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.

20+ Business Analyst Skills for Your Resume in 2023

Business analysts bridge the gap between business and information technology (IT), helping companies make better and more informed data-driven decisions. The most crucial business analyst skills include a mix of technical abilities and interpersonal skills — a successful analyst must be …

Read more

Business Analyst vs. Project Manager: What’s the Difference?

You may have decided your career path lies in business, but you aren’t sure exactly what you want to do. While you enjoy examining data and drawing conclusions, you also like following through and making sure certain projects are complete. …

Read more

20+ Top Fintech Companies of 2023

The top fintech companies use technology to automate or improve financial services. But what are fintech companies and what do they really do?

Some well-known companies, like Mastercard and Visa, are considered fintech businesses because they rely on technology to …

Read more

Sidebar

Virtual Job Simulations

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: Theory and application of Entrepreneurial Finance and basic financial management for a small firm. Emphasis…

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…

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…

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…

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…

ECON309: Game Theory

ECON309: Game Theory: Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interaction among rational decision-makers. It has applications…

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…

LEGAL 465 – Globalization

LEGAL 465 – Globalization: The globalization of law, culture, and politics. Competing arguments about the meaning and effects of globalization.…

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…

SOCIOL 347 – Corporate Crime

SOCIOL 347 – Corporate Crime: The rise of the “corporate actor” in terms of social organization and social policy, and concerning…

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…

Skill-Building With Linkedin Learning Classes

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

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…

Build a Successful Career in Project Management

Taught by Oliver Yarbrough
Do you want to get into project management? Maybe you’re already in project management, but you want to grow. Either…

Media Relations Foundations

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

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Essential Training (2021)

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

Excel Essential Training (Microsoft 365) (2018)

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

Learning Data Analytics: 1 Foundations

Taught by Robin Hunt
Are you interested in pursuing a career in data analytics? In this course, instructor Robin Hunt brings you into the…

Nonprofit Management Foundations

Taught by Leslie Crutchfield
Thinking about leading a nonprofit organization? Internationally renowned author Leslie Crutchfield provides a primer on nonprofit management and leadership. She…

Social Media Marketing Strategy: TikTok and Instagram Reels

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

Emerging Leader Foundations

Taught by Dan Schawbel
View Dan’s LinkedIn Newsletter Taking on a leadership role in the diverse, ever-changing modern workplace can feel both exhilarating and…

Excel: Introduction to Formulas and Functions

Taught by Curt Frye
To unlock the power of Excel, you need to use formulas and functions. These calculation tools help you bring information…

Outlook Quick Tips (2017)

Taught by Nick Brazzi
Get quick answers to your most urgent Outlook questions. These short tutorials help users work faster and smarter with Outlook,…

ArcGIS Pro Essential Training (2019)

Taught by Gordon Luckett
ArcGIS Pro is a popular geographic information system (GIS) that combines the power of 2D and 3D mapping with cloud-based…

Public Speaking Foundations

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

Financial Modeling Foundations

Taught by Michael McDonald
By distilling key information regarding cash flow levels and risks, financial modeling helps decision-makers make informed choices based on data…

Marketing on LinkedIn: The Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide

Taught by Alex Rynne
It’s a great time to be on LinkedIn. Businesses are seeing better engagement and ROI on LinkedIn than ever. So…

Social Media Marketing Foundations (2020)

Taught by Brian Honigman
Social media dramatically altered marketing by allowing businesses to directly engage with customers and vice versa. Brands that stand the…

LinkedIn Quick Tips (2019)

Taught by Oliver Schinkten
This collection of LinkedIn quick tip videos is designed to demonstrate helpful tricks, explain useful features, and provide quick answers…

Understanding Capital Markets

Taught by Michael McDonald
Capital markets are a crucial area of finance—and investors aren’t the only ones impacted. Retirement, buying a house, and long-term…

Learn Emotional Intelligence, the Key Determiner of Success

Taught by Big Think
Explore the four domains of emotional intelligence—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management—as defined by psychologist and author Daniel Goleman.…

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Essential Training

Taught by Adam Wilbert
Master the fundamentals of SQL Server 2019, the industry-leading database management platform from Microsoft. In this course, instructor Adam Wilbert…

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 >

Featured Resources