Accredited finance degree programs in Illinois prepare students for working in various financial fields later. As an undergraduate business major or a finance major, you’ll likely find that your future options are limited with just a simple undergraduate degree. Taking one to three years to finish your master’s degree can help you seek jobs that come with better benefits, higher salaries, and a better title. Illinois is one of several states that offer students numerous opportunities for education.

Benedictine University

College of Business

Founded in 1887, Benedictine University is a private college with an enrollment of more than 6,000 students. More than 3,500 students enroll in undergraduate programs, while just over 3,000 students enroll in graduate programs. The school focuses on the traditions of both the Benedictine order and the Roman Catholic faith. The Chronicle of Higher Education named the university the fastest growing school in the country due to the increase in enrollment that it experienced over a 10 year span, and both Forbes and U.S. News & World Report picked it as one of the top schools in the country for several years.

Financial Management Graduate Certificate

Benedictine University is one of the few colleges in the country that offers an MBA financial certificate program. Known as the Financial Management Graduate Certificate, this program is open to students interested in pursuing an MBA at a later date. Designed for students hoping to gain credits right away without committing to a full program, it lets students take one or more courses and transfer the credits they earn into the MBA program later. The school offers those students seven different classes that are worth four credit hours each. Students must complete a minimum of four courses to earn a certificate. Benedictine University requires that students take classes on managerial accounting; financial management; and cost analysis, profit planning, and control, but students can choose their last course from four different classes, which include theory and practice of financial reporting, investment theory and portfolio analysis, problems in corporate financial analysis, or financial planning in health care organizations.

MBA, Financial Management Concentration

The MBA program at Benedictine University offer students the chance to earn a concentration in one of 17 different topics. The MBA, Financial Management Concentration is a unique program that combines business-focused courses with courses in financial management. All students take 64 credit hours of courses, and the program’s design lets students complete the program in two years or less. Six courses must cover foundation courses in business and management, while seven courses look at the managerial process. Students can also take one or more electives during their studies. As part of the Financial Management Concentration, students take 12 credit hours of financial management courses. The program teaches students how to evaluate problems relating to the financial aspects and management of a company, how to use financial accounting software and technology, how to analyze current market conditions and how to create reports that shows others any potential problems.

Accreditation

  • The North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission (NCA HLC)

Contact

5700 College Rd.
Lisle, IL 60532
Phone: (630) 829-6000
Email: dssmith@ben.edu
Website: https://www.ben.edu/cob/graduate/index.cfm

Bradley University

The Graduate School

Located in Peoria, Bradley University is a private university that originally opened as the Bradley Polytechnic Institute. Established in 1896, the institute opened for classes the following year and witnessed its first graduating class leave the institute one year later. In 2012, the university announced that it developed a new plan that would allow the school to add new programs and bring more recognition to its campus. U.S. News & World Report ranked the university as one of the top five undergraduate and graduate programs in the Midwest, and the school has a reputation for its highly selective admissions policy.

Master of Business Administration, Financial Concentration

Bradley University launched its MBA program as a way for students to earn an advanced business management degree in two years. As a joint program through the Foster College of Business and The Graduate School, this program requires the successful completion of 33 credit hours of work. The university divides its school year into two sessions: a fall session and a spring session. Each session consists of seven-week courses offered twice, and students must take at least one course during each seven-week session. The Master of Business Administration, Finance Concentration asks that students complete a minimum of nine credit hours of financial courses, and the school offers two additional concentrations for those not focused on finance careers. Bradley University also offers an accelerated MBA program for those hoping to complete the program faster and an executive MBA program for students with a minimum of several years of finance or business experience.

Master of Science in Quantitative Finance (MS)

The Master of Science in Quantitative Finance (MS) program is one of the top accredited finance degree programs in Illinois and is available through Bradley University designed for students hoping to work in either the nonprofit or for-profit business world. This 30 semester-hour program requires that students take a combination of introductory and advanced courses. Students must demonstrate a high level of experience with both math and science before entering the program. At least 15 semester-hours cover math and science courses that teach you the skills that you need in the more advanced courses. Core courses in the program include algorithms, numerical methods, fixed income, and expert systems. Students typically take courses in the spring and summer or the fall and summer. One of the last courses taken is a quantitative finance capstone. Similar to a thesis project, this class lets you examine a specific financial topic and apply it to the greater field of financial management.

Accreditation

  • The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International
  • The North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission (NCA HLC)

Contact

1501 W Bradley Ave.
Peoria, IL 61625
Phone: (309) 676-7611
Email: bugrad@fsmail.bradley.edu
Website: http://www.bradley.edu/academic/gradschool/admission/programs/

DePaul University

Kellstadt Graduate School of Business

DePaul University ranks as one of the top colleges in Illinois. Established in 1898 as St. Vincent’s College, the school originally opened with just 70 students. Within a few short years of opening, its population more than doubled. The university now operates two campuses in the Chicago area and three campuses just outside the city and in neighboring suburbs. Both Washington Monthly and U.S. News & World Report ranked the school on their lists of the top colleges in the country, and its Kellstadt College of Business, which the school opened in 1913, is one of the nation’s top 20 business schools.

