"...our staff believes that the University of Akron offers a very practical set of skills to students seeking to enter the workplace. As an employer we continuously have three or four positions for internships and recently hired three finance graduates for full time positions because of the Finance Department’s innovative arrangement with the CFP Board of Standards...[which] qualifies students to sit for the Certified Financial Planner Certification Examination... so they start work with these credentials." Lawrence J. Rybka, JD, CFP, (B.S. Finance ‘84, Beta Gamma Sigma) President, Valmark Securities Inc., Beachwood, Ohio.

In today’s fast moving global economy, opportunities in the field of finance continue to expand. Opportunities range from the traditional financial analyst to personal financial planning to securities traders to management of foreign currency arbitrage. Careers in finance can be classified within several major functional groups. The following are examples and in no way exhaust the opportunities within each group.

Corporate Finance

Financial analysis
Corporate financial planning
Capital budgeting
Treasury management
Asset valuation
Merger & acquisition analysis
Risk management

Financial Services

Investment analysis
Securities trading and portfolio management
Bank and other financial institution management
Commercial and retail credit management
Real estate
Personal financial planning

International Finance

International investment and portfolio management
International bank transactions management
Central bank management
Foreign exchange risk management
International money and capital markets analysis
Financial modeling and forecasting

University of Akron graduates in Finance have enjoyed a wide spectrum of career opportunities. Salaries have been consistently in the $28,000- $32,000 range with some in the high $30,000 and mid- $40,000 range. A sample of the companies who have hired University of Akron Finance majors include: