Finance Programs and Careers in Louisiana

This page provides information for those interested in finance degrees in Louisiana. Louisiana is home to many universities with degrees and program options in finance, ranging from certificates to master’s degrees. Finance programs in the state offer enrollment options such as full- or part-time and online coursework. Below you will find a list of programs and degrees that can be completed full or part-time, and in some cases entirely online, including descriptions of select programs available in Louisiana. Those interested in pursuing finance careers in Louisiana will also find salary and employment information for finance professionals in the state.

Quick Facts

• There are 14 colleges and universities with finance degree programs in Louisiana.¹
• 2 schools offer a certificate in finance.¹
• No schools offer an associate’s degree in finance.¹
• 14 schools offer a bachelor’s degree in finance.¹
• 9 schools offer a master’s or advanced degree in finance.¹
• 1 school ranked in Forbes’ Best Business Schools 2019.²
• 1 school ranked in Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Business and Finance Majors 2020.³
• No schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Undergraduate Finance Programs 2021.⁴
• No schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Graduate Finance Programs 2021.⁵

For not-for-profit colleges and universities with finance degree programs.

Table of Contents

• Comparison of Finance Programs
• Top-Ranked Schools with Finance Programs in Louisiana
• Select Schools in Louisiana with Finance Degrees
• Louisiana Finance Careers and Salary Outlook
• Finance Associations in Louisiana

Louisiana Finance Program Comparison

We have developed the following table to help you compare all of the finance programs in Louisiana from not-for-profit schools that offer programs with a concentration in finance. In addition to allowing you to compare the business school’s accreditation, finance degrees that appear in bold are Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute University Affiliation Programs, those that have been recognized for curricula aligned to preparing for the CFA Exam.

• — indicates none.
• N.Av. indicates no data available.

Top-Ranked Schools with Finance Programs in Louisiana

Forbes’ Best Business Schools 2019

• Tulane University (#59)

Georgetown CEW’s ROI Ranking by Long-Term Net Present Value 2019

The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) has compared 4,500 colleges and universities on graduates’ return on investment (ROI). We use their net present value (NPV) ranking, which is the current dollar value of earning a four-year degree from the school over a 40-year horizon.

• Tulane University (#183; $1,217,000)
• Louisiana State University (#236; $1,173,000)
• Xavier University (#456; $1,031,000)
• Loyola University New Orleans (#801; $942,000)
• Louisiana Tech University (#1,017; $896,000)
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette (#1,322; $845,000)
• McNeese State University (#1,531; $819,000)
• University of New Orleans (#1,615; $614,000)
• Nicholls State University (#1,656; $799,000)
• University of Louisiana at Monroe (#1,665; $798,000)⁷

Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Business and Finance Majors 2020

• University of New Orleans

Select Schools in Louisiana with Finance Degrees

Traditional Undergraduate Programs

Louisiana State University at Alexandria

Louisiana State University at Alexandria (LSUA) offers a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance that focuses on financial institutions, corporate finance, and investments. The four-year, full-time program can be completed in-person, online, or through a mixture of the two formats. Students must complete 120 credit hours to graduate, including 27 credits of general business classes towards the Business Administration major and 24 credits towards the Finance concentration. Finance classes cover topics such as investments, derivatives, and multinational finance. Applicants to LSUA will need to hold a high school diploma or its equivalent with at least a 2.0 GPA or at least a 20 on the ACT, and have completed at least one development course or qualify for Freshman Composition or College Algebra. To graduate from the BS in Business Administration with a Finance concentration, students must complete all foundation and major courses with a “C” or better.

University of New Orleans

The University of New Orleans (UNO) offers students a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Finance that can be completed either full-time or part-time through the Evening-Only option. The 120-credit hour program can be completed in four years and will teach students about complex issues and systems to help them manage funds for businesses and other organizations. The BS in Finance offers students seeking professional certification two optional concentrations. Students seeking to become Certified Financial Planners (CFP) can pursue a Financial Planning concentration, while students interested in careers as Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) may seek the Financial Analyst concentration. The curriculum is divided into 39 credits of general education classes and 81 credits of degree-specific courses, including Personal Financial Planning, Real Estate Finance, and Small Business Finance. Admission to UNO requires a high school GPA of at least 2.0, the completion of required high school courses, and an acceptable ACT score.

Traditional Master’s Programs

Louisiana State University

At the E.J. Ourso College of Business at Louisiana State University (LSU), students can complete a Master of Science (MS) in Finance in as little as three semesters with full-time study. The 36-credit hour curriculum teaches financial theory and quantitative methods while emphasizing the communication and analytical skills necessary for effective financial decision-making. MS in Finance students may complete concentrations in Accounting; Actuarial Science; Corporate Finance; Economics; Information Systems and Decision Sciences; Internal Audit; Investments; or Statistics, or enroll in LSU’s Internal Auditing Program. The curriculum is divided into 18 credits of Finance courses and 18 credits of study towards individualized career goals and includes three required courses: Financial Markets; Advanced Financial Management; and Investment Analysis and Portfolio Theory. The MS in Finance offers students the ability to prepare for certifications as CFAs, CFPs, or in some cases, Certified Public Accountants (CPA). Admission requires an undergraduate degree and an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.2. A GMAT score of at least 600 is recommended but not required.

Southeastern Louisiana University

Southeastern Louisiana University offers an Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with accounting and finance electives. The Executive MBA is designed to give managers and executives the skills necessary for leadership roles in their organization. Students in the part-time program take classes only on Saturdays and can complete the degree’s 33 credit hours in 17 months. Coursework is presented in a hybrid format, with classes taken both in-person and online. Students take courses in a cohort structure with seven general MBA courses and four accounting and finance electives. Finance and accounting courses include Financial Policies, Special Topics in Finance, and Special Topics in Accounting. Applicants to the program must have a bachelor’s degree with an acceptable GPA, a satisfactory GMAT score, and professional experience.

