Finance / Investment / Real Estate / Insurance

Are you an analytical thinker?  Enjoy working with data to tell a story?  Good with numbers and intrigued by financial markets and investment vehicles? You can explore this dynamic sector which offers opportunities to work in public, corporate or personal fields in a variety of roles that are as broad as the markets themselves.

Welcome to the Finance / Investment / Real Estate / Insurance Community

Students who have an interest in numbers, money management and business may find banking, finance and investment to be a good direction to take. Commercial banks take deposits from individual and institutional customers, which they then use to extend credit to other customers. Corporate Finance professionals manage an organization’s money, including forecasting where it will come from, knowing where it is, and making recommendations for spending to ensure the greatest return. Investment banking is the term used to describe the business of raising capital for companies. When firms need cash in order to grow and expand their businesses, investment banks sell securities to public investors to raise this cash. Investment banks may work with corporations, governments, institutional investors and/or extraordinarily wealth individuals to raise capital and provide investment advice. Consulting firms and insurance corporations also hire for financial positions.  FinTech refers to technologies designed to automate and enhance financial services for businesses and consumers.  This can include mobile banking, peer-to-peer apps such as Venmo, stock trading platforms such as Robinhood, as well as blockchain technologies and cryptocurrency development and trading. Coding skills are not required, but definitely beneficial for your job prospects, so consider learning Java, C++, Ruby, etc.

Relevant Courses

Depending on your main area of interest, your academic pathway will shift. To explore this field, you can take courses that will provide you with knowledge and skills in:

  • Critical and creative thinking
  • Problem solving
  • Effective communication
  • Research
  • Quantitative Analysis

In the Relevant Courses section below are a few examples of relevant SBS courses, but we urge you to talk to your major/departmental advisor and explore available courses in SPIRE. Remember not to constrain yourself to classes within your major.  Check SPIRE for full course descriptions and availability. These are abbreviated descriptions, and details may change at the discretion of the instructor.  Courses may not be offered every semester.

Also in this section are some relevant non-academic Linkedin Learning courses that you can take for free, compliments of UMass.

What Do You Really Want To Do?

Are you uncertain of what you want to do for a career? Maybe you have a lot of ideas or maybe you are unsure of where to even start. You are not alone! In this interactive workshop, we will use …

By Odessa Burkett
Odessa Burkett Assistant Director of Career and Professional Development
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Is Life Insurance a Good Career Path?

A career in life insurance can provide you with job security, high pay, a flexible schedule, and the opportunity to work for yourself as an independent insurance agent or a salaried company employee. However, life insurance jobs may also demand …

By Robin Madell - Forage
Forage
 Showcase your skills. Find your career fit.
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How to Find and Reach Out to Recruiters on LinkedIn

While recruiters work to help companies fill their open roles, they can also help you — the job seeker — connect with roles you might be interested in and a good fit for. According to Jobscan, 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to …

By Zoe Kaplan - Forage
Forage
 Showcase your skills. Find your career fit.
Read more »

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Relevant SBS Courses

Your major does not necessarily have to be in direct line with your career! Sociology majors can work in the business sector. Economics majors can work in government. Poli Sci majors can work on Wall Street. Many SBS departments offer courses relevant to various career paths. Here is a very small sampling of courses relevant to this industry from across the majors. Please speak with your academic advisor to explore all available courses, and remember that you need not constrain yourself to courses within your major. Study what is interesting to you!

RESECON 324 – Small Business Finance

RESECON 324 – Small Business Finance

RESECON 324 – Small Business Finance: Theory and application of Entrepreneurial Finance and basic financial management for a small firm. Emphasis…
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ECON 311 – Money and Banking

ECON 311 – Money and Banking

ECON 311 – Money and Banking: The nature and functions of money and the significance of monetary circulation, commercial banks, the…
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ECON 394FI – Finance and Society

ECON 394FI – Finance and Society

ECON 394FI – Finance and Society: Students will sharpen and bring together knowledge they’ve gained about basic economic theory and apply…
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RESECON 314 – Financial Analysis for Consumers and Firm

RESECON 314 – Financial Analysis for Consumers and Firm

RESECON 314 – Financial Analysis for Consumers and Firms: Foundations of interest rate theory and fundamentals of finance. A problem-solving approach…
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COMM 250 – Interpersonal Communication

COMM 250 – Interpersonal Communication

COMM 250 – Interpersonal Communication: This course introduces non-majors to a variety of competing theories of interpersonal behavior and everyday social…
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ECON309: Game Theory

ECON309: Game Theory

ECON309: Game Theory: Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interaction among rational decision-makers. It has applications…
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POLISCI 281 – Comparative Political Economy 

POLISCI 281 – Comparative Political Economy 

POLISCI 281 – Comparative Political Economy: This course introduces core political economy concepts from both classical and modern thinkers while engaging…
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LEGAL 465 – Globalization

LEGAL 465 – Globalization

LEGAL 465 – Globalization: The globalization of law, culture, and politics. Competing arguments about the meaning and effects of globalization.…
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POLISCI 388 – Corporate Lobbying & the Global Economy

POLISCI 388 – Corporate Lobbying & the Global Economy

POLISCI 388 – Corporate Lobbying & the Global Economy: The governance of the global economy by private actors. Theoretical and empirical…
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SOCIOL 347 – Corporate Crime

SOCIOL 347 – Corporate Crime

SOCIOL 347 – Corporate Crime: The rise of the “corporate actor” in terms of social organization and social policy, and concerning…
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SBS College to Careers – SOCBEHAV 250

SBS College to Careers – SOCBEHAV 250

SOCBEHAV 250: College to Careers This class is all about YOU. • One credit, highly-participatory course • Learn about yourself…
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Skill-Building With Linkedin Learning Classes

See below for skill-building classes – visit LinkedIn Learning for more.

