What Can You Do With a Finance Degree? Jobs & Salaries (2026)

Key takeaway: A finance degree leads into four main occupations: personal financial advisor, financial and investment analyst, loan officer, and financial manager. Median annual wages run from $76,690 for loan officers to $166,570 for financial managers according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. A bachelor's degree is the standard entry credential; financial manager is an experience-earned title rather than an entry-level job, and advisors and loan officers who sell securities or originate mortgages must register or hold a license issued outside the university.

Finance is the study of how money moves through people, companies, and markets, and finance programs split their attention across three of those: corporate finance and capital budgeting, investments and valuation, and financial institutions and markets. Most curricula add accounting, statistics, financial modeling, and increasingly, spreadsheet and database work that mirrors what analysts actually do. That grounding produces graduates who go in genuinely different directions: some sit with individual clients, some sit with a model and a market, some sit inside a company deciding what it can afford. Here is what each of those paths involves.

Jobs you can get with a finance degree

Wage source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians. A median means half of workers in the occupation earned more and half earned less; individual pay varies by employer, industry, location, and experience, and several of these roles carry commission or bonus components that widen the spread considerably.

Financial manager. Financial managers run an organization’s financial operations: producing financial statements and management reports, building budgets and forecasts, overseeing cash and liquidity, evaluating capital investments, managing banking and debt relationships, and advising executives on the financial consequences of decisions. Titles include controller, treasurer, finance director, and cash manager. This is a leadership occupation reached after years of analyst, accounting, or banking experience, which is part of why its median wage stands well above the other three.

Personal financial advisor. Advisors work directly with individuals and families on retirement planning, investment allocation, insurance needs, tax-aware saving strategies, and estate considerations. The job is roughly half technical analysis and half relationship work: understanding what a client actually wants, explaining trade-offs in plain language, and keeping people steady when markets move. Advisors who recommend or sell securities must hold the appropriate securities registrations, and many pursue a professional planning designation to establish credibility. Building a client base is the hard part of the early years and is the main reason advisor income varies so widely.

Financial and investment analyst. Analysts evaluate the financial performance of companies, securities, industries, or projects and turn that work into a recommendation. The daily rhythm is gathering data from filings and market sources, maintaining valuation and forecasting models, tracking a set of companies or portfolios, and writing the memo or deck that explains what the numbers mean and what should be done. Employers include asset managers, banks, insurers, corporate finance and treasury groups, and consulting firms. Strong spreadsheet modeling and, increasingly, comfort with data tools are the practical hiring filters.

Loan officer. Loan officers evaluate and recommend approval of loan applications for individuals and businesses. The work involves interviewing applicants, verifying income, assets, and credit history, analyzing repayment capacity and collateral, checking the file against the lender’s underwriting standards and applicable regulations, and shepherding the application through closing. Commercial loan officers do more financial-statement analysis; consumer and mortgage officers do more origination and client contact. Mortgage loan originators must be licensed or registered under federal requirements, with details varying by state and employer type.

What the degree level changes

Bachelor’s level. A bachelor’s in finance is the standard entry credential for analyst, advisor, and loan officer roles. Employers weigh internships, modeling ability, and quantitative coursework heavily alongside the degree itself, and in competitive segments like investment banking and asset management, internships often function as the real hiring pipeline. The bachelor’s is also the foundation for the professional exams that carry weight in this field.

Master’s level. A master’s in finance or an MBA with a finance concentration is not required to enter the field, but it is common among people moving into financial management, portfolio management, and corporate development, and it is a standard route for career changers who need the technical grounding quickly. Doctoral study points toward research and academia rather than practice.

What licensure and credentials actually require. Be precise here, because it is a common source of confusion: the university degree does not license you to do anything. Advisors who transact in securities must pass the applicable securities examinations and register through a firm; investment advisers face their own registration requirements at the state or federal level. Mortgage loan originators must complete federally mandated licensing or registration. Professional designations in financial planning and investment analysis are administered by independent organizations, carry their own exams and experience requirements, and are earned after graduation. Verify the current requirements for your intended role and state before you plan around them.

Common questions

What jobs can you get with a finance degree?

The occupations most directly tied to the degree are personal financial advisor, financial and investment analyst, loan officer, and financial manager. Graduates also move into adjacent work such as corporate treasury, credit analysis, risk, and financial operations, all of which draw on the same modeling and analysis coursework.

How much do finance majors make?

Using Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national medians: financial managers had a median annual wage of $166,570, personal financial advisors $105,070, financial and investment analysts $102,740, and loan officers $76,690. Financial manager is a senior title reached with experience, so it is not a realistic starting salary for a new graduate.

Do you need a master’s in finance?

No. A bachelor’s degree is the entry credential across these roles. Graduate study becomes more common on the way into financial management and portfolio management, and it is a practical option for career changers, but experience and professional credentials often move a finance career further than a second degree.

Is finance the same as accounting?

No. Accounting is primarily about recording, reporting, and auditing financial activity that has already happened; finance is primarily about deciding what to do next with money, whether that is investing, lending, or allocating capital. The two share foundational coursework, and many finance roles require reading financial statements fluently. Compare the accounting program hub if you are weighing them.

What license do you need to work in finance?

It depends entirely on the role. Analysts and corporate finance staff generally need none. Advisors selling securities need the relevant securities registrations, investment advisers need state or federal registration, and mortgage loan originators need federal licensing or registration. Confirm requirements with the regulator covering your intended role.

Is a finance degree worth it?

The degree maps to a well-defined set of occupations with median wages above the national average for all workers, which is a stronger link between major and job than most business degrees offer. Weigh that against your program’s cost and your interest in quantitative work on the is a finance degree worth it page.

Keep exploring

• Start at the finance program hub, then compare levels: bachelor’s and master’s.
• Check accelerated options, affordable programs, and the online format guide.
• Find schools near you through finance programs by state.
• Compare adjacent fields: accounting, economics, and business administration.

Data verified: August 12, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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