How long does it actually take to get a bachelor’s in finance online, and what are the different programs available? Like all bachelor’s degrees, most traditional online finance degrees are designed for completion within about four years of full time enrollment. At schools that follow a semester-to-semester calendar, many finance degrees last approximately 120 to 128 hours. Online programs which do not require students to attend a classroom are sometimes offered at shorter intervals of time, with up to six credit hours allowed between semesters. All finance degrees are based upon an intensive curriculum that prepares students for professional careers in financial management, but the programs themselves are not particularly lengthy.
In terms of finance specialization, the programs offered by traditional institutions tend to follow one of two distinct paths. While some finance departments offer dedicated courses for more specialized areas, such as investment banking or corporate finance, others have general education courses covering many different financial topics. If you are a prospective student, you will find that your first degree will be in accounting or finance, with related courses including statistics and math, among others. Once you have received your master’s degree, you may be able to apply for advanced degrees such as finance, which usually requires a more substantial internship than the typical one. Financing specialists who choose to further their education through online courses will typically complete these courses in the same manner as their college-going colleagues, using mostly the same financial statements and mathematics software. Financial statements and algorithms are used to analyze, simplify, or interpret financial information, and students must master the skills necessary to navigate through a variety of financial statements, from individual and company reports to corporate and government ones.
There are a number of different online finance degree plans, which are popular for reasons both academic and personal. For example, some bachelor’s degrees enable students to focus on business leadership or public policy. Other programs allow students to focus more directly on accounting or prepare students for jobs in banking, insurance, securities, or other industries. Online bachelor degree programs also often have an added benefit of providing students with financial services management training. They can take courses in financial marketing, risk management, and accounting techniques, and use these skills to enter into a variety of careers after graduation.