The Best Online Bachelor's Degrees in Finance

With an enrollment of about 18,000 students, Penn State World Campus is the second largest campus in the Pennsylvania State University system. Through partnerships with Penn State's academic colleges and units, Penn State World Campus offers more than 150 degree and certificate programs.

The Bachelor of Science in Finance degree program features a comprehensive curriculum, providing students with a solid foundation in principles of economics, business and accounting. This program has an in-depth focus on knowledge and issues of finance.

Designed to prepare graduates to pursue or advance careers in financial analysis, banking, personal financial planning, or security analysis, the program helps students develop conceptual and analytical skills needed to add value to finance-based positions.

The Bachelor of Science in Finance degree program prepares graduates for the Chartered Financial Analyst or Certified Financial Planner designations. The CFA Institute University Affiliation Program has accepted the online finance degree program.

Credit requirements: 120

Core courses: Students complete 89-92 credits required for the major, including:

• Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Corporation Finance
• Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy
• Investment and Portfolio Analysis
• Basic Management Concepts
• International Finance

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Students entering the Finance major must have completed at least 29.1 credits. Students also must have earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher on several pre-requisite courses.

A current Penn State student must hold at least a 2.0 GPA to enter the major.

Applicants must submit high school or GED transcripts and official college or university transcripts, if applicable. International students also must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores.

Accreditation: Penn State World Campus received accreditation from AACSB.

Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies has a history of providing access to education to those older than 22 years old as well as part-time students. The college offers a range of academic programs that incorporate theory and practice and provide a rich academic curriculum for today's working professionals and ambitious learners.

Designed to prepare students to manage budgets, leverage assets, maximize investments and achieve financial efficiencies, the Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting Management degree completion program integrates accounting, finance, globalization, technology, sustainability and the impact of new forms of regulation with an experiential learning experience in the accounting and financial industries.

Credit requirements: 120 total semester hours; students must earn at least 60 semester hours at Northeastern University

Core courses: 28 semester hours of major courses, including:

• Cost Accounting
• Principles of Taxation
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Financial Reporting and Analysis 1 and 2
• Risk Management and Insurance
• Financial Institutions and Markets
• Investments
• Business Strategy capstone course

Admissions and transfer credit information: The University offers three entry dates per year. Applicants must submit official high school or GED transcripts as well as official associate degree transcripts.

Northeastern University considers awarding transfer credits for courses with at least a C or 2.0 course grade. Credits earned in science and technology are valid for seven years; the University applies credit earned more than seven years ago as open electives.

Accreditation: Northeastern University and its programs have accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham's Collat School of Business offers an engaging learning environment. Students gain real-world experiences through an award-winning faculty that integrates practical experiences into its programs as well as a number of internship opportunities.

The Collat School offers dozens of undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, including 10 programs students can complete 100 percent online.

The Collat School's Bachelor of Science in Finance degree helps students develop strong mathematical skills, business savvy and social perceptiveness needed to lead in the finance career field. The curriculum features technology-driven instructional methods.

Credit requirements: 51 to 55 credit hours

Core courses include:

• Equity Portfolio Management
• Principles of Real Estate
• Basic Marketing
• Fundamentals of Financial Management
• Management Processes and Behavior
• Operations Management
• International Financial Management
• Strategic Management Capstone Experience

Online instruction style: Asynchronous

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must submit official high school transcripts and ACT or SAT scores. The school offers three start dates each year - fall, spring and summer.

Transfer students must submit official transcripts from each college or university they've attended. They must hold a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher after completing 24 semester hours of transferrable college-level work and be in good academic standing at all of the colleges they've attended.

Candidates with fewer than 24 credits of transferrable work also must meet minimum admission requirements for entering freshmen.

Accreditation: The Collat School of Business holds AACSB accreditation.

The University of Houston, Clear Lake's College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs designed to create leaders for today's business challenges. Students receive individualized instruction and a curriculum focused on rigorous academics and wide-ranging industry experiences.

The Bachelor of Science in Finance degree completion program allows students to gain hands-on experience through projects and case studies.

As a degree-completion program, students must have completed freshman-level and sophomore-level requirements before pursuing the finance major.

Credit requirements: 90 hours

Core courses: 48 hours of business core courses, including:

• Principles of Accounting I and II
• Business Calculus
• Principles of Microeconomics
• Business Principles
• Money and Banking
• Management Theory and Practice
• Principles of Marketing
• Written Communication in Business
• Strategic Management capstone course

Admissions and transfer credit information: The School offers three admission deadlines - fall, spring and summer. Applicants to the online finance degree must submit official transcripts for every college or university they've attended.

Accreditation: The UHCL College of Business' degree programs have accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The Anderson College of Business builds on Regis University's Jesuit tradition of values-based experiential learning and cultivates leaders of integrity.

