­ry) as one of the old­est Catholic uni­ver­si­ties in the North. Build­ing on Augus­tin­ian tra­di­tion, Vil­lano­va has long been known for aca­d­e­m­ic rig­or and excel­lence, par­tic­u­lar­ly in under­grad­u­ate edu­ca­tion. Ranked a top 50 Best Val­ue School by U.S. News & World Report, Vil­lano­va has also been named Bloomberg Businessweek’s #1 under­grad­u­ate busi­ness school. Villanova’s ded­i­ca­tion to tech­nol­o­gy, inno­va­tion, and the cut­ting edge of edu­ca­tion makes it one of the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance majors.

Busi­ness School: School of Busi­ness
Degree: BS in Finance

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16. University of Florida — Warrington College of Business

Uni­ver­si­ty of Flori­da’s BS in Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion-Finance is just one of 5 con­cen­tra­tions in the BSBA pro­gram. The War­ring­ton Col­lege of Busi­ness is regard­ed as one of the top busi­ness schools in the South, and the BSBA-FIN does much more than tack on a few finance elec­tives; it’s an in-depth edu­ca­tion in mon­ey and cap­i­tal, build­ing lead­ers and entre­pre­neurs in the invest­ment field. For those look­ing for the best col­leges for finance, UF’s War­ring­ton Col­lege earns its top rankings.

The War­ring­ton Col­lege of Busi­ness at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Flori­da receives its accred­i­ta­tion from the AACSB — The Asso­ci­a­tion to Advance Col­le­giate Schools of Busi­ness. The Uni­ver­si­ty of Flori­da has long ranked among the best pub­lic research uni­ver­si­ties in the US, and it has been cen­tral to pro­fes­sion­al life in the Sun­shine State since 1853. UF embraces val­ues includ­ing com­mu­ni­ca­tion, hos­pi­tal­i­ty, humor, and respect — all qual­i­ties that help make for one of the best col­leges for finance.

Busi­ness School: War­ring­ton Col­lege of Busi­ness
Degree: BS in Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion-Finance concentration

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17. New York University — Stern School of Business

New York Uni­ver­si­ty’s BS in Busi­ness-Finance con­cen­tra­tion is one of the best pos­si­ble choic­es for those who would like to enter the finan­cial indus­try. After all, the Stern School of Busi­ness is in the heart of Man­hat­tan — the cen­ter of world finance. It’s pos­si­ble for the course cur­ricu­lum to have a divi­sion into two sub­fields includ­ing investments/capital mar­kets and cor­po­rate finance. Stu­dents should take note of the fact that many over­laps occur in each sub­field. Those pur­su­ing their bach­e­lor’s degree in finance can look at descrip­tions in the course index for fur­ther infor­ma­tion regard­ing pre­req­ui­sites and sched­ul­ing options.

NYU’s Stern School was ini­tial­ly found­ed in 1900 as a train­ing school for stu­dents who had an inter­est in careers in com­merce in New York City. Stern ranks as one of U.S. News’ top 20 Best Busi­ness Schools and, regard­ing their spe­cial­ty rank­ings, they’re now rank­ing #3 in Finance. The School of Busi­ness’s mot­to is “Be Pos­si­ble.” Their core val­ues include aca­d­e­m­ic excel­lence, the poten­tial of adult edu­ca­tion, com­mu­ni­ty coop­er­a­tion, equal­i­ty, and har­ness­ing the ener­gy of a glob­al hub.

Busi­ness School: Stern School of Busi­ness
Degree: BS in Busi­ness — Finance concentration

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18. University of Wisconsin — Madison School of Business

