Bachelor of Science Degree
Finance
Oakland University’s finance degree helps you stand out where it matters most—the job market.
Jobs in finance focus on the bottom line—and Oakland University's finance degree takes the same approach. We emphasize results-oriented preparation that can jump-start your finance career. Our finance degree equips you with the kind of hands-on financial experience and marketable skills that drive hiring decisions. You’ll learn to analyze the value of financial assets, identify good investment opportunities, and participate directly in financial markets. The results say it all: 95 percent of our recent business graduates (and 100 percent of finance majors) went directly into jobs or advanced-degree programs upon graduation.
Jobs in finance focus on the bottom line—and Oakland University's finance degree takes the same approach. We emphasize results-oriented preparation that can jump-start your finance career. Our finance degree equips you with the kind of hands-on financial experience and marketable skills that drive hiring decisions. You’ll learn to analyze the value of financial assets, identify good investment opportunities, and participate directly in financial markets. The results say it all: 95 percent of our recent business graduates (and 100 percent of finance majors) went directly into jobs or advanced-degree programs upon graduation.
Finance: The Oakland University Advantage
Any finance degree will teach you to crunch numbers and analyze data. At Oakland University, you’ll gain the ability to see beyond the numbers and translate quantitative information into qualitative analysis.
By earning your finance degree from Oakland University, you’ll stand out in the job market for your:
- Hands-on financial experience. Undergraduate finance majors can display apply investing strategies via our Student Managed Investment Fund, one of the largest of its kind in Michigan (with more than $2 million in assets). You and you fellow finance majors will actively manage a portfolio and select stocks using industry-standard Bloomberg terminals and financial management software.
- Industry-oriented education. Faculty in our finance program combine academic distinction with extensive financial industry experience. They teach from direct professional experience in a broad array of industries, including the finance sector, corporations, nonprofits and government agencies. We designed our finance degree in partnership with leaders from Comerica, Merrill Lynch and other financial services firms, and financial professionals routinely visit campus to speak in classrooms, provide career advice, mentor students individually, and recruit interns and new employees..
- Broad business foundation. You’ll get an interdisciplinary finance degree that provides a big-picture understanding of business. Finance courses connect the dots between finance and accounting, logistics, law, marketing and other core business functions. You’ll gain a holistic perspective that makes you a strong team player and an excellent candidate to advance into leadership roles.
- Professional polish. Our finance degree includes a robust internship program, providing you with a wealth of opportunities to gain meaningful workplace experience. Southeast Michigan’s diversified regional economy provides an exceptionally broad range of potential internships. Most finance majors complete at least one internship.
- Academic credentials. Oakland University’s School of Business Administration enjoys an outstanding national reputation, with “best-of” rankings from US News & World Report, Princeton Review, CEO Magazine, Payscale.com and other outlets. We’ve also earned elite recognition from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), holding a dual business-accounting accreditation that’s shared by fewer than 1 percent of the world’s business schools.
What can you do with a finance degree?
Finance Careers
Employers go out of their way to hire finance degree graduates from Oakland University. Corporate recruiters are on campus constantly, actively seeking our finance majors because of our previous graduates’ strong record of professional performance. The finance degree includes a required course sequence (ACHIEVE) to help you develop strong interview techniques, a solid resume, business etiquette, networking strategies and other career-building skills.
You’ll be well prepared for finance jobs with large and small organizations in all three sectors (private, public and nonprofit). You might begin your finance career as a(n):
- Investment analyst
- Loan officer
- Risk management specialist
- Government budget analyst
- Fund or portfolio manager
- Personal finance adviser
- Entrepreneur
- Independent consultant
Finance Degree: What You’ll Study
Our finance degree includes core courses in financial investing, analysis and management, with a wide range of electives that let you tailor the finance degree to fit your interests and goals. You can also choose an optional specialization in wealth management. Depending on the type of finance career you’re interested in, your studies may include:
- Financial reporting
- Investment analysis
- Real estate
- Financial modeling
- Managerial finance
- Taxation
- Capital markets
- Retirement planning
- Estate planning