Best MBA in Finance Degree Programs of 2023

The University of Pennsylvania is an Ivy League university, known around the world for its academic excellence and innovative research contributions. UPenn's Wharton School of Business is ranked #1 in the entire country by U.S. News & World Report and #2 in the entire world by QS World University Rankings. It doesn't get more prestigious than Wharton. In this program, you can earn an MBA through the Finance department, benefitting from a balance of core foundational courses and wide-ranging elective options. You can choose a generalist Finance track or a STEM-designated Quantitative Finance track, depending on your interests and career goals. Either way, you will learn from the most influential figures in the field and earn a degree from one of the most influential business schools around.

New York University's Stern School of Business is, like Wharton, one of the top-ranking business schools not just in the United States but in the world. U.S. News & World Report ranks NYU Stern #12 nationally, #4 for part-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs, and #3 for Finance. It's no surprise that such a prestigious business school, located in the epicenter of American business and commerce, is home to some of the best faculty in the world. Stern's faculty have won a number of prestigious awards for teaching and research, and professor Robert Engle is a recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Economics. As an MBA in Finance student, you study advanced micro- and macroeconomics concepts from faculty who literally write the textbooks and lead the entire field forward.

The Columbia Business School offers world-renowned programs that prize real-world exposure and experience and hands-on learning. U.S. News & World Report ranks CBS #8 nationally among business schools and #4 for Finance in particular. As a CBS student, you get to learn in actual board rooms, trading floors, and retail stores - experiences made possible by Columbia's location in New York City. Through high-quality internship and externship programs, you apply what you learn in the classroom to real-world business scenarios. This makes for invaluable learning experiences and also enhances your resume and employment prospects. Columbia's esteemed Core Curriculum ensures that all CBS students graduate with a firm grasp of key business, finance, economics, and marketing principles.

Stanford University is the top-ranking school on the West Coast. Located in the innovation hub of Silicon Valley, Stanford Business School is ranked #3 in the country by U.S. News & World Report and takes a unique, innovative approach to education. The goal of this Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is to challenge you to "expand your mindset," "think boldly," "build your community," "lead from the heart," and "define the future." Although other MBA programs focus almost all of their attention on business-related content, Stanford pairs world-class academics with a more holistic emphasis on personal development, humane values, and 21st century leadership. You can expect small class sizes, close interaction with your peers, and one-on-one coaching.

University of California Berkeley is one of the best public universities in the world, ranked as the #1 public university by U.S. News & World Report (tied with fellow University of California school UCLA). UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business ranks #8 in the entire country, according to U.S. News & World Report. If you're looking for a part-time Master of Business Administration program, check out UC Berkeley, as U.S. News ranks it #2 nationwide in this category. UC Berkeley's program for Master of Business Administration in Finance draws inspiration from its location in the San Francisco Bay Area and proximity to Silicon Valley, emphasizing the global intersection of finance, technology, entrepreneurship, and impact. To complement your coursework, you can pursue experiential learning opportunities with Haas Sustainable Investment Fund and Hedge Fund Strategies.

University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is consistently ranked among the top three college towns in America by a host of media outlets, including Forbes and The College Post. Ross's full-time Master of Business Administration: Fast Track in Finance (FTF) program lets you dive into finance electives in your first semester. In this arrangement, you get to study finance topics alongside your core business courses rather than saving all the finance courses for the end of your program. As a FTF student, you will complete an intensive summer online program in finance and take two required courses: Valuation and Corporate Financial Policy.

According to U.S. News & World Report, University of California, Los Angeles currently shares the #1 public university in America ranking with its fellow University of California institution, UC Berkeley. U.S. News ranks UCLA's Anderson School of Management #17 in the country, and #5 nationally among part-time Master of Business Administration programs. What sets UCLA's Master of Business Administration in Finance apart is its flexibility and specializations. The front-loaded core curriculum enables you to take elective courses in your first year so you can concurrently build foundational business knowledge and more specialized skills and know-how. Some of UCLA's most popular electives include Digital Marketing Strategy by Sanjay Sood, Persuasion and Influence by Noah Goldstein.

Duke University is one of the most prestigious universities in the country, particularly in the South. U.S. News & World Report ranks the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University #12 in the nation, tied with NYU Stern. Duke offers many schedules and ways of completing their Master of Business Administration program: you can attend classes during the day, through the Global Executive program, through the Weekend Executive program, through the Health Sector Management program, or jointly with a complementary graduate program in Medicine, Law, Environmental Management, Forestry, Public Policy, or Nursing. Whichever schedule you choose, you can concentrate in one of two areas of finance: Corporate Finance or Investments. You can also earn a Certificate of Excellence in Finance.

Fordham University is a well-respected Jesuit university located in the Bronx borough of New York City. U.S. News & World Report ranks the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University #64 nationwide, so although it's not as prestigious as some of the other schools on this list, its Master of Business Administration in Finance is strong and worth mentioning. As a student in this program, you can choose Finance as a primary or secondary concentration, and will complete the required courses accordingly. Within the Finance concentration, you can choose courses in a variety of career-oriented specializations: Corporate Financial Management, Investment Management, Management of Financial Institutions, International Finance, and Real Estate Finance. These are not formal specializations but are clusters of courses that represent faculty expertise and the school's career-oriented mindset.

Boston College boasts one of the most active and successful alumni networks in the country. With over 180,000 alumni, BC's career network can open doors and present opportunities throughout every stage of your career. U.S. News & World Report ranks BC's Carroll School of Management #41 in the country, and its part-time Master of Business Administration program earns the rank of #30 nationwide. At the undergraduate level, BC's business school is ranked #3 in the country, which tells you that the faculty you'll learn from as a master's student are at the top of their field. You can pursue either the Traditional Track or the STEM-Designated Track, depending on your professional goals. This program's acceptance rate is 55%, making it moderately competitive.