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Wis­con­sin at Madison’s BBA in Finance, Invest­ment, and Bank­ing for stu­dents with the goal of career advance­ment or fur­ther­ing their edu­ca­tion. Some­what broad­er than oth­er bachelor’s degree in finance pro­grams, the BBA pro­vides exper­tise in bank­ing, cap­i­tal mar­kets and struc­ture, finan­cial instru­ments, and man­ag­ing the finan­cial resources of an orga­ni­za­tion. Stu­dents will acquire skills in secu­ri­ty trad­ing, finan­cial fore­cast­ing, ven­ture cap­i­tal, secu­ri­ty analy­sis and val­u­a­tion, finan­cial risk man­age­ment, secu­ri­ty issuance, and inter­na­tion­al finance, and gov­ern­ment pol­i­cy and finan­cial markets.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Wis­con­sin at Madis­on’s School of Busi­ness receives its accred­i­ta­tion from the Asso­ci­a­tion to Advance Col­le­giate Schools of Busi­ness. The uni­ver­si­ty was ini­tial­ly found­ed in 1848 as a pub­lic insti­tu­tion, and over more than a cen­tu­ry and a half UW has become a cen­ter for learn­ing, cul­ture, and busi­ness for the Mid­west. U.S. News & World Report peren­ni­al­ly ranks UW one of the top pub­lic research uni­ver­si­ties in the nation. Their mot­to is, “Numen Lumen,” which is Latin for, “God, our light.” The uni­ver­si­ty embraces val­ues includ­ing ser­vice, schol­ar­ship, sci­ence, and social responsibility.

Busi­ness School: School of Busi­ness
Degree: BBA — Finance, Invest­ment & Banking

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19. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign — Gies College of Business

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Illi­nois at Urbana-Cham­paign’s BS in Finance comes from the AACSB-accred­it­ed Gies Col­lege of Busi­ness. The UI Finance bachelor’s focus­es on the prac­ti­cal uses of finan­cial exper­tise, from the man­age­ment and acqui­si­tion of funds to finan­cial advice deter­min­ing the val­ues of real and finan­cial assets. The Gies Col­lege, with a nation­al rep­u­ta­tion for excel­lence and a mas­sive pres­ence in the finan­cial field and online, is one of the all-time best schools to study finance.

Ini­tial­ly found­ed in 1867 as a pub­lic insti­tu­tion, UI is one of the Midwest’s key hubs for learn­ing and research — as well as defin­ing the “col­lege town” with the much-loved Urbana-Cham­paign. Ranked in the top 50 Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ties by U.S. News & World Report, UI’s mot­to is, “Learn­ing and Labor,” and its cam­pus cul­ture shows it. With top rank­ings for the Gies Col­lege of Busi­ness, UI ias eas­i­ly one of the best col­leges for finance, pro­vid­ing stu­dents with con­nec­tions to the bank­ing and finance sec­tor of Chica­go and nationwide.

Busi­ness School: Gies Col­lege of Busi­ness
Degree: BS in Finance

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20. University of Georgia — Terry College of Business

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Geor­gia BBA in Finance degree pro­gram brings all of the excel­lence of the Ter­ry Col­lege of Busi­ness to a degree that will steep stu­dents in the use of finan­cial analy­sis and the­o­ry. Stu­dents learn to use finan­cial analy­sis to man­age assets, plan for future expens­es, and build wealth. Those seek­ing the best col­leges for finance can expect career oppor­tu­ni­ties as invest­ment bank­ing ana­lysts, finan­cial ana­lysts, loan audit­ing man­agers, and junior traders fol­low­ing grad­u­a­tion from the Uni­ver­si­ty of Georgia.

The Ter­ry Col­lege of Busi­ness is one of the most respect­ed busi­ness schools in the South, while it is known around the world for its unpar­al­leled music busi­ness pro­grams. Found­ed in 1785, UGA was the first pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty to admit stu­dents, and today, accord­ing to U.S. News & World Report, the uni­ver­si­ty ranks as a top 50 Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ty. The mis­sion of the Ter­ry Col­lege of Busi­ness is to ensure stu­dents receive high-qual­i­ty learn­ing expe­ri­ences through their three cen­tral mis­sions: research, ser­vice, and teaching.

Busi­ness School: Ter­ry Col­lege of Busi­ness
Degree: BBA in Finance

21. Penn State University — Smeal College of Business

The Smeal Col­lege of Busi­ness offers Penn State University’s BS in Finance degree pro­gram, designed for those who wish to pur­sue careers in the fields of bank­ing, cor­po­ra­tions, gov­ern­ment, and insur­ance. Stu­dents attend­ing the Smeal Col­lege of Busi­ness will have access to the Nit­tany Lion Fund, where they will over­see mil­lions of dol­lars from actu­al real-world investors. They’ll also par­tic­i­pate in the Rogers Fam­i­ly Trad­ing Room, which is a repli­ca­tion of real-world trad­ing experience.

