---

Public Finance

Types of Degrees Public Finance Majors Are Earning

Those studying Public Finance may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	23
Master’s Degree	40

What Public Finance Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Public Finance emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Public Finance graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Public Finance emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Economics and Accounting — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Public Finance program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Public Finance careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Public Finance graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Public Finance professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Oracle Hyperion	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Dynamics GP	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Oracle PeopleSoft Financials	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Fund accounting software	Accounting software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Public Finance graduates include:

• Equity Research Analyst
• Securities Consultant
• Corporate Securities Research Analyst
• Securities Research Analyst
• Securities Analyst
• Bond Analyst
• Analyst
• Risk Manager
• Risk Analyst
• Operational Risk Analyst
• Bank and Savings Securities Trader
• Business Risk Manager
• Risk Control Consultant
• Financial Risk Analyst
• Compliance Risk Manager

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Public Finance graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	55.3%
Master’s degree	20.6%
Doctoral degree	9.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.2%
Some college courses	1.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.2%
First professional degree	1.1%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Public Finance?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 41.3% women and 58.7% men among Public Finance graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	26	41.3%
Men	37	58.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Public Finance graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	35	55.6%
Asian	3	4.8%
Hispanic or Latino	10	15.9%
Black or African American	4	6.3%
Two or More Races	1	1.6%
Race Unknown	3	4.8%
International Students	7	11.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Public Finance Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Public Finance graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$60,617
4 years	$75,528
5 years	$88,287

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $88,287 — roughly 46% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Public Finance Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Public Finance. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Public Finance Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Public Finance graduates earn a median of $75,528 four years after completion — roughly 99% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Business Administration and Management, General	336,590
Accounting	58,956
Finance and Financial Management Services	57,564
Finance, General	49,828
Financial Planning and Services	5,773
Accounting and Finance	3,502
Actuarial Science	1,363
Accounting and Business/Management	1,270
Banking and Financial Support Services	992
Investments and Securities	414
Finance and Financial Management Services, Other	363
Risk Management	180

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.