Business and Financial Operations Occupations·SOC 13-2099

Best degree programs for Financial Specialists, All Other, ranked by enrollment

4 college programs and 856 schools train Financial Specialists, All Other. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $81,100 median wage, 132,130 U.S. jobs. Federal data.

4 college programs at 856 schools train financial specialists, all other, graduating 57,605 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Finance, General. The job pays a median of $81,100 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Graduates / yr
57,605
from every feeder program
Median annual wage
$81,100
BLS OEWS May 2025
Projected growth
+3.1%
About as fast as average
Openings / yr
10,300
new plus replacement
Schools
856
with a feeder program
States with jobs
50
BLS reports wages

About financial specialists, all other

All financial specialists not listed separately.

Also calledInvestigatorPortfolio ManagerForensic AccountantQuantitative AnalystInvestment StrategistQuantitative Equity AnalystCertified Fraud Examiner (CFE)Special Investigations Unit Investigator (SIU Investigator)PurserAnalystAdjusterBondsman

Fields of study that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.

4 degree programs that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 52.0801
49,441
85.8%
753$53,572$23,672
2
CIP 27.0305
5,694
9.9%
127$60,930$21,143
3
CIP 52.0206
2,409
4.2%
175$43,506$25,000
4
CIP 39.0801
61
0.1%
7

Top 50 schools by graduates into this job

Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Ohio State University - Main Campus
Columbus, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
947Finance, General88%61%
2CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY Public · 2 feeder programs
886Finance, General72%48%
3Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
784Finance, General86%24%
4University of Georgia
Athens, GA Public · 2 feeder programs
598Finance, General90%38%
5University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA Public · 3 feeder programs
598Finance, General75%84%
6The University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
571Finance, General73%77%
7Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe, AZ Public · 3 feeder programs
567Finance, General68%90%
8Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus
University Park, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
554Finance, General86%61%
9The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
554Finance, General89%27%
10Florida International University
Miami, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
538Finance, General74%55%
11Rutgers University - New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs
502Finance, General84%58%
12University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
501Finance, General84%$26,58919%
13University of South Carolina - Columbia
Columbia, SC Public · 2 feeder programs
485Finance, General79%60%
14University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
479Finance, General95%$19,45211%
15University of Houston
Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
472Finance, General65%74%
16Miami University - Oxford
Oxford, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
469Finance, General80%75%
17University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
469Finance, General78%40%
18Texas A&M University - College Station
College Station, TX Public · 3 feeder programs
462Finance, General84%57%
19University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign
Champaign, IL Public · 2 feeder programs
459Finance, General85%42%
20University of South Florida
Tampa, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
457Finance, General77%43%
21Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
457Financial Mathematics94%$14,12612%
22University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR Public · 1 feeder programs
456Finance, General71%74%
23Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
454Finance, General86%$33,10614%
24Purdue University Global
West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs
444Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management50%
25University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Amherst, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
422Finance, General83%60%
26Bentley University
Waltham, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
414Finance, General87%$31,67745%
27Auburn University
Auburn, AL Public · 1 feeder programs
407Finance, General82%46%
28Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI Public · 2 feeder programs
402Finance, General81%85%
29University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
399Finance, General69%80%
30The University of Texas at Dallas
Richardson, TX Public · 2 feeder programs
397Finance, General76%65%
31University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD Public · 2 feeder programs
391Finance, General89%45%
32University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN Public · 3 feeder programs
388Finance, General85%80%
33Clemson University
Clemson, SC Public · 1 feeder programs
379Finance, General87%38%
34Georgetown University
Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
378Finance, General95%$22,24213%
35Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX Public · 1 feeder programs
364Finance, General69%73%
36University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY Public · 3 feeder programs
364Finance, General71%93%
37University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT Public · 2 feeder programs
360Finance, General65%86%
38Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA Public · 2 feeder programs
360Finance, General86%55%
39Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
357Finance, General43%$34,565100%
40The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Knoxville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs
353Finance, General74%42%
41University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Cincinnati, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
349Finance, General75%85%
42Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
336Finance, General91%$21,12616%
43Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL Public · 2 feeder programs
334Finance, General63%66%
44University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
328Finance, General90%45%
45Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
326Finance, General84%$33,24663%
46University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT Public · 3 feeder programs
325Finance, General83%52%
47University of Florida
Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs
314Finance, General91%24%
48Grand Canyon University
Phoenix, AZ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
306Finance, General43%$21,53579%
49Georgia State University
Atlanta, GA Public · 3 feeder programs
305Finance, General53%55%
50DePaul University
Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
304Finance, General68%$28,14176%

What financial specialists, all other earn

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual wage
$81,100
Mean annual
$93,810
Median hourly
$38.99/hr
People employed
132,130
What the range looks like
10th pct$48,460Median$81,10090th pct$151,490

Top-paying metro areas

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$109,580median
11,950 jobs
Lexington Park, MD
$132,620median
720 jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
$100,950median
960 jobs
Texarkana, TX-AR
$71,450median
40 jobs
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$120,580median
5,820 jobs
Chambersburg, PA
$111,530median
40 jobs
Huntsville, AL
$104,440median
170 jobs
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
$110,740median
1,040 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+3.1%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
10,300
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
4,300
137,100 → 141,400
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Where the jobs are, state by state

Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.

