Study Finance in Maryland
Maryland might not be a very big state, but it’s big on education. With an expansive University of Maryland system with campuses around the state and well-respected private institutions like Johns Hopkins University, Maryland has many options to get your finance degree online.
Not only that, but you can explore programs at different levels. If you’re just starting college or want to change careers, an online bachelor’s degree is an ideal choice. But, if you wish to build on an existing degree or finance career with a master’s program, you can do that entirely online as well.
Below is a list of some of the most popular online finance degrees Maryland has to offer. Read about each one, and let it inform your process of selecting the right program for your needs!
Online Finance Degrees in Maryland
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering online finance degrees in Maryland:
- University of Maryland Global Campus
- Capella University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Southern New Hampshire University
- National University
- Purdue Global
- UMass Global
- Walden University
- Arizona State University Online
University of Maryland Global Campus
Online Bachelor of Science in Finance
The Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Maryland Global Campus is a typical 120-credit undergraduate degree. However, its fully online format gives you far more flexibility for finishing your studies than an on-campus program.
The program blends studies in critical areas like accounting, business, economics, and, of course, finance. You’ll learn about these subjects in a rich online environment where you can interact with your classmates, engage with your professors, and apply your classroom learning to real-life-inspired case studies and finance research.
This degree offers a number of other benefits, too. For example, the curriculum prepares you to sit for two finance-related certification exams: the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and the Certified Financial Planner (CFP). You can even take a CFP board-approved exam preparation class while you’re working on your degree.
Of the 120 credits needed to graduate, 41 are in general education fields like science, math, social sciences, and communications. You’re also required to complete classes in English composition, computing literacy, research, and humanities and the arts.
Another 39 credits are required within the finance major. These courses explore foundational and advanced topics in areas like:
- Principles of Accounting
- Management and Organization Theory
- Business Finance
- Investments
- Fintech, Financial Institutions, and Markets
You’re required to take classes in Risk Management, Financial Analysis, and Financial Management as well. Three major courses – Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics, and Introduction to Statistics – can also be counted toward your general education requirements, which saves you time and money.
Additionally, you must complete a finance capstone project in which you synthesize your learning throughout the program and apply what you’ve learned to important business issues. You’ll conduct individual and group research, investigate case studies, and participate in other experiential learning activities as well.
The remainder of your degree credits are electives. These electives can be from any undergraduate field of study available at the University of Maryland Global Campus. However, it might be prudent to select a finance-related minor to enhance your learning further.
For example, you might pair your finance major with a minor in one of the following:
- Accounting
- Business Administration
- Data Science
- Economics
- Law for Business
Other options include Management Information Systems, Human Resource Management, and Personal Financial Planning.
As a result of your studies, you’ll develop in-demand finance skills that will help you find a better job (and more quickly) after graduation. You’ll understand the legal and regulatory components of finance, be able to critically evaluate financial data, and understand how to use financial techniques and theories to make well-informed business decisions.
Likewise, you’ll understand how to use technology to solve business problems and manage investment portfolios for individuals and businesses. With real-world studies as part of the curriculum, you’ll additionally gain insights into building a successful career in this industry.
The admissions requirements are as follows:
- Graduate from an accredited high school, achieve passing scores on an equivalency exam or graduate from a homeschool program, alternative high school, or non-U.S. high school program.
- Submit high school transcripts or equivalency scores.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
Online Master of Science in Management
In addition to the undergraduate finance program, the University of Maryland Global Campus also offers an online Master of Science in Management with a specialization in Financial Management. This program requires the completion of 36 credits, which typically takes around two years of study to complete. However, the University of Maryland allows you to transfer up to 12 credits, which can significantly reduce the amount of time you need to finish this degree.
This is a career-focused program. In other words, you’ll join other finance professionals in an online classroom to continue developing in your career by learning new and advanced skills. What’s more, you’ll learn from highly skilled and experienced professors who have long-standing real-world experience working in finance.
The curriculum focuses on the latest industry standards, so you graduate with cutting-edge tools and training at your disposal. You’ll take part in hands-on projects and learn from real-world examples from the finance industry to hone your knowledge and expand your skill set.
One of the first components of this curriculum is a sequence of three core management classes: Organizational Theory, Organizational Behavior, and Statistics for Managerial Decision-Making. Broadly speaking, these classes help you understand how to work with other people within business organizations and make improved decisions to ensure the long-term financial health of the company.
Once you complete the core management classes, you’ll work on the finance concentration coursework. This component includes eight classes that explore topics such as:
- FinTech and Decision-Making
- Financial Management in Organizations
- Financial Analysis and Modeling
- Long-Term Financial Management
- Investment Valuation
Furthermore, you’ll take an International Financial Management class that offers a study of financial issues in international organizations. You’ll Discuss foreign exchange markets, working capital management, foreign investment analysis, and international banking, too.
