Study Finance in California
With a degree in finance, you open up many career possibilities, all of which can be lucrative. Not only do many finance jobs pay in the six figures, but these careers are also in high demand.
For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that employment for personal financial advisors is predicted to grow by 13 percent in the coming years. This is a much faster than average rate.
The question is, how do you start a career in finance? Well, the first step is to get a degree! Below is a list of some of the popular options at the bachelor’s and master’s levels that can help you forge a path toward your desired finance career.
Online Finance Degrees in California
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering online finance degrees in California:
- National University
- Franklin University
- California Lutheran University
- Capella University
- Golden Gate University
- Pepperdine University
- California Lutheran University
- Purdue Global
- Southern New Hampshire University
National University
Online Bachelor of Science in Financial Management
The Bachelor of Science in Financial Management from National University explores the theoretical underpinnings of finance while also giving your practical training in financial decision-making processes. Part of this training is in data analysis – a rapidly growing field in finance, accounting, and other business-related areas.
This program, which is accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), requires that you complete 180 quarter units to graduate. The curriculum is divided into numerous components, beginning with general education requirements.
National University stipulates that you complete at least 69 quarter units of general education courses. These classes are in broad liberal arts topics ranging from math and science to English and social sciences (among others) and are required of all students, regardless of major. Though a certain number of units are required in each broad field, you have a lot of leeway in choosing which classes fulfill the requirements.
For example, you might take U.S. History Prior to 1877 and European History Since 1917 to fulfill the social sciences requirements. Alternatively, you might take an Introduction to Criminal Justice class and Introduction to Anthropology. These are just a couple of examples; the combination of courses you can take to meet general requirements is virtually endless.
The next phase of the program includes courses that prepare you for the finance major. These classes are all at the 200 level, and are introductory in nature. For example, you’ll take Principles of Macroeconomics and Principles of Microeconomics, two of the most common requirements for finance and other business-related degrees. These classes explore economic activities at very broad and very narrow levels, respectively.
Other courses required to prepare you for financial studies include the following:
- Financial Accounting Fundamentals
- Managerial Accounting Fundamentals
- Legal Aspects of Business I
- Introduction to Quantitative Methods
The bulk of your studies come within the major – 16 courses representing 72 quarter units. The major requirements take place in two categories: business and finance.
The business portion of the major includes five upper-division classes like Business Finance, Intermediate Accounting, and Marketing Fundamentals. You must also take a class in Principles of Management and Organizations, which explores the roles of management in business settings, management theories, and human resource management, to name a few.
Eleven finance courses are required, too. Since this is the concentration of the major, you’ll take courses focusing on many different aspects of financial management. For example, you’ll learn about the role of financial institutions (such as the Federal Reserve) in the overall economy. This includes an examination of the commercial banking system, investment companies, pension funds, and so on.
Another interesting course is Working Capital Management. This class analyzes how assets and liabilities are managed at the corporate level. Specifically, you’ll learn about credit policies, cash management, and secured inventory financing. Additional required finance courses include the following:
- Risk Management and Insurance
- International Financial Management
- Finance and Banking
- Capital Structure and Financing
- Valuation of a Corporation
This program also requires you to complete a financial capstone project in which you explore a finance topic of your choice. You are evaluated on your ability to integrate what you’ve learned in previous courses to address case studies and carry out finance-related research.
Each course in this program is just four weeks long, which allows you to take one or two classes at a time rather than the traditional four or five classes. And with year-round enrollment, you can begin your studies at virtually any time that’s right for you.
You must have a high school diploma to apply as a first-year student. Depending on your previous academic experiences, you may be required to take tests in English, math, or both.
Franklin University
Online Bachelor of Science in Financial Management
Though Franklin University isn’t based in California, its online programs, like the Bachelor of Science in Financial Management, are available to residents across the U.S. This program is similar to the one described above in that classes are accelerated (six or 12-week sessions) and enrollment is offered year-round. This program is also accredited by IACBE.
