Best Online Bachelor’s of Finance Degree Programs for 2024

Badge for BEST ONLINE BACHELOR'S IN FINANCE

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Jenn Finley

Published: Jun 23, 2021
Updated: Apr 8, 2024

Key Takeaways

Earning an online bachelor’s in finance can help you to develop soft skills, such as critical and analytical thinking, and also important hard skills like budgeting, tax planning, and investment strategies.
The median annual wage for business and finance professionals is $76,570, much higher than the median salary for all other occupations.
Career opportunities in the public and private sectors abound, and the demand for financial professionals remains high despite economic setbacks.

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in Finance Degrees

Florida International University
University of Memphis
Old Dominion University
Mercy College
Southern New Hampshire University
California State University, East Bay
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Missouri State University
University of Alaska Fairbanks

Florida International University
University of Memphis
Thomas Jefferson University
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Old Dominion University
Liberty University
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Oral Roberts University
Missouri State University

Liberty University 99%
Davenport University 99%
Southern New Hampshire University 96%
California State University, East Bay 96%
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth 96%
University of North Alabama 96%
Old Dominion University 95%
University of Memphis 95%
Missouri State University 93%
Franklin Pierce University 93%

Florida International University 24 to 1
Southern New Hampshire University 22 to 1
California State University, East Bay 22 to 1
Missouri State University 19 to 1
University of North Alabama 18 to 1
Liberty University 18 to 1
University of Alabama at Birmingham 18 to 1
University of Memphis 17 to 1
Oral Roberts University 17 to 1
West Texas A&M University 17 to 1

Thomas Jefferson University $44,350
Franklin Pierce University $43,155
Elon University $42,241
Upper Iowa University $33,639
Oral Roberts University $32,640
Northwood University $31,600
Liberty University $22,511
Davenport University $22,244
Mercy College $21,358
Lindenwood University $19,300

Franklin Pierce University $37,200
Northwood University $37,080
Thomas Jefferson University $22,509
Elon University $19,494
Southern New Hampshire University $18,900
Upper Iowa University $18,870
Mercy College $17,478
Davenport University $17,262
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth $16,390
Thomas Edison State University $12,150

Thomas Edison State University
West Texas A&M University
Wilmington University
Davenport University
Lindenwood University
Franklin Pierce University
University of North Alabama
Idaho State University
Eastern Kentucky University
Upper Iowa University

Davenport University
Thomas Edison State University
West Texas A&M University
Wilmington University
Northwood University
Lindenwood University
Franklin Pierce University
Mercy College
University of North Alabama
Upper Iowa University

Upper Iowa University 54%
Florida International University 64%
Eastern Kentucky University 64%
Lindenwood University 74%
Elon University 74%
Oral Roberts University 78%
Northwood University 80%
Mercy College 86%
University of Alabama at Birmingham 87%
Thomas Jefferson University 89%

Northwood University 8 to 1
Elon University 11 to 1
University of Alaska Fairbanks 11 to 1
Wilmington University 12 to 1
Franklin Pierce University 12 to 1
Lindenwood University 13 to 1
Idaho State University 13 to 1
Thomas Jefferson University 13 to 1
Upper Iowa University 13 to 1
Thomas Edison State University 15 to 1

Florida International University $4,721
California State University, East Bay $5,742
Idaho State University $5,928
West Texas A&M University $6,372
Old Dominion University $7,239
Thomas Edison State University $7,372
Missouri State University $7,476
University of Alaska Fairbanks $7,659
University of Memphis $8,352
University of Alabama at Birmingham $8,832

West Texas A&M University $5,088
Missouri State University $5,994
University of North Alabama $6,600
California State University, East Bay $7,176
Liberty University $7,893
University of Alabama at Birmingham $8,424
Lindenwood University $8,475
Idaho State University $8,601
Florida International University $9,119
Wilmington University $9,216

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

What the Finance Online Bachelor’s Degree is All About

Students in online bachelor’s in finance programs study the creation and management of wealth including cash, credit, and investments. Due to its temporal nature, finance has close links with the time value of money, investment returns, and interest rates, among others. Money management, investment management, and capital budgeting are among the subjects that students learn while earning a bachelor’s in finance degree.

Importance of Studying Finance

The financial services industry has a crucial role in the economic recovery of the United States and the world, particularly in the post-COVID 19 pandemic world. With the growth of the financial sector, professionals with finance degrees, relevant work experience, and work ethics will be in great demand!

The wide range of career paths is impressive too. Finance professionals are an excellent fit for positions in business management, accounting, and economics, too

Of course, the financial services industry and financial markets are the most popular choice for future financial analysts, but it’s always great to have career options.

Furthermore, business and finance occupations are among the highest-paying jobs in the country! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for business and finance professionals was $76,570 (May 2021), a significantly higher salary than the $45,760 median annual wage for all occupations.

The projected overall employment growth rate for business and finance occupations is 7% (2021-2031) or about 980,200 new jobs every year, on average.

The bottom line: Now is the best time to enroll in an online bachelor’s degree in finance program!

