Investing, banking and advising — these are just a few of the things you can do with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a finance major. With ample career opportunities and amazing growth potential, there’s no better time to jump in as a new professional!
Finance is certainly a math-heavy industry. But at its core, finance is about people – after all, it drives decisions and behavior more than almost anything else! That’s why the finance major program at Ohio University includes project-based learning opportunities, so you deal with both the intellectual and personal sides of the industry throughout your experience.
Our finance curriculum gives you a strong foundation in all areas of finance paired with the flexibility to tailor your degree to your future career plans. Our degree is a University Affiliation Program of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute, covering more than 70 percent of their body of knowledge. See how the department can support you on your CFA journey.
All students in the finance major gain a broad understanding of corporate finance, investments and financial markets and institutions before completing a track of specialized classes in investments, corporate finance or financial planning.
It’s a stellar way to prepare yourself for a career in financial advising. You’ll learn how to help people make smart financial decisions and gain skills you can apply to both your personal and professional life!
It’s the ideal track for future investment managers and traders. If you’ve always wanted to know how to build and maintain a profitable investment portfolio, this is the track for you.
Choose this track if you want to analyze the funds, investments and other monetary resources for companies. It could be perfect if you want to work for major companies and firms, like Dell, Cardinal Health, Goodyear and Sherwin-Williams, in the future.
One of the major benefits of pursuing OHIO's Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a finance major is getting to live and learn on our spacious green campus in Athens. It’s more than a fully-equipped academy — it’s a place where students can get together, form lifelong bonds and support each other throughout their journeys.
Get a start on your degree or complete a semester closer to home at one of OHIO’s regional campuses.
OHIO’s finance program expands your professional opportunities like few other programs and majors. Want to work in banking? You can do it. Want to become a trader on Wall Street? You can do that, too. Want to help a mom-and-pop shop grow their small business into a booming enterprise? Go for it!
Our graduates take their education and experiences into a wide range of different finance jobs and sectors. Here are just a few of the titles you could see on your business card in the near future:
With a 91% job placement and internship rate for our grads, finance majors work for many of the best firms in America and beyond. Odds are you’ll recognize a few of the names of OHIO grads’ recent employers:
Of course, plenty of students also continue their education at Ohio University, proceeding into one of our many graduate programs. Whatever path you choose, Ohio University's finance major is a great place to start!
As a finance major, you’ll have plenty of project opportunities outside Ohio — and the U.S.! Many finance students join the Global Consulting Program (GCP) to study abroad, partnering with students from foreign countries to tackle exciting, complex projects for real-world companies. Students have visited Italy, Germany, Spain, France and Greece, just to name a few countries.
Finance majors looking to bolster their resumes can join the Derivatives Management Group, which uses a synthetic portfolio to teach students how to trade derivatives. It's one of the few student organizations of its kind in the country!
As a finance student, you can get work experience in the Student Fixed Income Management Group (OUSFIMG), a selective organization that actively manages a portfolio of over $3 million of fixed-income securities for the Ohio University Endowment Fund! Join this group to make investment choices that matter and get real-world experience managing, analyzing and understanding finance like never before. The group meets twice per semester to trade bonds and is overseen by an advisor.
Cut your teeth on real-world finance problems with the Student Equity Management Group (OUSEMG), which also oversees millions of dollars for OHIO. The OUSEMG members trade stocks instead of bonds but get much of the same experiential learning as the OUSFIMG.
Broaden your social and professional horizons by joining finance-related student organizations, like the Association of Women in Finance, which is a perfect organization for up-and-coming female financial advisors, investors, and more. Also, the Financial Management Association, a group where you can find a mentor, listen to guest speakers, and build your professional network from the ground up.
Take your finance education to the next level with the Applied Finance Center, where you can gain hands-on experience through workshops, networking trips, and mentorship programs. Engage with industry professionals and alumni, attend monthly speaker events, and participate in the Professional Engagement Series, which includes panels and summits like the Women in Finance Summit. The Center also provides resources for key certifications like the Bloomberg Markets Concepts and SIE exam, ensuring you graduate with the skills and connections needed for a successful finance career.
At Ohio University, we believe in giving each student the tools and personal experience needed to thrive in their professional future. Each student in pursuit of a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in finance completes an internship and project during their course of study.
Finance is a fascinating topic for many students — so they study it at OHIO to learn the complex mechanics that govern many aspects of the modern world. Become a finance major, and you’ll gain tools that will benefit you personally and professionally. Sooner than you think, your friends might come to you for budget advice!
Finance is also a stellar degree in terms of career prospects. Every organization, no matter its size, needs skilled financial experts on their staff, and the right degree qualifies you for high-paying positions anywhere in the country. Ohio University’s finance program pairs rigorous classroom instruction with experiential learning, so you’re already familiar with industry-related tasks and technologies on your first day of work.
Right from the beginning, all students have help drafting and sticking to a graduation plan, plus access to a dedicated success advisor. Whether you need an answer to a specific question or general guidance regarding your time at Ohio University, our finance faculty and advisors can assist.
The Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a finance major blends informative classroom education with hands-on experiences using the tools and technologies commonly found in the finance industry.
Be prepared to become an Excel wizard in this program! But you’ll also get access to Bloomberg and FactSet datasets for your own financial analyses, projects and more. Students with minds for trading will enjoy the trading floor computer lab — if you’ve ever wanted to get your hands on investment trading terminals used by the pros, this is it!
As a result of this hands-on experience, our graduates emerge from the program confident, capable and ready to bring real value to their future employers.