The primary focus of this degree is to learn how to enhance the financial health of businesses and organizations. To do so, you’ll gain essential financial management skills related to risk management, cash management, portfolio management, and financial analysis, to name a few. You’ll gain these skills over the course of a 124 semester credit hour program, which takes most first-year students four years to complete.
However, Franklin University offers the advantage of transferring up to 76 percent of the total number of credits required to graduate. On average, students enter this program having completed 77 credits, which can cut the time needed to finish this program to as little as 18 months.
As is typical of undergraduate degrees, this program requires you to complete a slate of general education courses like those discussed earlier. These classes take place in broad categories such as:
- English Composition
- Mathematics
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Science
- Arts and Humanities
Franklin also requires you to take basic courses that help you be more successful as a financial management student. These classes include Learning Strategies, a communications course, and Introduction to Spreadsheets.
The next portion of the program is seven foundational courses for the financial management major. These courses cover topics like Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, and Business Law. Other requirements include Introduction to Microeconomics, Principles of Management, and Marketing. The purpose of these classes is to give you a better understanding of business as a whole and how these fields relate to finance.
The major-area courses are where you’ll begin studying financial management in earnest. Five classes are required for this section:
- Money, Banking, and Financial Markets
- Advanced Financial Management
- Investments
- Global Finance
- Financial Policy
As a result of completing these courses, you’ll have the essential knowledge and skills to help businesses and organizations improve their financial situations through proper financial planning and management. You’ll complement your learning in this field by taking two or more related electives. Franklin University offers a wide slate of options for taking electives. In fact, you can choose from more than 15 options to satisfy the major-area elective requirement.
Sample electives you might choose include Foundations of Entrepreneurship, Introduction to Analytics, Life and Health Insurance, and Estate Planning. There’s also a Finance Internship option, which gives you real-world training and experience in a financial management setting.
Admissions requirements are as follows:
- Have a high school diploma or its equivalent (or higher, such as an associate’s degree).
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Provide evidence of English language proficiency if it is not your native language.
California Lutheran University
Online Master’s in Financial Management
California Lutheran’s online Master’s in Financial Management is a flexible program that gives you the choice of studying full-time or part-time. As a full-time student, you can likely complete the 36 units required for graduation in just one year. Part-time students typically need two or more years to finish these requirements.
This program offers additional flexibility in the availability and structure of its courses. On the one hand, the courses needed to finish this degree are available year-round, which helps you plan your program of study around your specific needs. On the other hand, each course is in an accelerated eight-week format, meaning you take fewer classes at a time. Though the classes are fast-paced, having one or two classes to worry about at a time is often easier than taking four or five traditional courses all at once.
All online courses make use of an engaging and interactive virtual learning environment. You’ll have audio and video capabilities that enable you to collaborate with your professors and classmates. You’ll also have group break-out rooms where you can meet with small numbers of your classmates to complete group projects. Even when you aren’t in small group break-out rooms, you’ll have the advantage of class sizes that are capped at 20 students.
The curriculum is divided into two categories: core financial planning classes and business courses. The financial planning core examines a wide range of topics that prepare you to be a competent worker in this field. Your studies begin with a basic Introductory to Financial Planning class that analyzes general principles like financial statements, budgeting processes, estate planning, and relevant laws.
From there, you’ll take classes focusing on specific areas of financial management, including:
- Tax Management and Strategy
- Employee Benefits and Retirement Planning
- Risk Management and Insurance
- Principles of Estate Planning
- Investment and Portfolio Management
- Psychology and Cultural Dynamics
These and other courses help you develop the skills necessary to work in many different fields of financial management. This might include working as an individual financial planner, a business financial management consultant, or a financial advisor, to name just a few.
The final financial planning course is a capstone experience. This class occurs at the end of the program and requires you to synthesize what you’ve learned in the context of casework. You’ll examine potential scenarios you’ll encounter in your career and prepare for professional certifications and exams that come after you graduate.
