Finance is one of the few majors where the numbers back up the pitch. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that financial analysts earned a median of $103,570 in 2025, roughly double the $50,980 median for all U.S. occupations.
That is the headline. The fuller picture is more useful. A finance degree opens doors to analysis, advising, lending, risk, and management, and each door pays and grows differently.
This guide maps the education routes into finance, from bootcamps to master's degrees. It then breaks down the best jobs at each level, using BLS data from May 2025 and projections through 2035.
What Is a Finance Major?
A finance major studies how money moves through businesses, markets, and households. Coursework typically covers corporate finance, investments, financial markets, accounting, economics, and statistics.
You learn to value assets, assess risk, and build financial models. You also learn to explain what the numbers mean to people who do not read spreadsheets for a living.
Finance professionals tend to be detail-oriented and comfortable with math. They also write and present well, because an analysis nobody understands changes nothing.
How to Become a Financial Analyst: Finance Education Options
There is no single entry point into finance. The BLS says financial analysts typically need a bachelor's degree in finance or a related field such as business. Some employers prefer candidates with a master's degree.
Shorter routes exist, and each suits a different goal. Internships matter at every level, because the BLS notes they help candidates gain practical experience.
One point on licensing: the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) licenses much of the securities industry. According to the BLS, most of those licenses require employer sponsorship, so companies do not expect you to hold them before you start.
Finance Bootcamp
Bootcamps teach tools, not theory. A finance-focused program typically covers Excel, financial modeling, SQL, and Python for data analysis, usually in a matter of weeks or months.
A bootcamp does not replace a degree for most analyst roles. It does suit career changers who already hold a degree and want to add technical skills, or finance majors who want to stand out in a data-heavy job market.
Best Finance Bootcamps
Noble Desktop FinTech Bootcamp
Noble Desktop Python for Finance Bootcamp
General Assembly Data Analytics Bootcamp
Springboard Data Analytics Bootcamp
Finance Associate Degree
An associate degree takes about two years and covers roughly 60 credits. It is the lowest-cost classroom route into finance, and it prepares you for roles in banking, lending, and insurance.
Many credits transfer toward a bachelor's degree, which makes an associate degree a practical first step if you plan to keep studying.
Best Associate Degree Programs in Finance
Associate of Applied Science in Banking and Finance, Houston Community College
Finance Associate of Science, Saint Paul College
Finance Associate of Science, Nashville State Community College
Associate Degree in Financial Management, Franklin University
Finance Bachelor's Degree
The bachelor's degree is the standard credential for professional finance work. It is also what the BLS lists as the typical entry-level education for financial analysts, personal financial advisors, and budget analysts.
Programs run four years. The strongest ones pair classroom work with internship pipelines into banks, asset managers, and corporate finance teams.
Best Bachelor's Degree Programs in Finance
Bachelor of Science in Economics, Finance Concentration, University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
Bachelor of Science in Business, Finance Major, New York University (Stern)
Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, University of Texas at Austin (McCombs)
Bachelor of Science in Finance, Indiana University Bloomington (Kelley)
Bachelor of Science in Finance, Arizona State University Online (W. P. Carey)
Finance Master's Degree
A master's degree usually takes one to two years. It deepens your technical skills and, according to the BLS, may improve an analyst's chances of advancing to portfolio or fund manager roles.
It matters most for senior and quantitative positions. You can also use it to change direction if your bachelor's degree was in another field.
Best Master's Degree Programs in Finance
Master of Finance, MIT Sloan School of Management
Master in Finance, Princeton University (Bendheim Center for Finance)
Master of Science in Finance, Vanderbilt University (Owen)
Master of Science in Finance, Johns Hopkins University (Carey)
Master of Science in Finance, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Finance Career Overview: Is a Finance Career Worth It?
Finance Job Outlook
Overall, the outlook is solid, but it varies sharply by role. The BLS projects that employment of financial analysts will grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035, more than double the 3 percent projected for all occupations. About 29,500 openings are expected each year.
Financial managers fare even better. The BLS projects 10 percent growth for the occupation, which held about 879,700 jobs in 2025.
Not every finance job is growing. Personal financial advisors and loan officers are each projected to grow 1 percent, and bank tellers are projected to decline 13 percent as banking moves online. Choose your lane with that in mind.
Finance Salaries
Finance pays above the national norm at almost every level. The BLS reports a May 2025 median of $102,740 for financial and investment analysts and $117,330 for financial risk specialists.
Personal financial advisors earned a median of $105,070, and financial managers earned $166,570. For comparison, the median for all financial specialists was $84,680.
Those are medians, so half of workers earn more. Commission-based roles such as advising and lending have a much wider spread, which the tables below show.
Best Jobs for Finance Majors: What Can You Do with a Finance Degree?
Finance graduates work in banks, investment firms, insurance companies, corporate finance departments, and government agencies. The tables below organize the best jobs by education level, with the BLS median and 10-year outlook for each role.
The "Top 10% Salary" column shows the wage that the highest-paid 10 percent of workers in that occupation exceed. It reflects what senior or high-performing professionals can earn, not what you should expect on day one.
