What can you do with a Finance degree from Oakland University?

First, some facts. Of the Finance graduates from Oakland University we've analyzed , here's how many have used (or NOT used) their degree in their career:


These are estimates based on AI analysis of 18 LinkedIn profiles (see below).

The verdict? Slightly above average. Overall, with an average relevance score of 72%, Finance graduates from Oakland University have a slightly higher likelihood (+5%) of finding work in this field compared to the average graduate across all fields:

Average score: 72%
Average relevance score across all fields: 67%

And for comparison, here's the chart for all profiles we've looked at across all degrees.

× Chart

Also, after graduating, only 11% of these graduates have pursued further education other than another Bachelor's degree (such as a Masters degree or other), compared to the average across all profiles of 35%. This suggests a Bachelors degree is enough for most Finance graduates, and it's normal to look for work straight after graduation.

See the details:

View a random Finance graduate from Oakland University and our analysis:


Relevance score: 100%

We think this person has gone into a career highly relevant to their degree.

DEGREE INFO

Graduated in 2023 from Oakland University with a Bachelor of Business Administration - BBA in Finance. No other secondary education since.

JOB HISTORY SINCE GRADUATION
Relationship Banker
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Apr 2023 - Present
The role of a Relationship Banker at JPMorgan Chase & Co. directly utilizes financial knowledge and skills acquired through the Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, as it involves managing client relationships and financial products.

ABOUT

Hi! Im a Relationship Banker at Chase Bank and a recent grad from Oakland University. At 22, Im full of energy and ready to dive deeper into the world of finance. Im on a path to become a Financial Advisor and Im excited to learn and grow every step of the way. Lets connect!

What jobs can you get with a Finance degree from Oakland University?

The top 10 most common jobs done by the graduates we've analyzed (ranked most common to least) are:


After looking through all these job profiles, it’s clear that graduates from Oakland University with a degree in Finance have landed in a variety of roles, but the relevance of these positions to their finance education is pretty mixed. Many have entered fields such as logistics and sales, where some finance knowledge is helpful but isn’t the main focus. For example, roles like "Driver Productivity Coordinator" at Central Transport or "Regional Business Analyst" at Volkswagen Financial Services involve operational tasks that may touch on finance lightly, but don't dive deep into the core financial analysis or strategical decision-making that finance graduates are trained for.

On the flip side, there are positions that closely align with finance skills, like "Mortgage Underwriter," "Financial Analyst," or "Corporate Finance Analyst." These jobs leverage the financial acumen graduates developed during their studies, really putting their education to use in analyzing data, managing finances, or evaluating risk. It seems like while some graduates are finding fulfilling work directly tied to their finance degree, others are veering off into areas where their education isn’t fully utilized. Overall, it's a mix, and it shows that while a finance degree can open many doors, not every job will make the most of it!

Here is a visual representation of the most common words in job titles for Finance graduates (this is across all Finance graduates we've analyzed, not just those who went to Oakland University):

What kind of career trajectories do Finance graduates from Oakland University have? What do they do 1, 5 or 10 years out?

When you look at the LinkedIn profiles of Oakland University finance graduates, a pretty clear picture of their career paths starts to emerge. Most of these folks seem to land finance-related jobs relatively quickly after graduation. Common first roles include positions like analysts, underwriters, and associates at financial institutions such as banks and mortgage companies. These positions are generally seen as foundational in building a solid finance career. It’s encouraging to see that many graduates are avoiding jobs completely unrelated to their field right out of college, which can be pretty common for new grads.

Fast forward five to ten years, and many of these alumni stick with finance or related areas, moving up into roles like senior analysts, managers, or even directors. Some have shifted a bit but still stayed close to finance, like moving into sales and business development. A handful of graduates have ventured into more niche areas, such as legal counsel or quality assurance, but most seem to be thriving in roles that leverage their finance degrees. Overall, they appear to have built successful careers within the finance sector, benefiting from their education at Oakland University and the strong foundational skills it provides.

How hard is a Finance degree from Oakland University?

Honestly, a Bachelor’s degree in Finance at Oakland University, or really anywhere, can be a bit of a mix—it’s not a walk in the park, but it’s definitely manageable if you stay on top of things. You'll dive into some math-heavy stuff, like accounting and statistics, and you’ll probably have to wrangle with financial theories and market analysis, which can be tricky at times. But if you’ve got a good grasp of basic math and are willing to put in the effort, it’s totally doable. Just remember, like any degree, it can get tough with projects and exams, but if you stay organized and seek help when you need it, you’ll be just fine!

How long does it take?

Most commonly, in the LinkedIn profiles we've looked at, it takes people 4 years to finish a Bachelor degree in Finance.

Do Finance graduates from Oakland University tend to make good money?

Based on the LinkedIn profiles of these Oakland University graduates, it seems like a mixed bag when it comes to how much money they've been making. A few of them, like the ones who landed positions in finance at places like Stellantis and Flagstar Bank, likely pulled in solid salaries, especially at higher roles like Senior Analysts and Managers. Others, especially those in more entry-level or support roles in lending or logistics, may not have seen staggering paychecks right away. However, it looks like many of them have progressed over time into roles that likely pay better, which is promising for their career trajectories. Overall, it’s reasonable to say that many seem to be doing alright, especially as they move up the ladder, but it varies quite a bit across the different career paths.