The Core Competencies All Employers Seek

The Core Competencies All Employers Seek

Some skills are universally sought by employers and are essential to a well functioning team.  Stand out from the crowd…
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Build a Successful Career in Project Management

Build a Successful Career in Project Management

Oliver Yarbrough
Do you want to get into project management? Maybe you’re already in project management, but you want to grow. Either…
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Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training (2021)

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training (2021)

Corey Koberg
Google Analytics 4 provides the means to track, analyze, and report on the visitors to your site and app—who they…
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Media Relations Foundations

Media Relations Foundations

Jessica Chen
View Jessica’s LinkedIn Newsletter If you want your business to succeed, you need as much brand recognition as you can…
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Emerging Leader Foundations

Emerging Leader Foundations

Dan Schawbel
View Dan’s LinkedIn Newsletter Taking on a leadership role in the diverse, ever-changing modern workplace can feel both exhilarating and…
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Learning Data Analytics: 1 Foundations

Learning Data Analytics: 1 Foundations

Robin Hunt
Are you interested in pursuing a career in data analytics? In this course, instructor Robin Hunt brings you into the…
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Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365) (2018)

Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365) (2018)

Dennis Taylor
Get up to speed with Microsoft Excel, the world’s most popular spreadsheet program. Follow along with Excel expert Dennis Taylor…
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Nonprofit Management Foundations

Nonprofit Management Foundations

Leslie Crutchfield
Thinking about leading a nonprofit organization? Internationally renowned author Leslie Crutchfield provides a primer on nonprofit management and leadership. She…
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Social Media Marketing Strategy: TikTok and Instagram Reels

Social Media Marketing Strategy: TikTok and Instagram Reels

Ashley Kennedy
If you’re in marketing, the only thing worse than not having a social media marketing strategy is having a bad…
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Creating a Business Plan

Creating a Business Plan

Mike Figliuolo
View Mike’s LinkedIn Newsletter Looking to build a business or expand one you’re already running? You’ll need to build a…
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Social Media Marketing for Small Business

Social Media Marketing for Small Business

Martin Waxman
View Martin’s LinkedIn Newsletter Small businesses can’t afford not to be active on social media. Having a Facebook, Instagram, or…
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Public Speaking Foundations

Public Speaking Foundations

Laura Bergells
Develop the skills you need to prepare and deliver an outstanding speech or presentation. In this course, Laura Bergells offers…
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Salesforce Essential Training

Salesforce Essential Training

Jamie Grettum
If you work in sales or are looking for a job in sales, chances are you need to know Salesforce,…
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Six Sigma Foundations

Six Sigma Foundations

Richard Chua
Learn how to apply Six Sigma to drive improvements in the performance of your processes, products, and services. Dr. Richard…
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Cryptocurrency Foundations (2018)

Cryptocurrency Foundations (2018)

Jonathan Reichental
View Jonathan’s LinkedIn Newsletter The digital revolution has impacted almost every aspect of our lives, including the way money is…
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Nano Tips for Using Excel with Miss Excel (2021)

Nano Tips for Using Excel with Miss Excel (2021)

Kat Norton
Welcome to our Nano Tips series, where LinkedIn Learning creators deliver impactful lessons in literally seconds. Here, join Miss Excel…
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Social Media Marketing Foundations

Social Media Marketing Foundations

Brian Honigman
Social media dramatically altered marketing by allowing businesses to directly engage with customers and vice versa. Brands that stand the…
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Learning Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies (2018)

Learning Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies (2018)

Tom Geller
Bitcoin is a form of money that only exists online. While it’s making headlines around the world, many people don’t…
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Content Marketing: Online Reviews in Social Media

Content Marketing: Online Reviews in Social Media

Melodie Tao
For business owners, online reviews are a powerful asset in your marketing toolkit that can make or break a sale,…
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How to Be More Inclusive

How to Be More Inclusive

Madecraft
Creating an inclusive workplace, where every employee feels welcomed, valued, respected, and heard, requires both structural change to your company…
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Explore Outcomes

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2022 was 70%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans.  The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students.  The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2022 was 70%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.

  • First Destination
  • Top Employers
  • Starting Salary
  • Job Titles
  • Employment Locations
  • Top Universities
  • Degree Types
  • Fields of Study

First Destination

SBS graduates pursue a range of plans after graduation, including employment, continuing education, and volunteering/service, among others.  This graph depicts what recent SBS graduates tell us they are doing within six months after graduation.

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts

Cristina Sunkel

Professionals In-Residence / Industry Experts
  • Washington, DC
  • Independent Consultant
Learn more from Cristina >
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Featured Resources

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