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What Can You Do With a Master’s in Finance?

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Recently, we discussed what finance entails and why you might want to study it, then we explained how to launch a career in the industry, and here we’ll explore what you can do with a Master’s Degree in Finance.

This article will review a range of topics, including which specific jobs you can get with a Master’s in Finance, what you’ll learn from your master’s program, and whether or not you should consider getting your master’s degree online.

If you’re still considering going back to school, but haven’t yet made up your mind, then this article may just be the perfect place to begin since we’ll outline several of the most exciting career paths you can pursue after completing an M.S. in Finance.

When you’ve finished reading this post, fill out our information request form to receive additional details about CSU Global’s 100% online Master’s Degree in Finance, or if you’re ready to get started, submit your application today.

Why Consider a Masters in Finance?

The first reason to consider completing a Master’s in Finance is simple: It will prepare you with the skills and abilities needed to pursue an excellent career in financial services by qualifying you to work in some of the top-rated industry jobs.

The material you’ll study during your master’s program will develop your leadership skills and your operational skills, ensuring that you’re fully prepared for a role in management or leadership.

While a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance may be sufficient to get your foot in the door with an entry-level industry role, earning a master’s degree will allow you to pursue much more advanced, interesting, and lucrative positions.

If your goal is to serve as an expert in financial services, providing high-quality leadership to help drive growth for clients and organizations, then you should certainly consider earning an M.S. in Finance from CSU Global.

Is Finance a Good Career?

Yes, finance is an excellent field of study because getting your degree in this space can lead to excellent career opportunities, including a wide variety of great roles in the field of financial services.

There are three core reasons to consider launching a career in finance: 

  1. Demand for financial professionals, especially financial managers, is projected to grow incredibly quickly over the next decade, with the BLS projecting that the employment of financial managers will grow 15% between 2019 and 2029.
  2. Finance is an excellent career option for anyone who wants to play an important role in driving organizational success since financial managers are asked to handle important decisions that help determine success and growth.
  3. The best jobs in finance offer excellent salaries, which makes this a great field for anyone looking to launch a lucrative lifelong career.

What Jobs Can You Get With a Master’s Degree in Finance?

Once you’ve completed a Finance Master’s Degree, you’ll be able to pursue a variety of management-level roles in financial services, with options for advancement into senior positions like: 

Financial Examiner / 2020 Median Pay: $81,430

Financial examiners are responsible for ensuring that an organization fully complies with all the laws that govern the way they handle monetary transactions.

Obviously, this is a critical role at any organization, but especially for businesses that operate in heavily regulated industries where there are extensive legal restrictions on the way that the business operates.

BLS projects that the employment of financial examiners will grow 7% by 2029, with the growth being driven by organizations needing more help with increasingly complex laws governing federal regulatory compliance.

Financial Analyst / 2020 Median Pay: $83,660

Financial analysts provide financial advice and guidance to organizations and individuals, including businesses, individual clients, or anyone else who pays them for assistance with financial and investment decisions.

This isn’t the easiest job, as it can come with a lot of stress, but solid financial analysts who do a good job steering the organizations and individuals that they represent tenet o be well paid, and in high demand.

BLS expects that the employment of financial analysts will grow 5% by 2029, a rate that’s still slightly higher than the average rate of growth for all occupations.

Personal Financial Advisor / 2020 Median Pay: $89,330

Personal financial advisors play a similar role as financial managers and financial analysts, except the big difference is that they work exclusively with individuals rather than organizations.

Per the BLS, this role is all about helping individual clients manage their finances, grow their revenue streams, and plan for their financial futures.

This is another role that the BLS projects will grow over the next decade too, with the current expectation being that employment for personal financial advisors should lift by 4% by 2029.

Expectations for growth here are said to be driven by an aging population with longer life expectancies who need more help with long-term financial planning services.

Financial Manager / 2020 Median Pay: $134,180

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Financial managers are tasked with handling critical financial services, like building important reports, directing organizational or client investment activities, and developing plans to protect and improve long-term interests and objectives.

As we mentioned earlier, the BLS projects that the employment of financial managers will grow around 15% by 2029, a rate that is much faster than the 4% average for all occupations.

When demand for any particular position is growing this quickly, that makes it an excellent target for developing a long-term or even lifelong career.

Remember that this is only a shortlist of the potential roles you could pursue after completing a Master’s program in Finance and that the full list of potential jobs would include virtually any position that requires a sophisticated knowledge of financial principles and theory.

Do You Need a Master’s Degree to Get a Job in Finance?

While you could get an entry-level position in finance without a master’s degree, earning your Master’s in Finance will make it far more likely that you can land a senior-level or leadership-oriented role in the field.