You’re required to take a Behavioral Finance class, too. You’ll learn about the psychological barriers present in financial decision-making and learn how to minimize those barriers to reduce risk and maximize reward. A required Strategic Financial Management class builds on this, with an integrative study of case studies, applied problems, and real-world scenarios that reflect the ever-changing execution of financial management.
Lastly, this program requires you to complete a Strategic Management Capstone. You’ll participate in the capstone experience after you’ve completed 24 credits of coursework. Throughout the course, you’ll focus on corporate and business strategy, environmental assessments of businesses, and evaluation issues, to name just a few.
To successfully complete this program, you must maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher. You must also complete all degree requirements in five consecutive academic years or less. Any transfer credits you wish to apply must be earned within the same five-year timeframe.
When applying, you must already have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. You must also submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended. Additionally, you might be required to:
- Have a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or higher.
- Submit official GMAT or GRE scores.
- Provide proof of English proficiency (if English is not your native language).
Capella University
Online Bachelor of Science in Finance
Capella University’s Bachelor of Science in Finance focuses on helping you build a solid foundation of business knowledge while also acquiring essential leadership and management skills. Combined with the development of analytical and problem-solving skills, you’ll emerge from this program ready to be a leader in the finance industry.
This program, which requires you to complete 180 quarter credits to graduate, offers many different features that enhance its flexibility. All classes are entirely online, with no campus visits required, and multiple start dates are available throughout the year. Capella also has a generous transfer credit policy, which allows you to use up to 135 previously earned credits to count toward this degree.
The curriculum is divided into five components:
- General Education
- Core Coursework
- Specialization Courses
- Electives
- Capstone
As described earlier, general education classes explore very broad topics, including math, science, social sciences, English, and communications. The skills you gain in these classes are necessary for your success as a college student. However, these skills – like effective communication and analytical thinking – are critical for your success in life and work, too.
The business core consists of ten classes, each of which explores a different area of business. For example, you’ll take a course entitled Fundamentals of Organizational Communication that teaches you how to be an effective communicator, whether you’re an employee, management, or somewhere in between.
As another example, you’re required to take a Fundamentals of Marketing and Sales course that explores basic concepts like market research, product positioning, and consumer and business markets. You’ll supplement your learning in that class with studies in the Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management class, which examines concepts and practices necessary for the efficient movement of goods from suppliers to end-users.
Other core coursework includes the following:
- Accounting Fundamentals
- Fundamentals of Business Law
- Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
- Fundamentals of Leadership
- Developing a Business Perspective
The specialization courses are where you gain finance knowledge and skills. You’ll learn about the foundations of finance, including financial theory and finance decision-making processes. You’ll also learn about financial markets and institutions and how monetary policies and macroeconomic forces affect the performance of the market.
Another finance course you’re required to take is Investments and Portfolio Management. This class studies valuation principles, financial theories, and investment strategies. You’ll have opportunities to apply what you’ve learned in real-world investment situations, too. You’ll choose anywhere from seven to 13 electives (both in and out of the finance field) to round out the coursework for this degree.
The final component of your studies is a business capstone project. You’re required to highlight your understanding of important business competencies, like communication, critical thinking, and applied business principles. You’re also required to develop ideas for a product or service and create a strategic plan to implement your concept. This experience is an excellent way to get some applied experience in finance before entering the job market.
You must meet the following requirements to be considered for admission:
- Be 24 years of age or older (this requirement might be waived if you’re a current or former member of the military or if you have 24 or more quarter credits of college coursework already completed).
- Have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
- Submit high school transcripts or equivalency scores.
- Submit a copy of a valid government-issued photo ID.
You must also complete a reading and writing assessment if you have not yet completed any college credits.
Johns Hopkins University
Online Master of Science in Finance
The Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School offers a part-time, fully online Master of Science in Finance that focuses on building the quantitative skills you need to be successful in the finance industry. Not only that, but a large part of the curriculum focuses on skills specifically outlined in the CFA Institute’s Body of Knowledge. As such, this program is excellent preparation for the CFA exams.
As mentioned above, this program is fully online. That’s just one element of its flexibility, though. In addition to being a part-time program that’s adaptable to your schedule, you don’t have to take the GMAT or GRE to qualify for admission. In fact, you don’t even need a bachelor’s degree in finance – any undergraduate degree is sufficient to start this program.