Best Finance Jobs for Coding Bootcamp Grads
Job Title
Recommended Bootcamp
Top 10% Salary
FinTech Software Developer
Noble Desktop FinTech Bootcamp
$214,670
Quantitative Analyst*
Noble Desktop Python for Finance Bootcamp
$180,860
Financial Systems Analyst
Springboard Data Analytics Bootcamp
$167,710
*Based on BLS data for financial and investment analysts.
FinTech Software Developer
Average Salary: $135,980 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: 10% (2025–35)
FinTech developers build the payment systems, trading platforms, and banking apps that finance runs on. Most employers expect a bachelor's degree, so a bootcamp works best as an add-on to a finance or technical degree. The BLS projects 10 percent growth for software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers.
Quantitative Analyst
Average Salary: $102,740 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: 7% (2025–35)
Quantitative analysts use mathematical and statistical models to price securities, forecast returns, and measure risk. Python and SQL are the working tools. A bootcamp can sharpen those skills, although competitive quant roles often favor candidates with a master's degree.
Financial Systems Analyst
Average Salary: $105,850 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: 8% (2025–35)
Financial systems analysts connect finance teams with the software they rely on, such as accounting platforms and reporting tools. The role maps to the BLS category for computer systems analysts. Data analytics training plus finance knowledge makes you unusually useful here.
Best Jobs for Finance Associate Degree Majors
Job Title
Recommended School
Top 10% Salary
Loan Officer
Houston Community College
$153,180
Insurance Sales Agent
Saint Paul College
$138,140
Bank Teller
Nashville State Community College
$49,680
Loan Officer
Average Salary: $76,690 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: 1% (2025–35)
Loan officers evaluate applications and guide borrowers through the process. Pay often includes commission, which explains the wide gap between the median and the top 10 percent. The BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical, so an associate degree is best treated as a stepping stone, and mortgage loan officers must be licensed.
Insurance Sales Agent
Average Salary: $62,280 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: 3% (2025–35)
Insurance sales agents sell property, life, health, and other policies. The BLS lists a high school diploma as typical entry education, so a finance associate degree gives you an edge. Earnings depend heavily on commissions and the book of clients you build.
Bank Teller
Average Salary: $43,030 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: -13% (2025–35)
Tellers handle deposits, withdrawals, and everyday customer service. Employment is projected to fall, yet the BLS still expects about 26,800 openings a year from turnover. Experienced tellers often move into loan officer or sales roles, which makes this a starting point rather than a destination.
Best Jobs for Finance Bachelor's Degree Majors
Job Title
Recommended School
Top 10% Salary
Personal Financial Advisor
University of Texas at Austin (McCombs)
$357,020
Financial Analyst
University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
$180,860
Budget Analyst
Indiana University Bloomington (Kelley)
$136,660
Personal Financial Advisor
Average Salary: $105,070 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: 1% (2025–35)
Personal financial advisors help individuals plan for retirement, investments, taxes, and insurance. The top 10 percent earn more than $357,020, largely through client fees tied to assets under management. Growth is slow, so building a client base is the real work.
Financial Analyst
Average Salary: $102,740 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: 7% (2025–35)
Financial analysts research investments, evaluate financial statements, and recommend decisions to businesses and investors. It is the most direct destination for a finance major. Securities and investment firms pay the most, with a median of $124,370 in that industry.
Budget Analyst
Average Salary: $91,640 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: 2% (2025–35)
Budget analysts help public and private organizations plan their finances and track spending. Government is a major employer, and the federal government pays a median of $103,380. Courses in accounting, economics, and statistics help.
Best Jobs for Finance Master's Degree Majors
Job Title
Recommended School
Top 10% Salary
Financial Manager
MIT Sloan School of Management
$323,270
Portfolio Manager*
Vanderbilt University (Owen)
$323,270
Financial Risk Manager**
Johns Hopkins University (Carey)
$196,110
*Based on BLS data for financial managers. **Based on BLS data for financial risk specialists.
Financial Manager
Average Salary: $166,570 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: 10% (2025–35)
Financial managers create financial reports, direct investment activities, and plan long-term financial goals for their organizations. The BLS notes that this occupation typically requires five or more years of related experience, so a master's degree speeds the climb but does not replace it.
Portfolio Manager
Average Salary: $166,570 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: 10% (2025–35)
Portfolio and fund managers select the mix of investments and assets for an investment fund. According to the BLS, financial analysts often advance into these roles, and a master's degree in finance or business administration may improve the odds.
Financial Risk Manager
Average Salary: $117,330 (BLS median, May 2025)
Job Outlook: 7% (2025–35)
Financial risk specialists measure exposure to credit and market risk, then design policies that keep organizations within regulatory limits. Credit intermediation employs about 35 percent of them. The securities industry pays the most, with a median of $133,070.
Three Final Tips to Get a Job in Finance
Pick a lane early. The BLS data shows how differently finance careers behave. Analyst and manager roles are growing at 7 to 10 percent, while advising and lending are growing at 1 percent. Match your degree path to the lane you want.
Stack internships before you graduate. The BLS says internships help candidates gain practical experience, and most finance employers hire from their own intern pools. Start looking in your sophomore year.
Learn the tools, not just the theory. Analysts use financial modeling and statistical software every day. Get strong in Excel first, then add SQL and Python. Do not pay for securities licenses before you have an offer, because employers sponsor them.
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