When you choose to earn an Online MBA degree with a concentration in Finance from Northeastern University, you’ll develop an extensive understanding of today’s global financial strategies, practices, and analytics through coursework and rich peer-to-peer interactions.

Tap into an expertly designed curriculum that focuses on business, technology, and critical skills

Participate in courses limited to 20 students to develop a closer connection to faculty and peers

Study at a top-tier business school with experience built into its DNA

Take part in our optional domestic campus residency where you can meet fellow online students on campus

Graduate in as few as two years

Online MBA with a Concentration in Finance

Symbols of the financial industry, including a calculator, a pie chart, a line graph, and stacks of currency.

When you earn an Online Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Finance from Northeastern University, you’ll gain a thorough understanding of today’s key global financial strategies, practices, and analytics through robust coursework and rich peer-to-peer interactions.

With Northeastern, you’ll modernize and elevate your understanding of complex financial practices for application across a wide range of industries. Coursework covers topics such as institutional portfolio performance, takeover tactics and defense strategies, foreign exchange and international capital markets, and bankruptcies.

Three of your five electives must be from the following concentration-specific courses:

What Finance Jobs Are Available?

Graduates equipped with an MBA specializing in finance can pursue a wide range of advanced finance roles, including loan officer, financial analyst, personal financial advisor, actuary, investment banker, financial manager, and chief financial officer (CFO).

Loan Officer

Loan officers are gatekeepers whose work helps people follow their dreams. They evaluate each case to determine the size of loan a client qualifies for. The role is a well-established first step for MBA graduates jumping into the world of finance.

A loan officer’s median annual salary is $63,270. Responsibilities include meeting with prospective clients to determine loan needs, explaining loan types and terms to clients, gathering and analyzing client financial information, and directly approving or assisting in loan approval process.

Loan Officer Job Description

Loan officers determine the loan needs of prospective clients, from individuals looking for home loans to startups seeking seed money. They gather and analyze various forms of their clients’ financial information, and then approve loans for qualified applicants, either directly or as part of a loan approval team. Loan officers must also be able to provide clear, detailed explanations of various loan types and terms.

Loan Officer Salary

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for loan officers was $63,270 as of May 2019; the top 10% earned more than $132,680. The BLS reports that the median annual salary for loan officers can depend on experience, education, and industry; for example, the median annual salary for loan officers in automobile dealerships was $82,380.

Financial Analyst

The financial analyst’s role is strategic, and individuals and businesses alike rely on their expertise in investment performance to help them grow and manage their assets and wealth. The position appears in work environments such as banks, security firms, mutual fund companies, and insurance companies. This wealth of potential employers makes the role ideal for those entering the financial field after earning an MBA.

A financial analyst’s median annual salary is $81,590. Responsibilities include advising individuals and organizations interested in investing, monitoring business and economic trends, analyzing historical and current financial information, and determining corporate value through statement analysis.

Financial Analyst Job Description

Financial analysts assess the performance of investments, such as stocks and bonds, to help clients make sound decisions. They analyze financial data and assess economic trends to anticipate market shifts and maximize investments. Financial analysts also help businesses determine their value by examining financial statements, assessing management teams, and evaluating their potential for growth.

Financial Analyst Salary

According to the BLS, the median annual salary for financial analysts was $81,590 as of May 2019. Salaries can vary by education, experience, job location, and industry. The median annual salary for financial analysts in securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investment activities was $98,690, and $77,450 for those in credit intermediation.

Personal Financial Advisor

Personal financial advisors help individuals and families make crucial financial decisions and play a key role in helping them prepare for major life events, such as buying a first home and planning for college. This can be a good area for MBA graduates to gain the experience for advanced financial roles.

A personal financial advisor’s median annual salary is $87,850. Responsibilities include helping individuals develop personal investment strategies, advising clients on potential investment risks, suggesting investment options that align with clients’ goals, and researching potential investment opportunities.

Personal Financial Advisor Job Description

While personal financial advisors do offer their clients investment strategies, they also offer guidance on efficiently managing mortgages, college savings, retirement, estate planning, and other critical financial events. They work with individuals to set specific financial goals, and then research and suggest investment strategies to help them meet those goals, providing insight to potential risks.

Personal Financial Advisor Salary

According to the BLS, the median annual salary for personal financial advisors was $87,850 as of May 2019. Job titles and salaries can vary by experience, education, job location, and employer. The BLS reports that personal financial advisors who worked in securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investments and related activities earned a median annual salary of $95,540. The BLS also reports that personal financial advisors who worked for insurance carriers earned a median annual salary of $71,280.

Actuary

Actuaries combine financial knowledge with statistical expertise to create risk management strategies. These skills make them an indispensable component of the insurance field, although they also work with government agencies and companies in science and technical services. Certification as an actuary requires passing a series of exams pertaining to a specific field of interest, such as insurance, finance, or medical malpractice. This role is ideal for graduates who want to combine their business knowledge with statistical and mathematical competencies as they transition to financial careers.

An actuary’s median annual salary is $108,350. Responsibilities include performing cost analysis to identify risk, determining policy premiums and costs, estimating costs for adverse life events, and presenting findings to company executives.

Actuary Job Description

Actuaries gather data and perform cost analyses to identify risk. They may assess individual risk metrics, such as illness or death rates, or examine the likelihood and impact of natural disasters. After determining the likelihood of risk, actuaries set premiums and costs for various policies. For business assessments, they also typically present their results to high-level stakeholders, such as company executives, government officials, or company shareholders.

Actuary Salary

According to the BLS, the median annual salary for actuaries was $108,350 as of May 2019. Compensation can vary depending on factors such as education, individual experience, job location, and employer. According to BLS data, 71% of actuaries worked in finance and insurance in 2019; the median annual salary for this group was $110,020. The BLS further reports that actuaries working in management roles for companies and enterprises earned a median annual salary of $98,880.

Investment Banker

When businesses need to raise money, they turn to investment bankers, who connect investors with companies that need capital. This profession can be appealing to ambitious individuals who want to establish or advance their financial careers.

An investment banker’s median annual salary is $100,670. Responsibilities include determining an organization’s financial health, assisting in corporate fundraising, identifying and analyzing new business opportunities, and overseeing corporate investment strategies.

Investment Banker Job Description

Investment bankers use their analytical skills to determine an organization’s financial health. They then use this information to identify opportunities to help the organization achieve specific financial goals, which can include corporate fundraising through connecting the organization with the right investors. Investment bankers also oversee various corporate investment strategies.

Investment Banker Salary

According to PayScale, the median annual salary for investment bankers was around $100,670 as of January 2021. Salaries can vary depending on factors such as education and experience. PayScale reports that investment bankers with 10 to 19 years of experience earned a median annual salary of approximately $146,000. Location can also play a significant role. For example, PayScale states that investment bankers working in San Francisco earned 24% above the national average.

Financial Manager

Financial managers help keep a company in good financial health. They monitor a company’s economic status and help develop long-term economic goals that minimize risk. This job is a promising choice for experienced financial workers who want to use their MBA to advance to high-level roles.

A financial manager’s median annual salary is $129,890. Responsibilities include creating and presenting financial reports, ensuring compliance with financial reporting, managing finance teams, and proposing corporate cost-efficiency strategies.

Financial Manager Job Description

Financial managers create, prepare, analyze, and interpret financial reports, using the information to advise C-suite executives on cost-effective strategies for long-term growth and maintenance. In larger companies, they may also manage financial teams. Additionally, financial managers ensure that companies remain compliant with government regulations.

Financial Manager Salary

According to the BLS, the median annual salary for financial managers was $129,890 as of May 2019. Salaries can fluctuate depending on many factors, including industry. The BLS reports that the median annual salary for financial managers in industries relating to professional, scientific, and technical services was $152,810, and $114,250 in government-related industries.

Chief Financial Officer

CFOs oversee a company’s financial direction at the C-suite level. Their leadership of a company’s accounting and finance departments provides economic direction that projects a positive corporate image and promotes financial efficiency. This executive role is often the ultimate goal for those who earn an MBA with a concentration in finance.

A chief financial officer’s median annual salary is $184,460. Responsibilities include overseeing all financial departments, making financial presentations to other company executives, ensuring financial compliance with federal guidelines, and managing tax issues.

Chief Financial Officer Job Description

CFOs oversee every department pertaining to a company’s finances, including accounting, purchasing, accounts payable/receivable, investments, and payroll. They also coordinate the execution of financial strategies with other finance department leaders, working to ensure that such strategies are financially efficient and compliant with federal guidelines. Additionally, CFOs work to integrate their executive strategy with the strategies of other executives in a company’s C-suite.

Chief Financial Officer Salary

The BLS classifies CFOs, along with other C-suite roles, as top executives. According to the BLS, the median annual salary for chief executives was $184,460 as of May 2019; chief executives in manufacturing, professional, scientific, and technical services industries earned a median annual salary of $208,000 or more.

Take the First Step Toward a Rewarding Career

Developing a thorough understanding of the intricacies of finance allows professionals to shape the economic future, whether for individual investors or multinational conglomerates. The Northeastern University Online MBA program’s concentration in Finance can give you the tools, knowledge, and insight to build a career that makes a tangible impact on a broad scale. Learn more about how Northeastern can prepare you to embark on a new professional path.

Sources:
Houston Chronicle, “What Is the Career Path for a Financial Manager?”
Investopedia, “A Day in the Life of an Actuary”
Investopedia, “Investment Banker: Job Description & Average Salary”
Investopedia, “Loan Officer”
Investopedia, “What Do Financial Advisors Do?”
PayScale, Average Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Salary
PayScale, Average Investment Banker Salary
Society for Human Resource Management, Financial Analyst
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Actuaries
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Financial Analysts
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Financial Managers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Loan Officers
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Personal Financial Advisors
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Top Executives

Graduate Certificates

Northeastern also offers a selection of online graduate certificates in seven relevant business topics. In these focused programs, you’ll take four to five graduate courses and tailor your learning experience to suit your goals. All certificate coursework is designed and taught by the industry-active, expert faculty from the world-class D’Amore-McKim School of Business.

Earn an online graduate-level credential in as few as five months, or take up to two years to complete. Upon completion of your graduate certificate program, you may be able to further your business education by applying your credits toward an eligible master’s degree such as Northeastern’s Online MBA or Part-Time MBA.

Graduate certificates are available in:

Accounting and Financial Decision Making
Business Administration
Corporate Finance
Corporate Renewal
International Business
Marketing
Supply Chain Management

Finance Concentration