This occupation state by state: pay, jobs, and schools
StateMedian payJobsConcentrationSchoolsGraduates / yr
Texas$71,65013,5501.13×575,260
Florida$61,6606,9600.82×364,570
Ohio$90,0604,1700.89×393,121
New York$107,4909,7501.18×553,017
Pennsylvania$78,6104,0300.78×572,851
Massachusetts$99,970362,640
Illinois$81,1805,8501.13×352,157
New Jersey$98,6305,5101.51×211,736
Indiana$92,4101,9300.71×271,735
California$80,81014,2900.92×351,728
Arizona$81,1809100.33×81,642
Georgia$77,5404,0700.98×201,633
Michigan$75,0402,6200.70×311,571
Wisconsin$64,4201,6200.65×251,402
North Carolina$80,9004,1901.00×201,341
Alabama$87,1105300.30×161,314
South Carolina$76,4009300.48×111,200
Utah$76,5303,1202.12×101,154
Minnesota$83,2808200.33×291,089
Iowa$79,3901,2200.92×141,076
Virginia$92,9305,0701.45×171,069
Tennessee$69,2402,4200.87×241,036
Louisiana$59,8602,9901.82×12997
Missouri$75,8002,7101.08×28995
Washington$80,9302,9100.96×10784
Maryland$101,4003,7901.62×9772
Kansas$51,1601,1400.93×16748
Kentucky$65,6906900.41×12723
District of Columbia$125,1102,4604.12×6713
Arkansas$60,6003700.34×13656
Oklahoma$76,9809200.63×12638
Rhode Island$78,9905101.20×8625
Colorado$87,4304,0301.65×9616
Delawaremoderate$80,6101,3303.24×4473
New Hampshire$83,5904200.73×7434
Mississippi$73,9204000.41×7413
Nebraska$66,2904800.56×7387
Oregon$83,0809000.54×9369
Nevadalimited$61,9301,2200.92×2281
Idahomoderate$79,4402100.29×3226
North Dakota$78,2601500.40×5192
Hawaiilimited$77,1908401.58×1158
Maine$109,0601,2502.29×5136
West Virginiamoderate$86,2009201.55×4132
South Dakota$86,260900.22×5113
Wyominglimited$75,8101000.43×170
New Mexicolimited$80,6107200.98×235
Montanalimited$76,3502700.61×234
Alaskalimited$77,0701300.47×115
Vermontlimited$75,2702300.88×113

Skills and tools

From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.

What they do day to day

  • Apply mathematical or statistical techniques to address practical issues in finance, such as derivative valuation, securities trading, risk management, or financial market regulation.
  • Research or develop analytical tools to address issues such as portfolio construction or optimization, performance measurement, attribution, profit and loss measurement, or pricing models.
  • Interpret results of financial analysis procedures.
  • Develop core analytical capabilities or model libraries, using advanced statistical, quantitative, or econometric techniques.
  • Define or recommend model specifications or data collection methods.
  • Produce written summary reports of financial research results.
  • Maintain or modify all financial analytic models in use.
  • Provide application or analytical support to researchers or traders on issues such as valuations or data.

Skills

  • Critical Thinking4.1
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Writing3.8
  • Active Learning3.8
  • Mathematics3.7
  • Monitoring3.1

Knowledge areas

  • Economics and Accounting4.1
  • Mathematics4.1
  • English Language3.7
  • Computers and Electronics3.7
  • Law and Government3.0
  • Administration and Management2.9

Abilities

  • Written Expression4.1
  • Written Comprehension4.0
  • Oral Comprehension4.0
  • Deductive Reasoning3.9
  • Problem Sensitivity3.9
  • Oral Expression3.9

Core activities

  • Getting Information4.6
  • Working with Computers4.6
  • Analyzing Data or Information4.6
  • Processing Information4.4
  • Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.3
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.2

Tools and technology

hotmarks an O*NET hot technology
Microsoft AccesshotMicrosoft ExcelhotMicrosoft Office softwarehotMicrosoft PowerPointhotMicrosoft SQL ServerhotMicrosoft VisiohotPythonhotRhotSAShotStructured query language SQLhot

How to get in

How to become a Financial Specialist, All Other

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 4 majors mapped to Financial Specialists, All Other4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 27.0305Financial Mathematics
  • 39.0801Religious Institution Administration and Management
  • 52.0206Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management
  • 52.0801Finance, General

Related careers

Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.

Common questions

What degree do you need to become a Financial Specialist, All Other?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Finance, General, which awarded 49,441 degrees in 2024-25, 85.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Financial Specialist, All Other?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Finance and Financial Management Services, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Religious Institution Administration and Law. Together they graduate about 57,605 people a year.

How much do financial specialists, all other earn?+

The median is $81,100 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $48,460 at the 10th percentile to $151,490 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for financial specialists, all other growing?+

BLS projects a +3.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 10,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career?+

856 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do financial specialists, all other work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Investigator, Portfolio Manager, Forensic Accountant, Quantitative Analyst, Investment Strategist, Quantitative Equity Analyst among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-2099.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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