Finance

Majoring in finance at UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business gives you access to industry-leading professors and lecturers, a powerful alumni network and the opportunity to manage a live investment portfolio - all while learning in the nation’s second largest banking hub.

You’ll learn how businesses develop financial plans, acquire and allocate resources and adjust their decision-making process based on the current legal environment. This can prepare you for a career in the banking industry as well as careers in healthcare, risk management and insurance, energy and retail.

Whether you ultimately plan to be an entrepreneur, CEO, CFO, Big Four partner, hedge fund director, investment banker or other related role, majoring in finance allows for rapid career progression and UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business has the tools and connections to help you meet your goals.

The department also hosts a seminar series, featuring well-known academics presenting research of interest to faculty and graduate students in a variety of disciplines.

Undergraduate Finance Concentrations

FINANCE

You’ll learn how financial decisions are made and how markets perform, as well how organizations acquire and use funds to maximize their value. From the Charlotte region’s budding tech startups and small businesses to some of the biggest names in banking, fortune companies and consulting firms, these skills place you in high demand.

RISK MANAGEMENT AND INSURANCE

Risk management and insurance professionals are our first responders for both individuals and businesses in times of financial crisis. They help prepare, mitigate and respond to a variety of risks arising from health, property, liability, employment and business operations.

Real Estate

Gain the fundamental knowledge and skills to analyze and negotiate commercial real estate through a finance curriculum that incorporates architecture, economics and geography to address the collaborative nature of the real estate industry.

Undergraduate programs in finance, finance and accounting concentration. Person sitting at a desk with a laptop and calculator. A mixed spreadsheet and chart are projected in front of their hands.

FINANCE + ACCOUNTING

With foundational knowledge in both finance and accounting principles, you’ll be in high demand across a wide range of employers. You’ll gain advanced quantitative and analytical skills, as well as hone your critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities in a bigger-picture way.

The Belk College of Business Risk Management and Insurance program was ranked No. 11 in the 2022 AM Best Review Survey of the best undergraduate RMI programs.

Risk Management and Insurance concentration

Charlotte, NC, is not only the second largest banking city in the U.S., it’s also a dynamic hub for insurance and financial and insurance technology.

UNC Charlotte’s Risk Management and Insurance concentration in the Finance degree has blossomed into a top program since its inception, when just two students completed the program during the 1998-99 academic year.

About 50 students, usually sophomores and juniors, complete an internship each academic year
100% of RMI students are employed within two months after graduation
Approximately 80% are employed in their preferred career path before graduation
Nearly 700 students have completed the RMI concentration in the Finance degree since 1998.

see more about the RMI concentration

Graduate Finance Programs

The department coordinates curriculum for the MBA concentrations in business finance, financial institutions/commercial banking, applied investment management and real estate finance and development.

The department is also significantly involved in the M.S. in Mathematical Finance and is primarily responsible for administering the Ph.D. in Business Administration/Finance concentration.

Early Entry Programs

Undergraduate students with outstanding academic performance may apply for early entry to a graduate program and begin graduate coursework while completing undergraduate degree requirements.

learn more about early entry programs

student organizations

Beta Alpha Psi (BAP)

Beta Alpha Psi is an honorary organization for financial information students and professionals. Our goal is to encourage and give recognition to scholastic and professional excellence in the business information field, which includes promoting the study and practice of accounting, finance and information systems; providing opportunities for self-development, service and association among members and practicing professionals and encouraging a sense of ethical, social, and public responsibility.

Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS)

The purpose of this co-ed organization is to promote, encourage, and sustain student interest in insurance, risk management, finance and actuarial science as professions and to provide professional development opportunities for the members. Through regular meetings, guest speakers, and industry events, Gamma Iota Sigma provides students with real-world exposure, networking with industry professionals, and the opportunity to build lasting friendships with classmates.

Commercial Real Estate Society (CRES)

The Commercial Real Estate Society (CRES) at UNC Charlotte connects students with professionals and alumni in the commercial real estate industry. It also promotes commercial real estate education, skills, and professional organizations.

Student Managed Investment Fund

“It’s one of those courses where the students in the class decide the direction of the course, and you decide what you’re going to do, when you’re going to do it, how you’re going to do it. That degree of autonomy has been really empowering.”
Pranav Jain ’23 Finance, Belk Scholar and Early Entry student for the M.S. in Mathematical Finance