The College offers nearly two dozen degree programs, including many degree programs students can complete online or with an accelerated format.

With a focus on current trends, techniques and practices of modern corporate finance, the Bachelor of Science in Finance degree program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of financial management. The program examines effective financial management, such as forecasting and planning, financial analysis, and managing technologies for business strategies.

The online bachelor's degree in finance prepares graduates for careers in investment companies, banks, consulting firms, government agencies and corporations, among others. The program also prepares graduates for specialty certificates such as the Series 7.

Students also can work on their Bachelor of Science in Finance in tandem with one of the College's graduate degree programs.

Credit requirements: 120 credit hours

Core courses: 63 to 64 credit hours, including:

• Principles of Accounting I and II
• Introduction to Business
• Marketing Principles
• Business and Professional Communication
• Principles of Macroeconomics
• Money and Banking
• Fundamentals of Investments
• Advanced Corporate Finance
• Business Policy and Strategy (or Capstone Applied Project)

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, transferrable credit from a regionally accredited college or university, and evidence of work experience. Applicants must submit official transcripts and a personal statement essay.

Students can transfer up to 87 credits toward their degree program.

Accreditation: Regis University receives accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission.

Southern New Hampshire University offers more than 200 programs ranging from certificates to doctorates, including those in education, business and STEM. The University boasts more than 90,000 online students.

The online Bachelor's degree in Finance prepares graduates for entry-level to mid-level finance positions in a range of industries. The program incorporates ethical and legal practices with real-world experience.

Students receive a solid foundation in core business knowledge with an emphasis on communication, collaboration, entrepreneurial thinking, global orientation, and personal and social responsibility.

The University offers an accelerated BS-to-MS pathway option, which enables students to take up to two graduate-level courses during their bachelor's program.

Credit requirements: 120 total credits

Core courses: 30 credits of Business Core, such as:

• Financial Markets
• Corporate Finance
• Multinational Corporate Finance
• Fundamentals of Investments
• Wealth Management
• Financial Regulations and Ethics
• Finance Capstone Course

Online instruction style: Asynchronous

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must submit official transcripts from any schools they've attended. The university offers rolling admissions with six undergraduate terms. Students can transfer up to 90 credits toward an undergraduate degree.

Accreditation: SNHU receives accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

Missouri State University's Finance and General Business Department provides students the opportunity to gain real-world experience through internships. The Department designed the programs to help students work toward professional designations before graduation.

The Bachelor's degree in Finance helps students develop the skills to become a money manager. The program prepares graduates to serve as caretakers of monetary, investments and real estate affairs of people, companies and agencies.

Credit requirements: 120

Core courses: 32-33 hours of major requirements, including:

• Financial Markets and Intermediaries
• Intermediate Financial Management
• Investments
• Principles of Risk Management and Insurance
• Business Enterprises, Rights/Liabilities
• Principles of Real Estate
• Legal Environment of Business Organizations for Professionals
• Financial Decision Making
• Management of Financial Institutions

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must hold a high school diploma or its equivalent and meet core curriculum requirements. Students who hold college credit must also have at least a 2.0 GPA in those courses.

Applicants must submit official transcripts. The College of Business considers students in good standing for admission to a specific degree program upon the completion of at least 54 hours including at least ten of the preparation courses.

Students who've completed an Associate of Arts in Business degree meet the general education requirements.

Accreditation: Missouri State University, Springfield holds AACSB International accreditation.

The Dallas Baptist University's College of Professional Studies has a history of meeting the demands of adult learners. With a Christ-centered scholarship, the University blends academic learning with biblical faith.

The Bachelor of Business Studies in Finance program incorporates the latest technologies. The curriculum features a field-based service-learning component.

Credit requirements: 120 total credits

Core courses: 30 credit hours, including:

• Principles of Financial Accounting
• Principles of Managerial Accounting
• Securities Analysis
• Business and Public Law
• Information Systems for Management
• Corporate Financial Management
• Principles of Marketing

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must submit official transcripts from all colleges they've attended and a personal statement.

Students with fewer than 30 transferable credit hours also must submit an official high school transcript or GED documentation. Students must complete 30 of the last 36 credit hours at DBU.

Accreditation: Dallas Baptist University received accreditation for the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.

The University of Minnesota Crookston's Business Department helps students develop their ability to recognize and solve business and organizational challenges. Students also gain a stronger understanding of the role marketing, business, entrepreneurship, and finance play in the world.

With more than a dozen business-related majors and minors, the Business Department features a stimulating, technology-rich, student-centered learning and teaching environment.

The Bachelor of Science in Finance program gives students the skills and knowledge to understand dimensions of performance and risk relevant to financial services companies; describe and apply financial theories, concepts and tools; and evaluate the role of technology and the legal, economic and ethical environment as it relates to financial services.