The curriculum is divided into required and elective classes. The required courses include foundational studies in three primary areas: Business Communications, Business Leadership and Human Values, and Statistical Analysis. As the class titles indicate, the skills you gain in these courses help you become a highly effective communicator and leader with the needed statistical background to analyze financial data effectively.
The required courses also include a series of functional core classes. These classes focus on specific topics in business and finance that you’ll encounter in your career. For example, you’ll take courses on Derivatives, Fixed Income, and Investments. Likewise, you’ll take Corporate Finance, Accounting and Financial Reporting, and Financial Modeling and Valuation.
This curriculum includes a unique course called Student Managed Investment Fund. In this class, you’ll have the opportunity to gain real-world investment management skills by participating in hands-on exercises managing real assets. You’ll work with a small team of other students to research different investments and investment methods, recommend trades, and carry out trades as well.
The elective portion of the curriculum includes your choice of six classes. While the courses mentioned above help you develop basic finance-related skills, the electives you choose to take help you build highly specific competencies in applied areas of finance.
For example, the Cryptos and Blockchain elective introduces you to the crypto market, its advantages and disadvantages, and the future of blockchain in the finance industry. As another example, the Entrepreneurial Finance course helps you develop an understanding of how to acquire the capital needed to start a new venture. The class also discusses the financial decision-making process.
Other electives you might choose include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Advanced Corporate Finance
- Advanced Hedge Fund Strategies
- Advanced Portfolio Management
- Financial Crises and Contagion
- Financial Stability
Your courses will be a blend of synchronous and asynchronous formats. This blend of required class meetings and work-at-your-own pace studies enables you to finish this part-time program in just two years.
The following admissions requirements may apply:
- Have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
- Submit official undergraduate transcripts showing a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Provide a current resume or curriculum vitae.
- Provide up to two letters of recommendation from references who can speak to your academic abilities and professional competence.
- Submit any required admissions essays.
You might also be asked to participate in an interview with faculty or admissions personnel.
Southern New Hampshire University
Online Bachelor of Science in Finance
While Southern New Hampshire University’s physical campus is not in New Jersey, its extensive online campus can be accessed from anywhere in the world, including SNHU’s Bachelor of Science in Finance program.
This program, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), requires 120 credits for graduation. SNHU’s generous transfer credit policy allows you to transfer up to 90 credits toward this degree. Additionally, the BS-to-MS pathway in finance enables you to earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years if starting from scratch.
The curriculum includes a series of general education courses, termed “The Commons,” which are designed to build essential college-level skills necessary for success in your studies and future career. You’ll need to complete 42 courses in this segment of the curriculum.
You must also complete 30 credits in the Business Core. These courses cover a wide array of introductory and advanced business topics, equipping you with a broad skill set for a career in finance. Courses you’ll take include:
- Financial Accounting
- Managerial Accounting
- Business Law
- Managing and Leading in Business
- Critical Business Skills for Success
In addition to these, you’ll take advanced courses such as Principles of Finance, which focuses on corporate financial discipline and executive decision-making. The People, Planet, and Profit course evaluates business operations and strategies for enhancing quality, efficiency, and effectiveness.
The program also requires 21 credits in the Finance Core, comprising seven classes that cover a variety of finance topics and applications. For instance, you’ll take Corporate Finance, which covers managerial-level financial decision-making, including capital structure and budgeting.
You’ll also study Financial Markets, exploring macroeconomic forces in global financial markets and learning about regulatory authorities, risk management, and mutual funds.
Other courses in the Finance Core include:
- Multinational Corporate Finance
- Fundamentals of Investments
- Financial Regulations and Ethics
- Investment Portfolio Analysis
A capstone course in finance is required, serving two primary purposes: assessing your finance skills and allowing you to apply your knowledge in a case study, preparing you for a finance career after graduation.
You have the choice of taking three finance electives or opting for a concentration. A concentration in Financial Planning is available, preparing you to become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). This concentration focuses on helping individuals meet their financial goals through estate planning, investments, retirement planning, and more.
To apply as a first-year student, you need to meet the following requirements:
- Complete the online application for admission.
- Have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university where you’ve earned credit.
National University
Online Bachelor of Science in Financial Management
The Bachelor of Science in Financial Management at National University equips you with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in finance. Your training will include essential areas like financial decision-making and data analysis, which are vital in finance, accounting, and business.
To complete this accredited program by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), you need 180 quarter units. The curriculum is structured into several components, starting with general education requirements.
You must fulfill at least 69 quarter units of general education. These courses span various liberal arts subjects, including math, science, English, and social sciences. These are mandatory for all students, no matter their major. You have significant flexibility in choosing the specific courses that meet these requirements.
