Econ vs. Finance as a major

Bill_Marsh
Sat, 08 Mar 2025 20:22:07 +0000

Finance and Economics can tie together but they are really different. Finance is normally found in the Business School. Finance is a more specific major which focuses on how to manage capital assets for individuals and corporations and focuses especially on risk management, data analytics, investment strategy, and capital allocation. While an Economics major may be found in a Business School, it is really a social science discipline, typically found in the School of Arts & Sciences. Econ focuses on how markets work on both the macro and micro level and how the movement resources through markets have various outcomes. Finance is in many ways a sub section of Economics.

It is not necessary to have a major in Finance to get an entry level job in this field. Often companies will have their own in-house training programs to get you started. While the school you attend can be important in the Finance industry, this is typically more important with regard to where you get your MBA rather than where you get your undergraduate degree. The typical career path is to work in the field for a few years and the go back to school for your MBA.