The second part of the curriculum focuses on general business topics. The purpose of this component of your studies is to understand how financial management and other financial principles fit into the larger context of business operations. As such, you’ll take classes in areas like Marketing Management, Macroeconomics for Investments, and Behavioral Finance. Other required business courses include:
- Enterprise Management Organization and Strategy
- FinTech in Financial Planning
- Ethical Behaviors in Financial Planning
- Strategic Decision Making
- Financial Principles and Policies
Successful applicants should meet the following requirements:
- Have a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution.
- Have a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA or higher.
- Complete all prerequisite courses as needed.
- Submit a completed admissions portfolio.
Capella University
Online Bachelor of Science in Finance
Capella University’s online Bachelor of Science in Finance focuses on building a strong foundation in business knowledge while helping you acquire key leadership and management skills. Along with the development of analytical and problem-solving abilities, this program prepares you to step into a leadership role in the finance industry.
This degree requires the completion of 180 quarter credits, with many flexible features that support your needs. All courses are fully online, and no campus visits are necessary. Multiple start dates are available throughout the year, and Capella has a transfer credit policy allowing up to 135 previously earned credits to be counted toward your degree.
The curriculum includes five main components:
- General Education
- Core Coursework
- Specialization Courses
- Electives
- Capstone
The general education classes cover broad topics, such as math, science, social sciences, English, and communications. These classes help you develop vital skills for college success, such as effective communication and analytical thinking, which are also valuable in your professional and personal life.
The business core consists of ten courses, each exploring a different area of business. For instance, you’ll take a Fundamentals of Organizational Communication course, where you learn to communicate effectively as an employee, manager, or leader. Another example is the Fundamentals of Marketing and Sales course, which introduces market research, product positioning, and consumer markets.
Additional core courses include:
- Accounting Fundamentals
- Fundamentals of Business Law
- Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
- Fundamentals of Leadership
- Developing a Business Perspective
Your specialization courses are focused on finance, covering foundational topics like financial theory and decision-making processes. You’ll study financial markets and institutions, and examine how macroeconomic factors influence market performance.
A required course in Investments and Portfolio Management introduces valuation principles, financial theories, and investment strategies. This class provides practical opportunities to apply your learning in real-world investment scenarios. Additionally, you’ll choose seven to 13 electives from finance or other fields to complete your coursework.
The program culminates in a business capstone project, which assesses your understanding of key business competencies like communication, critical thinking, and business principles. You’ll develop a product or service idea and create a strategic plan to implement it, providing you with applied finance experience before graduation.
To apply, you must meet these requirements:
- Be 24 years of age or older (this may be waived if you are a current or former member of the military or have 24 quarter credits of college coursework).
- Hold a high school diploma or equivalent.
- Submit high school transcripts or equivalency scores.
- Provide a government-issued photo ID.
If you have not completed college credits, you must also complete a reading and writing assessment.
Golden Gate University
Online Master of Science in Financial Planning
Another graduate-level option you might consider for expanding your education is the Master of Science in Financial Planning from Golden Gate University. This program isn’t just preparatory for a financial planning career, though. Instead, you can use this degree to pursue a career in money management, investments, and other related fields. In fact, by completing this degree, you’ll have the necessary educational background to be eligible for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation.
This 30-credit program can be completed in one or two years, depending on your level of attendance. The bulk of the program – 21 credits – is core coursework in finance. You’ll take courses like Personal Financial Planning, Personal Investment Management, and Estate Planning in preparation for working with individual clients to establish their financial nest eggs.
On the other hand, you’ll also take Retirement and Employee Benefits Planning, which has a different focus. This class helps you build the skills needed to analyze retirement needs, explore profit sharing, issues related to 401k investments, and other related topics.
You must also choose between a course in Cases in Financial Planning or a Practicum in Financial Planning. The cases option analyzes financial planning case studies as a means of helping you refine your skills for writing financial plans, presenting plans to clients, and implementing those plans. The practicum option puts you in a real-world setting where you work with a supervisor to provide financial planning services for clients. You’ll also have online classroom activities including role-playing exercises and feedback to help you develop your skills even further.
