Studies & Degrees in Business Finance
Business Finance Study Programs
Business finance, also called corporate finance, is the part of business studies that deals with how a company raises money, invests it and controls the risks that come with both. Students learn to read financial statements, value investment projects, plan budgets and cash flow, choose between debt and equity, and understand how banks and capital markets work. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes the job the subject leads to in one sentence: financial managers create financial reports, direct investment activities and develop plans for the long-term financial goals of their organisation.
The subject sits between accounting and economics. Accounting records what has happened in a company; finance uses those records to decide what the company should do next. Most programmes therefore combine accounting, statistics and economics with courses in financial analysis, markets and risk.
Qualifications and levels
Business finance is rarely a degree title on its own. It is usually a specialisation inside a business administration degree, or it is paired with economics or accounting.
- Bachelor's degrees. In the European Higher Education Area a bachelor's degree has 180 or 240 ECTS credits, and 60 ECTS credits equal one full year of study. In Spain the bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits. The Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), for example, lists a Grado en Economía y Finanzas / Bachelor in Economics and Finance among its degrees. In Granada, the Escuela Internacional de Gerencia (EIG) lists a British BSc (Hons) Degree in Economics and Finance.
- Master's degrees. A European master's degree usually has 90 or 120 ECTS credits; official Spanish master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120. EIG teaches the ESIC master's programme in Dirección Financiera (MDF) in Granada, Seville and Málaga.
- Short and online courses. Training providers offer finance and financial accounting courses without university entry requirements. Acedis Formación, for example, lists a Curso de Experto en Contabilidad Financiera. These lead to the provider's own certificate, not to a degree.
- Professional qualifications. Many graduates add a professional title while working. The CFA Program of the CFA Institute is made up of three exams and, according to the institute, takes three to four years to complete; the charter also requires at least 4,000 hours of relevant work experience, completed in no fewer than 36 months.
Where to study business finance
SpainExchange lists 11 active schools for business finance. Five are in Spain and two in Switzerland; Germany, the United States, Slovenia and the United Kingdom have one each.
In Spain the list includes the economics and business faculty of the UAM in Madrid, EU Business School Barcelona and UIBS / Barcelona Business School in Barcelona, EIG in Granada, and the online provider Acedis Formación. EU Business School, founded in 1973, also has campuses in Geneva, Montreux and Munich. Outside Spain the list includes the University of Maribor in Slovenia, whose Faculty of Economics and Business offers an English-taught specialisation within its bachelor's and master's programmes in economic and business sciences, and Auburn University at Montgomery in the United States. Oxford Scholastica Academy runs summer courses in Oxford for students aged 12 to 18, which are an introduction and not a degree.
Public universities in Spain teach mainly in Spanish, with some bilingual or English-taught degrees. International business schools such as EU Business School teach in English. Check the language of instruction and whether the qualification is an official degree or the school's own before applying.
Careers
Graduates work as financial analysts, in the finance departments of companies, in banks, investment firms and insurance companies, and later as financial managers or controllers. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, financial analysts research and evaluate financial data, forecast future trends and prepare reports with recommendations for businesses and investors, and they typically need a bachelor's degree in finance or a related field such as business. Financial managers typically need a bachelor's degree and five years or more of experience in another business or financial occupation.
The same source projects employment in the United States to grow 7 percent for financial analysts and 10 percent for financial managers from 2025 to 2035. These figures describe the US labour market only; no comparable figure is given here for other countries.
Frequently asked questions
Is business finance the same as accounting?
No. Accounting records and reports a company's transactions. Business finance uses that information to decide how to fund the company, where to invest and how to manage risk. Most finance programmes include accounting courses.
How long does a degree in business finance take?
A European bachelor's degree has 180 or 240 ECTS credits, which is three or four years of full-time study. In Spain the grado has 240 ECTS credits, and an official master's degree adds 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.
Do I need a professional qualification as well as a degree?
It is not required to start work. Many analysts later take the CFA Program, which has three exams and takes three to four years according to the CFA Institute.
In which language is business finance taught?
It depends on the school. Spanish public universities teach mainly in Spanish, and international business schools such as EU Business School teach in English.