What buzzwords do Finance graduates use to describe themselves?

Here is a visual representation of the most common words seen in the "about" section of LinkedIn profiles who have a Bachelor degree in Finance (this is across all Finance graduates we've analyzed, not just those who went to Oakland University). This may or may not be useful:

What are the best colleges for Finance?

Here are all colleges offering a Bachelor degree in Finance (ordered by the average relevance score of their Finance graduates, best to worst) where we have analyzed at least 10 of their graduates:

College Score Count
University of Dayton 94 18
Central Michigan University 90 10
Isenberg School of Management, UMass Amherst 90 14
Loyola University Maryland 88 13
University of Connecticut 87 10
Seton Hall University 87 11
University of Florida - Warrington College of Business 87 14
Indiana University Bloomington 86 27
California State University-Long Beach 85 10
University of San Diego 85 11
University of Georgia - Terry College of Business 85 36
University of Wisconsin-Madison 84 13
Brigham Young University 84 19
Northeastern University 84 10
The University of Texas at Dallas 84 26
University of Illinois at Chicago 84 13
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 83 17
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 83 17
Indiana University - Kelley School of Business 83 23
Xavier University 83 11
University of Houston, C.T. Bauer College of Business 82 14
Texas A&M University 81 64
San Diego State University 81 22
Bentley University 81 27
Rutgers Business School 81 22
Iowa State University - Ivy College of Business 81 12
University of Arizona 80 11
Miami University 80 39
North Dakota State University 80 16
University of Colorado Colorado Springs 80 11
Wake Forest University 80 10
Fordham Gabelli School of Business 80 12
University of Florida 79 43
University of Delaware 79 28
Western Michigan University 79 11
Saint Joseph's University 79 11
Quinnipiac University - School of Business 79 11
Illinois State University 78 25
Towson University 78 13
Northern Arizona University 78 10
Kansas State University 78 18
University of Notre Dame 78 20
The University of Texas at El Paso 78 10
Florida International University - College of Business 78 18
Temple University - Fox School of Business and Management 78 11
The University of Texas at Austin - Red McCombs School of Business 78 16
Colorado State University 77 13
California State University, Fullerton 77 16
Georgia Southern University 77 14
Northern Kentucky University 77 11
The College of New Jersey 77 15
The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business 77 24
University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management 77 12
Penn State University 76 62
Texas Tech University 76 13
University of Missouri-Columbia 76 22
James Madison University 75 22
Georgia State University 75 18
University of Arkansas 75 21
Baruch College 75 50
The Ohio State University 74 27
The University of Texas at Austin 74 14
Temple University 74 21
DePaul University 74 29
Wichita State University 74 15
Michigan State University 73 28
University of North Texas 73 32
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 73 15
University of Pittsburgh 73 14
West Virginia University 73 17
The University of Alabama 73 22
University of Maryland 73 10
West Chester University of Pennsylvania 73 10
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 73 11
Louisiana Tech University 73 10
Marist College 73 11
Southern New Hampshire University 72 18
George Mason University 72 11
Oakland University 72 18
University of Minnesota Duluth 72 10
Ohio University 71 10
The University of Texas at San Antonio 71 26
Oklahoma State University 71 23
University of Oklahoma 71 13
Florida Gulf Coast University 71 13
Villanova University 71 13
University of Missouri-Kansas City 71 10
University of Phoenix 70 25
The University of Georgia 70 20
University of Iowa 70 19
Kennesaw State University 70 13
Cleveland State University 70 14
Arizona State University 69 25
Louisiana State University 69 26
Rowan University 69 14
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 69 14
Ramapo College of New Jersey 69 10
Fairfield University 69 11
The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business 69 16
Kent State University 68 14
California State University, Northridge 68 11
University of Nebraska-Lincoln 68 25
University of Nevada-Las Vegas 68 13
University of Central Florida 67 56
Florida State University 67 58
University of Washington 67 13
The University of Texas at Arlington 67 30
California State University-Northridge 67 13
Monmouth University 67 10
Arkansas State University 67 10
University of Houston 66 23
Texas State University 66 27
Arizona State University - W. P. Carey School of Business 66 12
Bryant University 66 23
The Ohio State University - The Max M. Fisher College of Business 66 10
Washington State University 65 16
Providence College 65 14
Kennesaw State University - Michael J. Coles College of Business 65 13
University of Maryland - Robert H. Smith School of Business 65 12
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 64 18
San Diego State University-California State University 64 15
University of Houston-Downtown 64 27
University of Illinois Chicago 64 10
Liberty University 63 17
Grand Valley State University 63 25
University of Cincinnati 63 11
University of South Florida 62 44
North Carolina State University 62 11
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona 62 13
University of Kentucky 62 12
Virginia Tech 62 12
San Francisco State University 61 12
Auburn University 60 27
Metropolitan State University of Denver 60 13
University of Louisiana at Lafayette 60 11
Florida International University 59 39
Oregon State University 59 22
University of Maryland University College 59 13
Iowa State University 58 10
University of St. Thomas 58 10
San Jose State University 57 19
University of North Carolina at Charlotte 57 23
Florida Atlantic University 56 30
California State University, Long Beach 55 11
University of Louisville 55 11
California State University-Sacramento 54 10
University of Tampa 52 13
California State University, Chico 49 10
California State University-Fullerton 46 20