Master of Business Administration (MBA), Finance Concentration

DePaul University offers several MBA programs through its Kellstadt College of Business. The university offers a flexible program with classes meeting at night, a weekend program for those currently working in the field and an accelerated daytime program. Designed to help students learn the necessary skills that financial managers and other experts have, the programs let students complete the program around their own schedules. Students must take 11 courses to complete the core requirements of the MBA program, which include financial accounting, economics for decision making, strategic analysis for competing globally, financial management, and decisions in marketing management. The Master of Business Administration (MBA), Finance Concentration requires that students take one course on investment analysis. The program also requires that students take three additional graduate courses in finance and management. Those courses can include commercial banking, risk management, mergers and acquisitions, financial statement analysis, or portfolio management.

Master of Business Administration (MBA), Financial Analysis Concentration

Similar to the Finance Concentration MBA, the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Financial Analysis Concentration requires the completion of 11 core classes. Students can take classes during the day, at night, or on the weekends. Those enrolled in the daytime program attend the accelerated program that lets them complete the program in less than two years, and both the weekend and evening programs offer some flexibility for students who work or can’t attend classes during the day. The Financial Analysis Concentration prepares students interested in taking the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam. Passing that test lets students work as licensed CFAs. After deciding on your concentration, the school asks that you complete the general requirements of the MBA program, including classes on management and marketing, and take four additional courses in your concentration. You must take and pass classes on investment analysis, financial statement analysis, portfolio management, and advanced topics in investments.

Related Resource: If I Don’t Want to Work in the Investment World Should I get my MBA or a CFA?

Master of Science in Finance (MS)

Not everyone interested in finance wants to complete an MBA program, which is why DePaul University offers a Master of Science in Finance (MS) program. Designed for students with a background in math, science and reasoning courses, the program teaches students how to:

  • Look at financial problems and find ways to fix those problems
  • Analyze and document financial statements and other types of financial documents
  • Reduce the financial risks that corporations take on
  • Design new programs and concepts for financial management

Students enrolled in a DePaul University MBA program and students who have an MBA can transfer credit hours of previous work into this program, but students can also enroll in the program without any previous experience. Students in the program must take nine core classes, which include ethics in financial markets, risk management, advanced statement analysis, investment analysis, and cases in investments and financial engineering, as well as three elective courses.

Accreditation

  • The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International
  • The North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission (NCA HLC)

Contact

2400 N Sheffield Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
Phone: (312) 362-8000
Email: kgsb@depaul.edu
Website: http://kellstadt.depaul.edu/academics/Pages/default.aspx

Illinois Institute of Technology

Stuart School of Business

Founded in 1890, the Illinois Institute of Technology is a private university that opened as the Armour Institute of Technology. Five years later, the Lewis Institute also opened in the Chicago area. Though both schools offered similar programs, the two campuses remained competitive until the Great Depression. Lower enrollment and financial problems led to the two schools merging into the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1939. Princeton Review named Illinois Tech as one of the best schools in the Midwest, and U.S. News & World Report ranked it at number 109 on its list of top schools in the country.

Master of Science in Finance

The Master of Science in Finance at Illinois Tech ranks as one of the first programs of its type in the world and one of the top finance programs in the United States. Financial Times ranked the program as the third best in the nation. This program consists of 33 credit-hours of work, which include six core courses and five concentration courses. The school offers 11 concentrations, including alternative investments, risk management, corporate finance, trading, high frequency trading, and financial engineering. Illinois Tech also lets its students choose a concentration that doesn’t fit into any of those offered by the schools in which students gain credit through an independent study program. They attend research seminars and conduct research on their own under the guidance of a professor working in the program. Courses available in this program include statistical analysis in financial markets, models for derivatives, investment banking, alternative investments and commodities, and managed futures.

Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Corporate Finance

The Illinois Tech MBA program is one of the oldest MBA programs in the country, and it has a good reputation as one of the only MBA programs in Chicago that focuses on the growing trend of using technology in financial markets. Full-time students spend a minimum of four semesters enrolled in the program and complete their degrees in 2.5 years or less. Those students complete 48 credit hours of work, including 11 core courses and five concentration courses. The Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Corporate Finance specifically prepares students for working in the world of corporate finance. They learn the importance of accurate financial reporting, balancing budgets, making financial decisions, and the daily financial operations of those companies. Most students enrolled in the program are full-time students, but the school does have a small population of part-time students. Those students take courses on decision making, emerging concepts, and financial technology.

Master of Mathematical Finance (MMF)

QuantNet named the Master of Mathematical Finance (MMF) program at Illinois Tech as one of the top accredited finance degree programs in Illinois. Unlike other similar programs, the school does not require that students complete a thesis project, but it does give students some flexibility as to when they take courses, which courses they take, and whether they enroll on a part-time or full-time basis. Master-level students can take courses on emerging issues in the global business marketplace, financial management in a globalized world, operations and technology management, and project management, but students can also take finance and math courses on financial modeling, valuation and portfolio management, financial statement analysis, corporate finance, and investment banking. This unique program is a joint program available through the math and finance departments at Illinois Tech, and it’s a highly intensive program that requires a large amount of research and writing.

Accreditation

  • The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International
  • The North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission (NCA HCL)

Contact

3300 S Federal St.
Chicago, IL 60616
Phone: (312) 567-3000
Email: admission@stuart.iit.edu
Website: http://stuart.iit.edu/programs/academic-programs

Are you ready to take the next step towards a bright future? Earning a finance degree prepares you for working in both finance and management positions, and as a student enrolled in these programs, you can work in the field, complete an internship or do both. With several accredited finance degree programs in Illinois available, you’re sure to find one that works for you.