Penn State Uni­ver­si­ty is Pennsylvania’s flag­ship pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty, found­ed in 1855 as a pub­lic insti­tu­tion, and its influ­ence not only in Penn­syl­va­nia, but the North­east and the US in gen­er­al, is hard to cal­cu­late. Their mot­to is, “Mak­ing Life Bet­ter,” and Penn State has been doing just that for tra­di­tion­al under­grad­u­ates, work­ing adults, and career-chang­ing pro­fes­sion­als for gen­er­a­tions. The AACSB-accred­it­ed Smeal Col­lege of Business

Busi­ness School: Smeal Col­lege of Busi­ness
Degree: BS in Finance

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22. Case Western Reserve University — Weatherhead School of Management

Case West­ern Reserve University’s bach­e­lor degree in finance pro­grams offer more options than usu­al for stu­dents enter­ing a finance career. Stu­dents can choose between pur­su­ing the BS in Man­age­ment — Finance Major or the BA/BS degree and MSM — Finance Inte­grat­ed Pro­gram. Not only will they have expo­sure to a world-class fac­ul­ty in bank­ing and finance, but they’ll also expe­ri­ence. They’ll devel­op strong finan­cial man­age­ment skills as well as learn­ing how to solve busi­ness and man­age­ment prob­lems. Con­sid­ered one of the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance majors, Weath­er­head offers a cur­ricu­lum that will pre­pare them for today’s finan­cial indus­try’s demands.

Case West­ern dates back to 1826 and has long been a leader in under­grad­u­ate edu­ca­tion; CWU cur­rent­ly ranks as a top 50 Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ties and Best Val­ue accord­ing to U.S. News & World Report. The uni­ver­si­ty’s mot­to is, “Think Beyond the Pos­si­ble,” and that is cer­tain­ly true in the Weath­er­head School of Man­age­ment. One of the best col­lege for finance, Weath­er­head is also known for The Cen­ter for Busi­ness as an Agent of World Ben­e­fit, a research cen­ter ded­i­cat­ed to pos­i­tive impact, inclu­sive­ness and diver­si­ty, integri­ty and trans­paren­cy, and effec­tive stewardship.

Busi­ness School: Weath­er­head School of Man­age­ment
Degree: BS in Man­age­ment-Finance or BA/BS Finance Inte­grat­ed Program

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23. Ohio State University — Fisher College of Business

The Ohio State University’s BS in Finance degree pro­gram allows stu­dents oppor­tu­ni­ties to pur­sue careers in finan­cial man­age­ment in finan­cial insti­tu­tions, busi­ness­es, and invest­ment firms. They’ll study con­cepts includ­ing cap­i­tal bud­get­ing, debt pol­i­cy, div­i­dend pol­i­cy, leas­ing pol­i­cy, option pric­ing, and a pro­ject­ed cost of cap­i­tal. Because stu­dents are expect­ing to attend the best col­leges for finance, they can expect career out­comes includ­ing sav­ings and loan man­agers, stock­bro­kers, finan­cial man­age­ment firms, and trust management.

One of the most inno­v­a­tive (and largest) uni­ver­si­ties in the US, the Ohio State Uni­ver­si­ty was found­ed in 1870 and built a rep­u­ta­tion as a cen­ter for learn­ing and research for the Mid­west over a cen­tu­ry and a half. Reg­u­lar­ly rank­ing among the top 20 pub­lic uni­ver­si­ties, Ohio State has been called a Pub­lic Ivy. Mean­while, the Fish­er Col­lege of Busi­ness ranks as one of the top under­grad­u­ate busi­ness schools in the nation, and has been called one of the best in the US for return on invest­ment by the Wall Street Jour­nal. Stu­dents would be hard pressed to find some­thing bet­ter for a bachelor’s degree in finance.