Completing a master’s program will signal to potential employers that you’ve put in the time and effort required to develop your skills and abilities so that you can drive better performance via sophisticated financial strategies, increasing the chances that they’ll be willing to offer you employment.

Earning your master’s degree will also provide you with the confidence needed to handle critical leadership-type tasks, like developing and nurturing business relationships, implementing new cash management strategies, and managing organizational or individual financial risk, all of which are valuable services provided by financial professionals.

If your career goals include securing a management or leadership role in financial services, then you’ll certainly want to consider earning a Master’s Degree in Finance.

What Would You Learn in a Finance Master’s Program?

If you chose to study finance at CSU Global, you’d be trained in cutting-edge financial management strategies, allowing you to serve as an expert in the financial services industry.

As part of our Finance Master’s program, you’ll study critical financial skills, including developing new expertise in critical financial services, like:

  • Capital market analysis.
  • Investment.
  • Financial management.
  • Quantitative skills.
  • Applied research.

Our program will also include training on leveraging the latest technology and emerging business trends so that you can create expert-level financial strategies, analyze financial risks and investments, and make more effective financial decisions.

We’ll provide you with a whole series of important skills required to operate as a professional in the financial services field, including developing your ability to:

  • Implement cash-management strategies.
  • Calculate debt-repayment schedules.
  • Manage financial risk.
  • Develop and maintain successful business relationships with client organizations and individuals.
  • Assess clients and organizations’ financial status, and create plans designed to optimize their future finances.
  • Interview people to gather critical financial performance data so you can help better understand your clients’ financial situation, needs, and objectives.

By the time you graduate from our program, you’ll have developed knowledge and competencies across all of these areas so that you can start delivering value to any organization from your first day on the job.

Completing our accredited Master’s program in Finance will not only prepare you to provide effective financial leadership but also improve your marketability for management-level positions in the field.

Is a Master’s Degree in Finance Really Worth It?

Yes. Completing a Master’s Program in Finance really is worth it, as getting your degree could play a significant role in contributing to your career advancement.

Earning your Master’s in Finance will prove that you’re committed to this field and prepared to help lead their team of financial professionals to drive organizational success.

Whether you want to work as an independent financial consultant or for a national or international financial services organization, completing a master’s in the field will ensure you remain on the cutting edge of financial management, financial analysis, and financial advising.

No matter where your career takes you within the broad field of financial services, earning a Master’s in Finance can help set you on the path to success.

Should I Get My Master’s Degree in Finance Online?

Yes, you should consider getting your Master’s of Science Degree in Finance online, as online programs offer far more flexibility than traditional in-person programs.

In fact, studying online is the most convenient way to earn your degree since dedicated online programs like ours are designed to provide as much flexibility and freedom as possible.

To help you juggle your existing work and family responsibilities with your new educational pursuits, CSU Global’s online Master’s in Finance program offers:

  • No set times or locations for classes.
  • Monthly class starts.
  • Accelerated, eight-week courses.

If you’ve already got a busy schedule and existing work and family responsibilities, then you’ll certainly want to consider studying online with us.

Why Should You Choose CSU Global for Your Master’s in Finance?

We’re the first independent, fully accredited, 100% online state university, and our online Master’s in Finance program is was designed to provide real-world skills that will help advance your career.

Our online M.S. in Finance is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.

The program is also widely recognized as one of the best in the country, having won several top rankings, including:

  • A #3 ranking on the list of Top 50 Master’s in Finance Degrees by Intelligent.
  • A #1 ranking for Best Online Master’s in Finance by Best Masters Programs.
  • A #2 ranking for Best Online Master’s in Finance Degree Programs by Intelligent.

Our M.S. in Finance alumni also report excellent results from the real-world after graduating, with graduates reporting a median salary that is 6% higher than the national average for all master’s degree holders one year after graduation.

CSU Global itself has also recently won several important awards, including:

  • A #3 ranking for Best Value Online Graduate School from Value Colleges.
  • A #3 ranking for Best Colleges in Colorado from Best Value Schools.
  • A Gold School of Distinction award from Best Colleges, making us one of only 15 schools to receive gold rankings, out of more than 2,000 online degree programs.

Finally, CSU Global offers competitive tuition rates, a Tuition Guarantee to ensure your rate won’t increase, ensuring that you’ll know exactly how much your degree is going to cost from the get-go.

To get additional details about our fully accredited, 100% online, and top-ranked Finance Master’s Program, please give us a call at (800) 462-7845, or fill out our Information Request Form.

Ready to get started today? Apply now!