The online finance degree program helps students develop strong technology and communication skills.

Credit requirements: 120

Core courses: 65 credits within the major, including:

• Intermediate Accounting
• Corporate Finance
• Estate Planning
• Income Tax I and II
• Business Ethics
• Business law
• Investments
• Money, Banking and Financial Institutions
• Introduction to Management Information Systems
• Business Analytics
• Financial Modeling and Valuation

Online instruction style: Asynchronous

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must submit official high school or college transcripts, if applicable, as well as official SAT or ACT scores. The program requires summer terms.

Accreditation: The Business Department is a candidate for accreditation from the ACBSP.

DeSales University's Division of Business offers future business leaders the opportunity to engage in meaningful, real-world business challenges, providing relevant experience employers respect.

The ACBSP accredited finance program combines a comprehensive exploration of the field with a strong foundation in the tenets of business, such as economics, accounting, law, and marketing, as well as real-world experience through hands-on projects in different courses. DeSales offers a CFP Board Registered track in financial planning in addition to the core business track.

The Bachelor in Finance online program helps students hone strong communication and critical-thinking skills.

Credit requirements: 120 credits

Core courses: 16 required courses for the major, such as:

• Financial Management
• Money and Banking
• Financial Markets and Institutions
• Investments and Portfolio Management
• Financial Accounting
• Principles of Microeconomics
• Principles of Macroeconomics
• The Legal Environment of Business
• Senior Seminar
• Internships

Online instruction style: Asynchronous and synchronous

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must submit official transcripts as well as SAT or ACT scores.

DeSales University accepts up to 75 transfer credits as well as credit for experience.

Accreditation: DeSales University has accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

Metropolitan State University's College of Management offers student-centered undergraduate, graduate and continuing education programs designed to serve a diverse student population.

Through an applied, globally oriented curriculum, the program helps graduates achieve career goals as strategic and ethical leaders and managers in government, business and non-profit organizations.

The online Bachelor's degree in Finance integrates theory and real-world application. The program helps students gain proficiency in financial theory and application as well as enhance their critical-thinking, quantitative and communication skills.

Credit requirements: 120 credits

Core courses: 20 credits of business core:

• Introduction to Operations Management
• Management Principles and Practices
• Principles of Finance
• Principles of Management Information Systems
• Marketing Principles

Students also complete a Case Studies in Strategic Management capstone course.

Admissions and transfer credit information: Before declaring the finance major, students must complete foundation courses with a C- or better. Students must complete at least 20 credits from the business core, major required courses, major electives and capstone courses at Metropolitan State.

Applicants must submit transcriptions and official test scores.

Metropolitan State University offers rolling admissions.

Transfer students must have at least 16 transferable college-level semester credits attempted with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

Accreditation: Metropolitan State University holds ACBSP accreditation.

Upper Iowa University's School of Business and Professional Studies offers undergraduate majors as well as a Master of Business Administration degree. Through the School of Business, students can complete majors in accounting, graphic design, marketing, and financial management, among others.

Designed to prepare graduates for careers in public or private companies, the online Major in Financial Management helps students develop skills to manage and foster teamwork, create and understand financial statements, provide analytical assessment of financial opportunities, and conduct financial analysis and management.

Credit requirements: 120 semester credits

Core courses: 39 credits of business core as well as 18 credits of Financial Management core courses, such as:

• Money and Capital Markets
• Investments
• Intermediate Financial Management
• International Finance
• Personal Financial Management
• Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management
• Cost Accounting
• International Finance
• Public Finance
• Intermediate Financial Accounting

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must have graduated from a regionally accredited or state-recognized high school or completed a GED equivalent. Students must have at least a 2.0 grade point average on any previous college coursework.

Applicants must submit official transcripts from any high school or college they've attended as well as official transcripts documenting experiential learning.

Students can transfer up to 78 credits from an accredited two-year college or up to 90 credits from a four-year college. Students also can earn up to 30 semester credits for prior learning experience.

Accreditation: UIU receives accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission.

National University's School of Business and Management offers flexible online and on-campus programs, including degrees in finance and economics, accounting, leadership and human resource management, and marketing and management.

The School offers four-week classes so students can focus on one subject at a time and earn their degree faster.

The online Bachelor of Science in Financial Management degree program provides students with a broad perspective of the global financial and economic environment. The program also enables students to gain hands-on experience and develop strong critical-thinking, analytical and communication skills.

Credit requirements: 180 quarter units

Core courses: 11 courses/49.5 quarter units of core finance courses, such as:

• Financial Institutions
• Investments
• Working Capital Management
• Risk Management and Insurance
• Analysis of Financial Statement
• Valuation of a Corporation
• Capital Structure and Financing
• Financial Planning
• Financial Project (Capstone)

Online instruction style: Asynchronous

Admissions and transfer credit information: National University offers rolling admissions and classes start monthly.