Tulane University

The Freeman School of Business at Tulane University offers a Master of Finance (MFIN) degree that can help prepare students for careers in finance and CFA certification. The curriculum was developed to help students gain a practical understanding of the fundamentals of finance through hands-on experience and technical development. Students of the 34-credit hour program can choose to specialize in Analytics; Banking and Financial Services; or Energy. The MFIN program takes 10 to 18 months to complete with courses such as Venture Capital and Private Equity; Financial Modeling; and International Finance. The Freeman School of Business allows Finance students access to the Freeman Trading Center, where students can learn from a simulated real-world trading environment. Admission into the program requires a bachelor’s degree and an acceptable score on either the GMAT or GRE.

Online and Hybrid Programs

University of Louisiana at Monroe

The College of Business and Social Services at the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) offers an online Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Risk Management and Insurance (RMI) that requires 120 total credit hours to complete. ULM’s RMI program emphasizes international and specialty insurance and offers graduates the opportunity to work towards their Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation. Students take 30 credits towards the RMI major throughout the four-year program, including Business Risk Management, Insurance Operations, Commercial Liability Insurance, and the capstone course Surplus Lines and Reinsurance. Applicants to ULM will need to submit a high school transcript, SAT and ACT scores, and records of immunization. Transfer students must have completed a college-level English and college-level math course. Graduates of the RMI program may be interested in continuing their education with ULM’s Master of Science (MS) in Finance.

Louisiana State University-Shreveport

Louisiana State University-Shreveport hosts a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Finance that can be completed in as little as 10 months. The 30-credit hour program can be completed entirely online. Students in the MBA in Finance will develop their quantitative and critical thinking skills to gain a better understanding of business and competitive advantage. The curriculum includes seven core courses and three courses taken towards the Finance concentration. Finance concentration courses include Financial Analytics, Contemporary Issues in Finance, and Contemporary Investments. Students can complete a specialization in Finance by completing two Finance courses and one MBA elective. Admission to the MBA program requires a bachelor’s degree and one of the following: a graduate degree; an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher; or an undergraduate degree with a GPA of 2.5 with either three years of professional experience or an acceptable GMAT score.

University of Louisiana-Lafayette

The University of Louisiana-Lafayette (UL) offers an online Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Finance designed to be completed in as little as 15 months. The program focuses on teaching students a mixture of mathematical and management skills across the 33-credit hour curriculum. Courses are divided into seven core courses and four courses taken towards the Finance concentration. Courses in the Finance concentration include Analytical Methods for Planning and Control; Advanced Financial Management and Policy; Security Analysis and Portfolio Management; and Financial Markets and Institutions. Students without previous business coursework may need to complete up to four additional foundation courses. Unconditional admission into UL’s MBA program requires a bachelor’s degree and at least a 3.0 GPA, or a minimum GPA of 2.75 and either three years of work experience or a GMAT score of 450.

Louisiana Finance Careers and Salary Outlook

Louisiana’s state economy has many employment possibilities for finance graduates. The metro areas of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Lafayette are home to the states’ highest concentrations of business and financial professionals. Companies in the state employ financial professionals in positions such as financial managers, financial analysts, loan officers, and financial examiners. The state is home to oil and energy companies, including Entergy Louisiana and Allied-Gulf Energy. The telephone and communications company CenturyLink has headquarters in Louisiana. Finance institutions such as Hibernia National Bank and numerous state banks provide financial services within the state.

Financial managers have both the highest employment levels and highest annual salaries among financial professionals within the state, with Louisiana’s 5,970 financial managers earning an average salary of $108,890 yearly.⁸ The number of financial managers in Louisiana is expected to shrink by 1.5% through 2028.⁹ However, the occupation is still expected to experience the fastest growth among Louisiana’s finance jobs.⁹ Projections Central reports that positions in most financial professions in Louisiana are expected to decrease over the next 10 years, with personal finance advisors seeing the steepest downturn, at -38.3%.⁹ Among financial roles in Louisiana, the only position forecast to grow is financial specialist, with an expected growth rate of 1.6%.⁹ Central Louisiana has the fourth-highest concentration of financial analysts and specialists among non-metropolitan areas in the country, making up 1.67 out of every 1,000 jobs.¹⁰

Louisiana Finance Job Information

Finance Associations in Louisiana

• Government Finance Officers of Louisiana (LAGFOA): A non-profit organization that offers government finance officers networking and certification opportunities.
• Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants (LCPA): Member organization for Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and future CPAs that provides networking opportunities and educational events as well as legislative advocacy.
• Louisiana Bankers Association (LBA): Dedicated to growing and sustaining the banking industry in Louisiana, hosts educational events and posts job openings and news for members.
• Louisiana Finance Association (LFA): Advocates for beneficial legislation for the loan industry and promotes education and networking among consumer finance professionals.

References:
1. National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator: https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
2. Forbes Best Business Schools 2019: https://www.forbes.com/business-schools/list/
3. The Princeton Review. The Best 382 Colleges, 2020 Edition. The Princeton Review, 2019.
4. US News & World Report Best Undergraduate Finance Schools 2021: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/business-finance
5. US News & World Report Best Graduate Finance Schools 2021: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/finance-rankings
6. US News & World Report Best Business Schools 2021: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools
7. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, Ranking ROI of 4,500 US Colleges and Universities: https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/CollegeROI/
8. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics, State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Louisiana: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_la.htm
9. Projections Central Long Term Occupational Projections: https://projectionscentral.org/projections/longterm
10. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wages, Financial and Investment Analysts, Financial Risk Specialists, and Financial Specialists, All Other: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2019/may/oes132098.htm