Busi­ness School: Fish­er Col­lege of Busi­ness
Degree: BS in Finance

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24. Tulane University — Freeman School of Business

Tulane Uni­ver­si­ty’s BS in Man­age­ment-Finance is the most pop­u­lar offer­ing at the Free­man School of Busi­ness. Grad­u­ates find careers in com­mer­cial bank­ing, cor­po­rate finance, as invest­ment ana­lysts, and finan­cial inter­me­di­a­tions. Some of the poten­tial learn­ing out­comes include fine-tun­ing skills with elec­tives includ­ing risk man­age­ment, as well as con­quer­ing the basics with core cours­es on fixed income analy­sis, invest­ments, and val­u­a­tion. The Goldring Insti­tute of Inter­na­tion­al Busi­ness increas­es the val­ue of a Tulane Finance BS with study abroad oppor­tu­ni­ties to increase stu­dents’ com­mand of inter­na­tion­al finance.

Tulane Uni­ver­si­ty’s AACSB-accred­it­ed Free­man School of Busi­ness dates back to 1914, mak­ing it one of the old­est busi­ness schools in the South, and it’s still one of the most respect­ed. The cen­ter of learn­ing and cul­ture for New Orleans, Tulane ranks as a top 50 Nation­al Uni­ver­si­ty accord­ing to U.S. News & World Report, while the Free­man School is one of the most pro­duc­tive schools for research. Tulane’s core val­ues include integri­ty, respon­si­bil­i­ty, respect, and empow­er­ment, and nowhere is that more true than in their BS in Finance pro­gram, one of the nation’s most diverse.

Busi­ness School: Free­man School of Busi­ness
Degree: BS in Man­age­ment — Finance concentration

25. University of Texas at Austin — McCombs School of Business

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Texas at Austin BBA in Finance degree pro­gram comes from the award-win­ning McCombs School of Busi­ness While many stu­dents will focus on a gen­er­al finance major, it’s also pos­si­ble to spe­cial­ize in a con­cen­tra­tion, includ­ing bank­ing, cor­po­rate finance and invest­ments, ener­gy finance, and more (6 in all). For stu­dents who want to find the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance majors, the bachelor’s degree in finance at McCombs will pre­pare them for career advance­ment and fur­ther­ing their edu­ca­tion­al goals.

Texas has one of the biggest, most pres­ti­gious pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty sys­tems in the US, but the Uni­ver­si­ty of Texas at Austin has been the cen­ter of it all since 1883. One of the most loved and most respect­ed pub­lic research insti­tu­tions in the world, UT is also locat­ed in one of the best pos­si­ble places for a bachelor’s degree in finance. With a boom­ing econ­o­my based in tech, enter­tain­ment, and media, the McCombs School of Busi­ness is turn­ing into one of the best under­grad­u­ate schools for finance majors in the nation.

Busi­ness School: McCombs School of Busi­ness
Degree: BBA in Finance

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What Can I Do With a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance?

Grad­u­ates with a bachelor’s degree in finance have oppor­tu­ni­ties to explore a broad range of career oppor­tu­ni­ties. (See “What is an Under­grad­u­ate Degree?”) Some include work­ing in busi­ness, cor­po­rate finance, insur­ance, or real estate. When pur­su­ing a degree focus­ing on this con­cen­tra­tion, stu­dents will obtain skills in account­ing, bond val­u­a­tion, invest­ment man­age­ment, and finan­cial analy­sis. There­fore, it’s pos­si­ble to find finance degree jobs in these areas of spe­cial­iza­tion upon grad­u­a­tion from the best under­grad­u­ate finance schools.

Because col­leges and uni­ver­si­ties pro­vide exten­sive course offer­ings to those pur­su­ing their BS in finance, stu­dents com­plet­ing these degree pro­grams will have the nec­es­sary prepa­ra­tion for fill­ing pro­fes­sion­al roles in a vari­ety of set­tings. These pro­grams are con­sid­ered the top degree for finance. The best finance under­grad­u­ate schools pre­pare stu­dents for advanc­ing their edu­ca­tion toward post-grad­u­ate work as well as career advance­ment. Those earn­ing their BS in finance can work in finance degree jobs includ­ing asset man­agers, branch man­agers, loan offi­cers, mort­gage sales asso­ciates, and sales representatives.

How Do I Find the Best Colleges for Finance?