Students must complete at least 45 quarter units at National University. Applicants who have not earned an associate's degree or have completed less than 90 quarter (60 semester) units of transferable college credit must have graduated from high school, passed a high school-level proficiency test or received a GED.

Accreditation: National University has accreditation from the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education.

Purdue Global offers more than a dozen undergraduate degree and certificate programs, such as those in business administration, accounting, cybersecurity and information technology, among others.

The online Bachelor of Science in Finance degree program focuses on helping students gain technical skills and knowledge in a host of financial areas. Students develop an understanding of factors that influence financial decision-making.

The rigorous curriculum incorporates assignments, presentations, reports and group projects to help students gain skills needed to solve real-life financial problems.

Credit requirements: 180 credits

Core courses: 106 credits, including:

• Accounting I and II
• Macroeconomics
• Microeconomics
• Finance
• Corporate Finance
• Financial Markets
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Investments
• Business Law
• Internship or Capstone course

Admissions and transfer credit information: Purdue Global offers multiple start dates each year. Applicants must hold a high school diploma, a GED certificate or its equivalent.

Accreditation: Purdue Global holds ACBSP accreditation.

Founded more than 70 years ago, University of Maryland has a long history of serving working adults and military personnel. The School offers a range of undergraduate and graduate programs with free digital course materials.

The online Bachelor's in Finance degree program helps students develop the expertise to apply finance theory to real-world situations. The curriculum combines a foundation in economic, business and accounting principles with an in-depth focus on finance and financial management through case studies.

The CFP Board-approved course of study prepares students to sit for the Certified Financial Planner exam.

Credit requirements: 120

Core courses: 33 credits, including:

• Management and Organization Theory
• Principles of Accounting I and II
• Business Finance
• Risk Management
• Financial Management
• International Finance
• Money and Banking
• Security Analysis and Valuation
• Contemporary Issues in Finance Practice (Capstone Course)

Online instruction style: Asynchronous

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must submit proof of high school graduation or its equivalent. Applicants who provide official college transcripts with at least 24 semester hours of transferrable college credit are not required to submit high school transcripts or GED scores.

Students can transfer up to 70 credits from community colleges or 90 credits from four-year colleges and universities.

Accreditation: University of Maryland University College holds accreditation from the International Accreditation Council for Business Education.

Franklin University, one of the largest private universities in Ohio, has a long history of helping adult learners finish their degrees.

The online Bachelor of Science in Financial Management degree program teaches students to analyze an organization's financial performance to ensure good financial health.

Students gain knowledge and skills in forecasting and financial analysis, cash management, international finance, portfolio management, and financial risk management. Students also gain real-world experience through a capstone assignment.

Credit requirements: 124 semester hours

Core courses: 20 hours in the major area, such as:

• Money, Banking and Financial Markets
• Investments
• Advanced Financial Management
• Global Finance
• Financial Policy Seminar

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must submit official high school transcripts or the equivalent and official college or university transcripts, if applicable. Students who hold 24 hours of transferable credit do not need to submit a high school transcript.

Students must complete at least 30 credit hours at Franklin University. Franklin will accept up to 94 credit hours of transferable credit.

Accreditation: Franklin University holds IACBE accreditation.

Post University's Malcolm Baldridge School of Business offers a range of market-relevant online programs designed to provide students with the abilities and skills for business careers.

The online Bachelor of Science in Finance degree program enables students to develop their skills in analyzing financial situations, determining potential problems and making suitable and profitable solutions.

Students in this finance degree learn about the global, ethical and cultural environments businesses operate in and gain foundational knowledge in communication, business fundamentals and ethics, financial policy making, and more.

The online finance program also prepares graduates to sit for the Series 6 and Series 7 Financial Industry Regulatory Authority exams.

Students in the online finance degree program can tailor the degree program to their personal and professional goals through completing a concentration in financial services and banking, personal financial planning, or corporate finance, among others.

Credit requirements: 120 credits

Core courses: 54 credits, including:

• Principles of Finance
• Corporate Finance
• Personal Financial Planning
• Managerial Accounting
• Investment Management
• Insurance and Risk Management
• Quantitative Analysis

Admissions and transfer credit information: Applicants must submit an official high school transcript or proof of GED or its equivalent. Applicants also must participate in an admissions interview.

Students with less than a 2.0 cumulative GPA also must submit a personal statement.

Post University accepts up to 90 credits toward a bachelor's degree and up to 45 credits toward an associate's degree from students transferring from a four-year institution.

Post University accepts up to 75 credits toward a bachelor's degree and up to 45 credits toward an associate degree from students transferring from a two-year institution.

Accreditation: Post University holds ACBSP accreditation.