Best Online Master’s in Finance

Best Online Master’s in Finance

By James Barham

Published: Jun 23, 2021
Updated: May 22, 2023

Find top-ranked online master’s in finance degree programs to help students advance to leadership roles or pursue careers like compliance officers, accountants, investment bankers, actuaries, and stockbrokers.

Top 10 Online Master's in Finance Degrees

Johns Hopkins University

77%

University of Southern California

72%

Boston University

69%

University of Miami

63%

University of Missouri

61%

Fordham University

60%

University of Cincinnati

60%

University of Kentucky

58%

Auburn University

54%

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

52%

Liberty University

99%

West Texas A&M University

97%

University of Kentucky

94%

University of Detroit Mercy

93%

Southern New Hampshire University

92%

University of Massachusetts Lowell

85%

University of Cincinnati

85%

Rowan University

84%

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

81%

Youngstown State University

78%

Purdue University Global

28 to 1

Southern New Hampshire University

21 to 1

Auburn University

20 to 1

University of Cincinnati

19 to 1

University of Massachusetts Lowell

19 to 1

University of Missouri

18 to 1

Youngstown State University

18 to 1

Empire State College

18 to 1

Rowan University

17 to 1

Liberty University

17 to 1

University of Southern California

$61,503

Boston University

$59,816

Johns Hopkins University

$58,720

Stevens Institute of Technology

$56,920

Fordham University

$56,161

University of Miami

$54,760

Creighton University

$44,524

North Central College

$42,206

University of Detroit Mercy

$30,154

Liberty University

$22,713

University of Southern California

$60,446

Johns Hopkins University

$58,720

Boston University

$58,560

University of Miami

$39,834

Stevens Institute of Technology

$38,076

Fordham University

$23,112

University of Detroit Mercy

$21,276

Golden Gate University

$19,620

Southern New Hampshire University

$18,900

Creighton University

$17,190

17%

Bellevue University

23%

West Texas A&M University

26%

Purdue University Global

28%

North Central College

28%

Empire State College

29%

Southern New Hampshire University

35%

Golden Gate University

35%

Youngstown State University

36%

Rowan University

37%

Johns Hopkins University

8%

University of Southern California

13%

Boston University

19%

University of Miami

28%

Stevens Institute of Technology

53%

Fordham University

58%

North Central College

68%

Auburn University

71%

University of Missouri

77%

Creighton University

78%

Johns Hopkins University

6 to 1

University of Southern California

9 to 1

Boston University

10 to 1

University of Detroit Mercy

11 to 1

11 to 1

Golden Gate University

12 to 1

University of Miami

12 to 1

Creighton University

12 to 1

Stevens Institute of Technology

12 to 1

Fordham University

13 to 1

West Texas A&M University

$6,211

Empire State College

$7,070

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

$7,770

Bellevue University

$8,310

Youngstown State University

$9,196

University of Missouri

$10,017

Auburn University

$10,080

Purdue University Global

$10,080

University of Cincinnati

$10,099

Rowan University

$10,302

West Texas A&M University

$5,086

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

$6,138

Youngstown State University

$6,453

Liberty University

$7,847

Purdue University Global

$8,730

University of Missouri

$9,950

Auburn University

$10,080

Bellevue University

$10,980

Empire State College

$11,310

University of Kentucky

$12,311

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Finance Degrees

A master’s degree in finance can help working professionals not only advance in their careers, but it can also ensure those in the industry are staying current with industry practices and standards.

This 30- to 40-credit degree can typically be completed in two to three years either online or in person.

Additionally, students often have the option to choose from a concentration, like wealth management, investment banking, international finance, and public sector finance. Although courses may vary depending on a chosen program and concentration, courses will cover topics like negotiations, risk management, business ethics, and portfolio management.

With a master’s in finance, graduates can advance to leadership roles or pursue careers like compliance officers, accountants, investment bankers, actuaries, and stockbrokers.

Learn more about what you can do with a master’s in finance.

Best Online Master's in Finance Degree Programs

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

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.

Median Salaries of Similar Careers in the U.S.

The following graph depicts the average salaries of similar occupations to Accountants and Auditors in the U.S.

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Annual Salary

70050Property Appraisers and Assessors

83980Accountants and Auditors

84240Budget Analysts

88030Credit Analysts

103020Financial and Investment Analysts

25 Best Online Master’s in Finance Degree Programs

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require some adjustment. While you’ll generally learn the same content and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, the medium will likely require you to manage much of this experience independently. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, your ability to harness the technology at your fingertips, and your ability to focus on the lectures, lessons, and assignments at hand. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take it upon yourself to build 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 is actually getting there. Taking the commute out of the equation means getting to class should be a lot more manageable. But that’s where it ends. In general, your online courses will incorporate the very same materials, concepts, and testing methods as would a traditional classroom.

And 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 or working with remote learning technology for the first time, online college may even be a little more challenging for you. For a few insights on how to manage this new 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 institutions and less-than-reputable for-profit schools. Accreditation gives you the power to differentiate between the two. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency which indicates that a college or university is meeting standards of quality, credibility, and currency. 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 which is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. When seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that students 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.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited, 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. In many cases, you will be required to navigate a bureaucracy in which some of your credits will be transferred and others will be jettisoned. However, provided that you have attended an online school with the proper regional accreditation, you should have plenty of options for transfer.

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 resume 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.

While some employers may express concern about making the adjustment from online education to in-person workplace collaboration, many other employers will 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 require some adjustment.

While there is much that can be supplanted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing which can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual classroom setting. As you make the adjustment to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face is overcoming this difference in order to the get the most out of your classes. Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. First and foremost, 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 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.

Image Attributions

Image Source for Purdue University Global