For example, you could take U.S. History Prior to 1877 and European History Since 1917 to satisfy the social sciences requirement. Alternatively, you might choose an Introduction to Criminal Justice class and Introduction to Anthropology. There are numerous combinations available to meet these general education needs.
The next segment includes introductory courses that prepare you for the finance major. These 200-level courses include Principles of Macroeconomics and Principles of Microeconomics, which are typical requirements for finance and other business degrees. These courses examine economic activities from broad and specific perspectives.
Additional preparatory courses include:
- Financial Accounting Fundamentals
- Managerial Accounting Fundamentals
- Legal Aspects of Business I
- Introduction to Quantitative Methods
Your major coursework consists of 16 courses, totaling 72 quarter units, divided into business and finance sections.
The business section includes five upper-division courses such as Business Finance, Intermediate Accounting, and Marketing Fundamentals. You’ll also study Principles of Management and Organizations, covering management roles, theories, and human resource management.
In the finance concentration, you’ll complete eleven courses covering various aspects of financial management. You’ll study the role of financial institutions, such as the Federal Reserve, in the economy, including commercial banking, investment companies, and pension funds.
A key course is Working Capital Management, where you’ll learn about managing corporate assets and liabilities, including credit policies, cash management, and secured inventory financing. Other required finance courses include:
- Risk Management and Insurance
- International Financial Management
- Finance and Banking
- Capital Structure and Financing
- Valuation of a Corporation
Additionally, you must complete a financial capstone project, selecting a finance topic to investigate. Your ability to apply knowledge from previous courses to case studies and finance-related research will be evaluated.
Courses in this program last just four weeks, allowing you to focus on one or two classes at a time instead of the traditional four or five. With year-round enrollment, you can begin your studies whenever it suits you.
To apply as a first-year student, you need a high school diploma. Depending on your academic background, you might need to take tests in English, math, or both.
Is Maryland Good for Finance?
Maryland can be a good choice for pursuing a career in finance due to several factors:
Education
- Universities and Colleges: Maryland is home to several reputable universities with strong finance programs. These institutions offer undergraduate and graduate programs in finance, providing a solid educational foundation.
- Proximity to Major Financial Hubs: Maryland’s proximity to Washington, D.C., and its relatively short distance from New York City provide opportunities for internships, networking, and employment in major financial markets.
Job Market
- Government and Regulatory Agencies: Being close to the nation’s capital, Maryland offers opportunities in government and regulatory agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Reserve, and other financial oversight bodies.
- Private Sector Opportunities: There are numerous financial institutions, including banks, investment firms, and consulting companies, that operate in Maryland. Companies such as T. Rowe Price, a major global investment management firm, have headquarters in the state.
- Tech and Biotechnology Sectors: Maryland has a growing technology and biotechnology sector, which can provide finance professionals with opportunities in financial planning, analysis, and investment related to these industries.
Quality of Life
- Standard of Living: Maryland offers a high standard of living with good public schools, healthcare facilities, and a variety of cultural and recreational activities.
- Location: Maryland’s diverse geography, from urban areas like Baltimore to scenic rural and coastal regions, provides a range of living environments.
Networking and Professional Development
- Professional Associations: There are local chapters of national finance organizations such as the CFA Institute and Financial Planning Association, which offer networking events, continuing education, and professional development opportunities.
- Business Community: Maryland has a strong business community with various chambers of commerce and industry groups that support networking and career advancement.
Is Finance a Competitive Major?
Yes, finance is a competitive major, influenced by several key factors.
Finance majors are drawn to the field by the promise of lucrative career prospects and significant growth potential. Positions in investment banking, financial analysis, asset management, and corporate finance are particularly appealing. This attractiveness results in a concentration of ambitious and academically strong students who aim to secure these opportunities.
The curriculum itself is rigorous, which includes courses in mathematics, statistics, economics, accounting, and financial theory. This academic rigor necessitates a strong analytical and quantitative skill set. Furthermore, many finance professionals pursue additional certifications, such as the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) or Certified Financial Planner (CFP), which require additional preparation.
The job market for finance graduates is intensely competitive. Securing internships and entry-level positions at top financial firms demands excellent academic performance, relevant work experience, and active engagement in extracurricular activities. Networking plays a crucial role in achieving success in finance, and building professional connections through internships, industry organizations, and alumni networks is essential.
Top universities often have highly selective finance programs. Admission into these programs is challenging due to the high volume of applicants and stringent selection criteria. Similarly, prestigious employers, such as Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, are known for their rigorous hiring processes, requiring exceptional qualifications from candidates.
The finance industry requires continuous learning and professional development. Finance professionals must stay abreast of the latest trends, regulations, and technological advancements. The high performance expectations and the pressure to meet targets and deliver results further contribute to the competitive nature of the field.