College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• University of Pennsylvania
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• New York University
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Cornell University

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
• Indiana University—Bloomington
• University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill
• University of Texas—Austin
• University of California—Berkeley

Classes in the Major

Corporate Finance. Before you check out at the term "corporate," give us a chance to explain ourselves. In light of the somewhat negative connotation associated with corporations nowadays, let's define it: A corporation is a company or group of people who are supposed to legally act as one single person. Sounds basic enough, but corporate finance involves a lot of legal do's and don'ts. For example, it's okay for a corporation to loan and borrow money like how one person can, but a single person within the corporation has limited liability in terms of what the big, giant corporation does.

Investment Management. Who knew that when someone talks about managing a portfolio, they're probably not talking about adding plastic little dividers to a binder? An investment management class can teach you all this and more, like which hedge funds or stocks to buy, or what it means to take "safe" risks when trading investments. (Hmm. 'Safe risk'? Sounds like an oxymoron.) Plus, behavioral finance and ethical trading are on the top of the list of the topics discussed in these courses.

Economics. It's pretty simple. If you're going to advise someone on what to buy, where to invest, and how much to save, you need to know what's going on. An economics course teaches the very basics of budgeting, and what the heck stocks and bonds are. If you don't know about what led up to the 2008 stock market crash, or what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are (Hint: They're not a brand of pie.), then an economics class will walk you through it and make you a more knowledgeable finance major.

Statistics. Statistics are actually an integral (ba-dum-tsh) part of finance. Why? Statistics are simply the easiest way of making sense of all the data that ends up getting collected and analyzed when calculating investment options. You know, hedge fund vs. real estate vs. stock market. Statistics is what will help you figure that out. As a finance major, you'll get to learn all about different forms of statistical analysis and probabilities.

Tax Research. It turns out there's more to taxes than being inevitable, like death. (Someone should let Ben Franklin know.) In these courses, you'll learn all about the legislative process and tax policy. A big part of advising companies and clients on financial decisions takes place during tax season. Not only will these courses gear you up for the big day in April, they will also teach you about the professional responsibilities of a CFO or comptroller—it's definitely not as easy as filling out a 1040EZ form online.