Finance Major Guide: Overview and RoEDU™ Opportunities 2025

The Finance major builds core foundations in this discipline and prepares students with practical, career-relevant skills. Use RoEDU™ to find programs that match your goals.

Within Business, students often explore key subfields and specializations that provide targeted expertise.

Graduates translate classroom knowledge into real-world impact across sectors through hands-on projects and internships.

As part of Business, this major connects to diverse, high-demand fields and interdisciplinary pathways.

Salary Outlook

Entry-level salary
$101,094

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$159,837

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$214,808

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR 4.2%

CAGR (compound annual growth rate) summarizes average yearly change across the observed period.

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$4,043,760

Employment-weighted across mapped SOCs; entry ≈ 85% of median; historical CAGR shown for last 5y; projections capped at 3% CAGR; lifetime is 40-year present value at 3% discount.

Career Opportunities & Salaries

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) • Median wages, employment, and growth projections

OccupationMedian WageTotal JobsGrowth RateEducation
Chief Executives
SOC: 11-1011
Occupation: Chief Executives
$206,420
211,850
N/A
N/A
General and Operations Managers
SOC: 11-1021
Occupation: General and Operations Managers
$102,950
3,584,420
N/A
N/A
Financial Managers
SOC: 11-3031
Occupation: Financial Managers
$161,700
818,620
N/A
N/A
Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
SOC: 13-1141
Occupation: Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
$77,020
102,370
N/A
N/A
Budget Analysts
SOC: 13-2031
Occupation: Budget Analysts
$87,930
47,170
N/A
N/A
Credit Analysts
SOC: 13-2041
Occupation: Credit Analysts
$80,970
67,370
N/A
N/A

Historical Career Trends (2020-2024)

Historical data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020-2024) • Salary trends and employment growth over 5 years

Financial Managers

20.5%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$161,700818,620
2023$156,100787,340
2022$139,790740,780
2021$131,710681,070
2020$134,180653,080

Credit Analysts

8.0%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$80,97067,370
2023$79,42073,200
2022$78,85071,960
2021$77,44068,770
2020$74,97072,090

Financial and Investment Analysts

10.7%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$101,350340,580
2023$99,010325,220
2022$95,080291,370
2021$91,580291,880

Personal Financial Advisors

14.3%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$102,140270,480
2023$99,580272,190
2022$95,390283,060
2021$94,170263,030
2020$89,330218,050

Financial Risk Specialists

6.0%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$106,00056,320
2023$106,09055,290
2022$102,12055,800
2021$100,00054,320

Credit Counselors

9.3%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$50,48028,110
2023$48,57027,950
2022$47,32029,090
2021$47,58031,230
2020$46,17030,770

Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents

20.6%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$78,140472,300
2023$76,900479,630
2022$67,480443,220
2021$62,910426,870
2020$64,770440,300

Colleges offering Finance

George Washington University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$46k

Earnings

$78k

Georgetown University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$38k

Earnings

$89k

National University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$29k

Earnings

$67k

University of Southern California

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$42k

Earnings

$78k

Yale University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$27k

Earnings

$86k