Find­ing the best schools to study finance begins by search­ing which ones have accred­i­ta­tion and the high­est rank­ings. These facts don’t just pro­vide with infor­ma­tion regard­ing their rep­u­ta­tions. They also show the rig­or­ous eval­u­a­tions these learn­ing insti­tu­tions must go through to meet best prac­tices. The best finance pro­grams should all be accred­it­ed. Also con­sid­er finan­cial aid options.

To be con­sid­ered rep­utable, the best col­leges for busi­ness and finance should have region­al accred­i­ta­tion rec­og­nized by the Depart­ment of Edu­ca­tion. How­ev­er, it’s also extreme­ly impor­tant whether the busi­ness pro­gram receives its accred­i­ta­tion from the Asso­ci­a­tion to Advance Col­le­giate Schools of Busi­ness. AACSB accred­i­ta­tion promis­es stu­dents a top degree for finance. The best finance col­leges in turn give you a strong pres­ence on the finance degree jobs market.

Before enroll­ment, you should con­sid­er some fun­da­men­tals. Are you going to be in-state or out-of-state? Online or on-cam­pus? Is your high school GPA and ACT or SAT scores high enough? Can you fin­ish in four years?

How Much Money Can I Make with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance?

Accord­ing to Payscale, the aver­age finance degree salary is $63,365 per year. Top three jobs in this field include becom­ing a Senior Finan­cial Ana­lyst with an aver­age salary of $117,270 per year, Finan­cial Advi­sor with an annu­al salary of $80,579, and a Finan­cial Ana­lyst earn­ing $76,199 annually.

Those hold­ing an account­ing and finance degree have oppor­tu­ni­ties for earn­ing a high­er income. Accord­ing to Payscale, an account­ing and finance degree salary is $84,000 annu­al­ly. The top three careers in this field include becom­ing a Finan­cial Con­troller earn­ing $250,300 per year, a Senior Accoun­tant for $88,890 annu­al­ly, or a Staff Accoun­tant that earns $54,216 year­ly. Accord­ing to a sur­vey con­duct­ed by NACE dur­ing win­ter of 2018, the aver­age medi­an finance degree salary out of col­lege is $124,000, and the mean salary is $107.000.

Accord­ing to Payscale, the aver­age bachelor’s in finance salary is $79,000 per year. The top careers in this field include work­ing as a Finance Man­ag­er earn­ing $131,067 annu­al­ly, a Senior Finan­cial Ana­lyst for $98,274 year­ly, or a Finan­cial Ana­lyst mak­ing $76,199 each year. The hourly rate for BBA in finance jobs include work­ing as a Staff Accoun­tant for $34.83 per hour, a Finan­cial Ana­lyst for $38.62 hourly, or as a Cred­it Ana­lyst for $26.60 each hour.

Is a BS in Finance or a BBA in Finance a Better Choice?

For those who may not real­ize, there is some dif­fer­ence between a BS and BBA in finance. There­fore, you may be won­der­ing which is the top degree for finance. Each degree pro­gram pro­vides the prospec­tive stu­dent with sol­id prepa­ra­tion and foun­da­tions regard­ing entre­pre­neur­ial goals and career pur­suits. The best under­grad finance schools may have both.

Those who opt for a BS (Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence) degree will focus more heav­i­ly on areas like analy­sis, tech­nol­o­gy, and math­e­mat­ics. A BS in finance pro­gram, as the “sci­ence” part sug­gests, will be more tech­ni­cal. A BBA (Bach­e­lor of Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion) puts more empha­sis on man­age­ment, lead­er­ship, and the­o­ry, on the oth­er hand. These key dif­fer­ences in school­ing lead to key dif­fer­ences in the career path.

BBA in finance jobs will sway more in the direc­tion of lead­er­ship and man­age­ment, then, and a BBA in finance salary will look some­what dif­fer­ent because of it. A BS in finance may expect roles like Ana­lyst, while a BBA in finance will expect roles like Finan­cial Man­ag­er. A BBA in finance may make slight­ly more at some firms, but the greater tech­ni­cal exper­tise of the BS in finance may make it more valu­able in oth­er set­tings. There­fore, it’s a mat­ter of pref­er­ence which is a bet­ter choice.

Relat­ed Rank­ings:
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