Finance Programs and Careers in Texas

The information in this guide can help students decide between the many finance degree programs in the state of Texas. Finance degree graduates can find a variety of opportunities to work within the state’s growing financial services industry. Students can pursue business and finance undergraduate degrees as well as Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees and quantitatively-focused Master of Science in Finance (MSF) degrees. For working professionals or students who need a more flexible format for other reasons, online degrees and part-time programs are available. Below you will find details on the different types of degrees and post-graduation career opportunities for finance students in Texas.

Quick Facts

• There are 55 colleges and universities with finance degree programs in Texas.¹
• No schools offer a certificate in finance.¹
• No schools offer an associate’s degree in finance.¹
• 54 schools offer a bachelor’s degree in finance.¹
• 14 schools offer a master’s or advanced degree in finance.¹
• 5 schools ranked in Forbes’ Best Business Schools 2019.²
• 6 schools ranked in Princeton Review’s Great Schools for Business and Finance Majors 2020.³
• 2 schools ranked in US News & World Report’s Best Undergraduate Finance Programs 2021.⁴
• 1 school 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 Texas
• Select Schools in Texas with Finance Degrees
• Texas Finance Careers and Salary Outlook
• Finance Associations in Texas

Texas Finance Program Comparison

We have developed the following table to help you compare all of the finance programs in Texas 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 Texas

Forbes’ Best Business Schools 2019

• Rice University (#26)
• Texas A&M University (#33)
• Southern Methodist University (#45)
• University of Texas-Dallas (#46)

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.

• Rice University (#76; $1,393,000)
• University of Texas at Austin (#163; $1,233,000)
• Southern Methodist University (#167; $1,229,000)
• Texas A&M University-College Station (#178; $$1,222,000)
• Trinity University (#266; $1,140,000)
• University of Texas at Dallas (#274; $1,134,000)
• University of Houston (#327; $1,096,000)
• Texas Tech University (#343; $1,086,000)
• University of Texas at Arlington (#433; $1,043,000)
• University of St. Thomas (#445; $1,039,000)
• University of Houston-Clear Lake (#449; $1,036,000)⁷

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

• Rice University
• Southwestern University
• Texas State University
• University of Houston
• University of Texas-Austin
• University of Texas-Dallas

US News & World Report’s Best Undergraduate Finance Programs 2021

• University of Texas-Austin (#5)
• Texas A&M University-College Station (#35 tie)

US News & World Report’s Best Graduate Finance Programs 2021

• University of Texas-Austin (#13 tie)

Select Schools in Texas with Finance Degrees

Traditional Undergraduate Programs

Angelo State University

Angelo State University (ASU) offers a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Finance. Students are prepared to pursue entry-level finance careers as well as graduate school. Banking and insurance topics are integrated into the curriculum along with corporate finance and investment topics. Courses offered include Money and Banking; Corporate Financial Practices; Financial Institution Administration; and Applied Financial Planning. Students have access to the school’s Center for Economic Education, which provides seminars, workshops, and other experiential learning opportunities with a focus on economic education. Finance students may pursue minors in Business Administration; Accounting; Leadership Studies; Management; or Marketing. Non-Finance majors may take a minor in Finance. ASU also offers an integrated BBA in Finance/Master of Business Administration (MBA) program, which allows students to earn both degrees in five years.

Prairie View A&M University

Students can earn a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Finance through Prairie View A&M University’s (PVAMU) College of Business. The BBA-Finance program emphasizes dynamic markets and modern financial theory along with innovation and ethical conduct. Required courses include Financial Planning with a Global Perspective; Financial Accounting; Quantitative Business Analysis; and Managerial Finance. Minors available to Finance students include Personal Financial Planning, Management Information Systems, Real Estate, and Accounting. Students also take several elective finance and business courses, which allows opportunities to customize the degree program towards personal career interests and goals. Students who select another major may choose to minor in Finance. PVAMU also offers on-campus, online, and executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs that include study in finance topics.

Traditional Master’s Programs

Rice University

At Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, students can earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in two years. The first year of the program is devoted to core classes that focus on financial foundations like data analysis, financial management, strategic thinking, and organizational behavior. In their second year, students can choose electives to earn an academic concentration such as accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, or strategic management. Students also learn experientially outside the classroom through internships and experiences with real companies. Located in Houston, the largest city in Texas, Rice offers connections to alumni and other professionals in the finance field. The Jones Graduate School of Business also offers an online MBA and a Professional MBA available in a part-time extended format.

Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University’s full-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a track in Finance can be completed in 18 months. The program focuses on applied learning through internship and study abroad opportunities, and students can also personalize their education through electives and specializations. The program is accelerated during the first year so students complete 75% of their coursework prior to their summer internships. The core curriculum focuses on financial and business foundations such as accounting, investment strategies, organizational behavior, and leadership strategies. All students select an academic track from data analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, healthcare, marketing, or supply chain operations. For post-graduation career opportunities, students can access the resources of the career development center and a global alumni network.

University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business offers a Master of Science in Finance (MSF) degree for those interested in acquiring the quantitative skills and real-world knowledge needed in the world of finance. The program starts in July and takes place over an accelerated 10-month academic year. Students study finance theory and technical, statistical models to understand the international finance industry. Students have the option to specialize in subjects such as energy finance, corporate finance, consulting, asset management, and investment banking. The curriculum is designed with input from an advisory council of executives in the finance field to ensure the content is relevant and useful for graduates, and courses are led by highly experienced faculty with distinguished records in teaching and research.

Online and Hybrid Programs

University of Texas at Dallas

The Naveen Jindal School of Management at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT-Dallas) offers a Professional Master of Business Administration (PMBA) degree with a concentration in Finance designed for working professionals looking to move up in their careers. The program is designed to teach strategic thinking and planning in a competitive global economy. Students at UT Dallas can complete the program entirely online at their own pace. Students can also take evening classes in an accelerated 24-month program or pursue a hybrid format with courses on-campus and online. Working knowledge of calculus is required for the program. The business core focuses on subjects such as financial accounting, management, statistics, and global business. UT-Dallas also offers on-campus Master of Science (MS) programs in Finance and Financial Technology and Analytics.

West Texas A&M University

At the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business at West Texas A&M University, students can earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree completely online or in conjunction with on-campus courses. Though a formal Finance concentration is not offered, students can take finance-related electives to focus their studies. Most students complete the program in around two years, although students can choose their own accelerated or flexible format. Students start with foundational courses in financial accounting, statistics, and corporate finance, and those with an undergraduate in business administration may be able to skip some of these prerequisites. The curriculum focuses on financial knowledge in organizational behavior, international business, and quantitative analysis. After completing the core classes, students can choose an emphasis area such as general business, computer information systems, management, marketing, or healthcare management.

Texas Finance Careers and Salary Outlook

Graduates from finance schools in Texas may find numerous opportunities to work for financial institutions and other companies within the state. There are many statewide banks, such as Texas Capital Bank and the Bank of Texas, as well as corporate centers for larger banks like Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank. National and international companies such as AT&T, Kimberly-Clark, Whole Foods Market, and American Airlines are headquartered in the state in addition to many of the nation’s largest oil companies. Major companies that rely on finance professionals such as Halliburton, USAA, and Lone Star Funds are located in Texas. Texas is also a hub for the oil and gas industry, serving as the headquarters for companies including ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips. Students with master’s in finance degrees may have an advantage in finding employment opportunities with these companies and in the large economy of Texas.

The finance industry in Texas is growing and graduates with degrees in finance may have an advantage in finding related employment opportunities. Financial analyst positions in Texas are expected to grow by 19% over the 10-year period between 2018 and 2028, with 3,160 annual job openings including replacements expected.⁸ Texas is one of the top locales for financial managers, employing the second-highest number of these professionals (46,710) of any US state.⁹ The Houston-Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area has the highest concentration of financial managers (12,700) in Texas, and one of the highest concentrations for this career of all metro areas in the US.⁹ Personal financial advisor positions in Texas are similarly projected to grow rapidly in the next ten years, by 25.3% through 2028, with 1,650 average annual openings projected.⁸

Texas Finance Salary Information

Finance Associations in Texas

• Dallas Association for Financial Professionals (DAFP): Professional organization for those in treasury and financial careers that hosts professional development events as well as networking gatherings. Similar chapters of the Association for Financial professionals are also in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio.
• Texas Consumer Finance Association (TCFA): Group providing educational opportunities and networking events for financial professionals working with regulated lenders.
• Texas Bankers Association (TBA): Association of small and large banking institutions that advocates for policy and regulation on behalf of the banking industry in Texas and also provides continued education opportunities for Texas bankers.

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. Projections Central Long Term Occupational Projections: https://projectionscentral.org/projections/longterm
9. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wages, Financial Managers: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes113031.htm
10. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Texas: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_tx.htm