About the Department

Finance is a field about money. Businesses around the world need money in order to invest in the assets needed to produce their products. Individuals provide these funds for business through their savings in financial institutions and their purchases of bonds and stocks. People trained in finance help businesses decide which assets to buy and how to raise the money to pay for them. Finance professionals also help individuals select from the many investment alternatives available to them (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and many others). Finance majors may specialize in a variety of areas, including corporate finance, investments, banking, real estate, insurance, and financial planning. Jobs in finance typically involve financial analysis or sales, or a combination of the two. Financial analysis involves working with data in order to evaluate investments or financing sources. Sales involves working with people in order to help them select investments or financial services. Most jobs involve working with both numbers and people.