Yet another benefit of getting into an online finance program is the opportunity to learn effective financial management strategies for your life. You will learn about personal financial planning, including tax and investment strategies, among others.

Internships and Hands-on Experiences

Online finance majors can gain hands-on experiences through several ways. First, completing an internship in a business or finance company is a great way for finance majors to develop their skills and expand their professional network.

Second, a capstone project with a research component exposes finance majors to real-world issues and allows them to find possible solutions.

Skills Learned and Desired Traits

Finance students develop their knowledge through instruction in finance and business core courses. These include the ability to interpret financial statements, perform financial analysis, and explain the workings of financial institutions.

In addition, finance students must also develop soft skills that allow them to effectively work with teams, communicate with others, and make decisions. The best online finance degree programs develop soft skills via group work, class participation, and papers.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Per-credit costs in online finance degree programs range from $200 to $600 and higher depending on the type of school (i.e. public or private). Online education can be more affordable, too, considering there’s little to no commuting to campus. In-state and out-of-state per-credit costs and other fees may be different.

How do we determine the best finance bachelor's degree programs?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

Best Online Bachelor’s in Finance Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Students with Finance Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

Finance

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $11,426
Avg. Expenses*: $17,316
Avg. Starting Salary*: $52,677
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $65,432
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 9 years
Job Growth: 7.69%
Number of Jobs: 6,304,000
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Chief Executives	5.48%	$206,680
Financial Managers	16.51%	$156,100
Financial Risk Specialists	8.35%	$106,090
General and Operations Managers	5.80%	$101,280
Personal Financial Advisors	17.10%	$99,580
Financial and Investment Analysts	9.53%	$99,010
Business Teachers, Postsecondary	6.67%	$97,130
Budget Analysts	3.74%	$84,940
Credit Analysts	-3.93%	$79,420
Financial Specialists, All Other	6.24%	$78,310

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Chief Executives	$206,680
Financial Managers	$156,100
Financial Risk Specialists	$106,090
General and Operations Managers	$101,280
Personal Financial Advisors	$99,580
Financial and Investment Analysts	$99,010
Business Teachers, Postsecondary	$97,130
Budget Analysts	$84,940
Credit Analysts	$79,420
Financial Specialists, All Other	$78,310

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Selecting the Best Online Bachelor’s in Finance Programs

The best online bachelor’s in finance programs were chosen because these were offered by regionally accredited colleges and universities. Many of these programs are offered in the country’s best business schools, such as University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s Charlton College of Business and University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Collat School of Business.

Furthermore, these are finance programs with programmatic accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, (AACSB International). The programmatic accreditation is considered among the most prestigious worldwide because of its selective criteria. Students in these online finance programs have the guarantee that they are getting world-class education recognized by employers across the country and abroad.

These online bachelor’s in finance degree programs are also standouts because of their reputation for academic excellence. Online finance students benefit from the same rigorous curriculum and standards as their on-campus counterparts. Faculty members ensure that world-class quality of instruction is maintained, too.

While academic success rests partly on the shoulders of students, these programs provide student support services that contribute to it. Admissions counselors, academic advisers, and career services professionals are part of their team. Digital and on-campus library access, IT help desk and tutoring services are also provided for online students.

Frequently Asked Questions About Finance Degrees

Why get a bachelor’s in finance?

Earning your bachelor’s degree in finance doesn’t have to be all about numbers. While this degree does require a solid understanding of math, it also encourages students to become better critical thinkers, to find creative solutions, and to strengthen their decision-making skills.

How long does it take to get a bachelor’s in finance?

A bachelor’s degree in finance typically takes about four to five years to complete, consisting of about 120 credits.

What courses will I take?

While degree programs may vary, courses generally cover topics like risk management, financial analysis, and accounting. Students may also have the option to choose a specialization, like corporate or personal finance, helping tailor their degree to their unique career goals.

What can I do with a bachelor’s in finance?

Graduates will be ready for careers as purchasing managers, accountants, economists, and financial advisors, though some jobs may require additional certifications.

Learn more about how to major in finance.

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

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Best Online Bachelor’s of Finance Degree Programs for 2024

Key Takeaways

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in Finance Degrees

Featured Programs

What the Finance Online Bachelor’s Degree is All About

Importance of Studying Finance

Internships and Hands-on Experiences

Skills Learned and Desired Traits

Tuition and Financial Aid

Best Online Bachelor’s in Finance Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Florida International University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Finance degree at University of Memphis

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Old Dominion University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Mercy College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Southern New Hampshire University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at California State University, East Bay

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at University of Alabama at Birmingham

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Missouri State University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Liberty University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Elon University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Thomas Jefferson University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Northwood University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Oral Roberts University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Upper Iowa University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Eastern Kentucky University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Idaho State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Finance degree at University of North Alabama

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Franklin Pierce University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Lindenwood University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Davenport University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Wilmington University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Finance degree at West Texas A&M University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Finance degree at Thomas Edison State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Students with Finance Degree

Finance

Degree Level: Bachelor's