college students studying together in a library

Finance Department

36%

One in three undergraduates are Finance majors. Joining the Finance program means joining a robust community!

98.9%

Employment rate within 90 days of graduation

$74,172

The average starting salary of an undergraduate Finance student

What is Finance?

Interested in learning more? Curious about the broad range of jobs in Finance?

Click here to see highlights from interviews with Financial Industry leaders

Mee Warren (Kula Investment) smiles at the camera. Her quote reads "...in any role of systematic investing, the key skill set that you need is having the curiosity and wanting to learn and apply. No one comes in knowing everything...It is the willingness to learn on the job that is key.”
Allison Buckvold (Cargill) smiles at the camera. Her quote reads "“A lot of times in finance we are in charge of very complex financial models. But we need to be able to communicate those to our business partners in order to influence the right decision on a project or initiative or for the broader business strategy.”
Joe Ramaker (Rite Hite Holdings) smiles at the camera. His quote reads "I think that the skills that students want to look for is how to break problems down with a finance lens.”
Anna Sabiston (Prudential Private Capital) smiles at the camera. Her quote reads "My favorite thing is coming across new companies...You meet with and learn about companies that make a widget or provide a service that you never thought about. But once you learn about it, you see it everywhere.”
Mee Warren (Kula Investment) smiles at the camera. Her quote reads "...in any role of systematic investing, the key skill set that you need is having the curiosity and wanting to learn and apply. No one comes in knowing everything...It is the willingness to learn on the job that is key.”
Allison Buckvold (Cargill) smiles at the camera. Her quote reads "“A lot of times in finance we are in charge of very complex financial models. But we need to be able to communicate those to our business partners in order to influence the right decision on a project or initiative or for the broader business strategy.”
Joe Ramaker (Rite Hite Holdings) smiles at the camera. His quote reads "I think that the skills that students want to look for is how to break problems down with a finance lens.”
Anna Sabiston (Prudential Private Capital) smiles at the camera. Her quote reads "My favorite thing is coming across new companies...You meet with and learn about companies that make a widget or provide a service that you never thought about. But once you learn about it, you see it everywhere.”

We asked financial industry leaders, our own finance faculty, and our undergraduate students to tell us a few words that came to mind in association with "Finance." Below are word clouds of the most popular words and ideas that came to mind.

A word cloud of words financial industry professionals said came to mind in association with the word finance. Analytical, money, and quantitative were the most popular.
A word cloud of words that came to mind when our finance faculty were asked what came to mind in association with finance. Risk, money, and time were the most popular.
A word cloud of words that undergraduate students said came to mind in association with finance. Money, competitive, stressful, and intense were the most popular, along with several other words such as communication, rewarding, profit, investment, etc.

New Faculty Member

We're thrilled to introduce the latest addition to our faculty team. This accomplished individual bring a wealth of knowledge, innovation, and passion to our academic community.

Zhenhu Jin faces the camera, his expression neutral. He's wearing a gray plaid shirt.

Zhenhu Jin

Finance Faculty Highlights

Our faculty members are more than just educators; they are accomplished leaders in the finance industry and dedicated researchers shaping the future of finance. We take immense pride in highlighting some of their remarkable accomplishments

Lisa Kline - 2024 Star Educator

At what point did you realize you'd like to teach?
The opportunity to teach came knocking at my door before I had considered it as an option. As I was entering Grad school I was offered a tuition reduction in return for teaching an introductory Accounting course. It was a bit intimidating as I had attained my Accounting degree only months before, but their confidence that I could handle it gave me the courage to try. I learned that teaching deepened my own understanding, listening, curiosity and creativity but it was also rewarding to see students' "light bulbs come on". 
 

What is a highlight of your teaching career and why?
When I look back I will remember two things:

  1. The magic that happens when I find the right combination of activities to coach, challenge, cajole, (coerce?) students out of their comfort zone - where the real learning happens.
  2. The instances when I hear back from students that they've been able to use something they learned in one of our classes together.

What is the most surprising thing you've encountered while teaching?
Sometimes the most important lessons I share have little to do with Finance. The "lessons" in perseverance, reflection, self-advocacy, pride, integrity, curiosity, and patience are universal and lasting.

Eric White - 2024 Star Educator

At what point did you realize you'd like to teach?
I've had amazing teachers my whole life and there are teachers in my family, so teaching has always been on my mind. However, the first time I considered a career in teaching was when I served as a tutor for FINA 3001 during my undergraduate experience. I felt a sense of energy and fulfillment after tutoring sessions that I was interested in exploring further.
 

What is a highlight of your teaching career and why?
Meaningful conversations with students and colleagues. I've had the opportunity to provide guidance to students at key points in their college journey that I believe has made a big difference in their lives. I've also become friends with many of my colleagues who teach me new things daily!

What is the most surprising thing you've encountered while teaching?
Little things make a big difference. This could be using the right tone when responding to a question, telling a well-timed joke, or spicing up a dry topic with an engaging story. These seemingly small touches help students learn and retain key lessons.

Richard Thakor

Richard Thakor

Celebrating his promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure

Juliana Salomao

Juliana Salomao

Celebrating her promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure

Photo of a laptop on a podium. In the background is the slightly blurry audience of a seminar.

Minnesota Seminar Series

The 2024-2025 Finance Seminar series will be particularly rebust. We recommend you check it out!

CFE Boardroom Presenation

Funds Enterprise

The David S. Kidwell Funds Enterprise (CFE) allows MBA and undergraduate finance students the opportunity to manage over $50 million of real investment money. Guided by the managing director and faculty members, student participants take total control of the money management process.

Business Advancement Center for Health

Business Advancement Center for Health

The Carlson School of Management and the Business Advancement Center for Health (BACH) are uniquely positioned to reimagine and provide leadership in healthcare. By engaging interdisciplinary experts from academia, industry, and the community, BACH is designing and evaluating business-driven innovations that address critical gaps of equity in healthcare.