The program’s second component is nine units of elective coursework. This part of the program is where you can focus on financial planning topics that are of interest to you and that align with your career goals. Golden Gate University offers well over a dozen options to choose from, including the following:
- Equity Analysis
- Portfolio Management
- Business Development in Financial Services
- Real Estate Finance and Investment
- Behavioral Finance
An internship option is also available. Choosing to participate in an internship gives you another level of real-world experience beyond the practicum, which can be extremely valuable for honing your skills. Internship placements often lead to permanent positions after graduation, too, so this class can certainly prove beneficial for advancing your career.
As a result of completing these and other classes, you’ll have the quantitative and analytical skills required to approach financial planning. You’ll also have an understanding of relevant regulations and laws governing financial planning activities. This program helps you develop other soft and hard skills, such as improved communication skills, the ability to work as part of a team, and adherence to industry ethical standards.
You can apply online to Golden Gate University at any time. The following requirements must be met to be considered for admission:
- Have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Submit a statement of purpose and a resume (if your undergraduate GPA is 2.5 or below).
- Meet proficiency requirements in math and writing.
- Provide evidence of English language proficiency if English is not your native language.
How Long is an Online Finance Degree?
The duration of an online finance degree can vary depending on the type of program and the institution offering it. Generally, the following timelines apply:
- Associate Degree in Finance: This typically takes about two years to complete on a full-time basis. Part-time students may take longer, depending on their course load each semester.
- Bachelor’s Degree in Finance: A standard online bachelor’s program usually takes around four years for full-time students. Part-time students might need additional time to complete their degree, often extending to five or six years.
- Master’s Degree in Finance: Online master’s programs in finance generally take one to two years for full-time students. Some accelerated programs may be completed in as little as one year, while part-time students may take up to three years or more.
- MBA with a Finance Concentration: An online MBA program with a focus on finance typically takes about two years to complete for full-time students. Part-time programs may extend this duration to three or four years.
Is Finance a Hard Degree to Get?
Pursuing a finance degree can be challenging, but whether it is considered difficult depends on your aptitude and interest in the subject. Finance involves understanding complex concepts related to money management, investments, financial markets, and economic principles. The coursework often includes subjects like accounting, economics, statistics, and financial analysis, which require strong analytical and mathematical skills.
If you have a keen interest in these areas and enjoy working with numbers and data, you may find the coursework engaging and manageable. However, if these topics are not within your areas of interest or strength, you might find the degree more demanding.
Success in a finance program also depends on your dedication, study habits, and ability to grasp theoretical concepts and apply them to real-world situations. Many programs offer resources such as tutoring, study groups, and office hours with professors to help you succeed.
In short, while a finance degree can be rigorous, with the right approach and a genuine interest in the field, it is an attainable and rewarding academic pursuit.
What are the Career Opportunities With a Finance Degree in California?
A finance degree opens many career opportunities for you in California. As a finance graduate, you can find positions in various sectors such as banking, investment, corporate finance, and financial planning. In banking, you may work as a financial analyst, loan officer, or branch manager, helping clients manage their accounts and investments. Investment firms may offer roles like portfolio manager or investment banker, where you’ll analyze market trends and advise clients on investment decisions.
Corporate finance positions often involve working within companies to manage their financial operations. You could become a financial manager, overseeing budgets and financial planning, or a risk manager, assessing and mitigating financial risks. Financial planning is another viable path, where you can work as a financial advisor, assisting individuals and businesses in creating strategies to achieve their financial goals.
In addition to these traditional roles, California’s economy offers unique opportunities in the tech industry. Many tech companies seek finance professionals to manage their financial strategies and investments. This can include positions such as financial analysts, who evaluate financial data to guide decision-making, and chief financial officers, who oversee the overall financial health of a company.
Moreover, the state’s emphasis on innovation and startups creates a demand for finance experts to support new business ventures. In this environment, you may find roles in venture capital, evaluating and funding emerging companies, or in financial consulting, offering strategic advice to new businesses.
Ultimately, a finance degree provides you with a solid foundation to build a successful career in various sectors in California, allowing you to leverage your skills in numerous professional environments.