TL;DR

International Finance maps to BLS occupations averaging about $140,813, with roughly 3,413,100 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $9,358; common paths include Financial Managers and Accountants and Auditors.

Key Statistics

$9,358
Median In-State Public Tuition
$38,700
Median Out-of-State Private Tuition
$140,813
Avg. Wage (related occupations)
3,413,100
Workers (related occupations)

International Finance: what the data shows

Common questions about international finance degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.

What is a international finance degree?

A International Finance program is classified under NCES CIP 52.0806 in the Finance and Financial Management Services field family (52.08).

A program that prepares individuals to manage international financial operations and related currency transactions. Includes instruction in international banking, international monetary and financial policy, money and capital markets, foreign exchange, risk analysis, and international cash flow operations

Types of international finance degrees and related programs

Other NCES program codes in the 52.08 family with pages on EDsmart Data:

How long does it take to get a international finance degree?

Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.0806 in our file:

  • 2 Master's (100.0% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's

Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.

What degree do you need?

For Financial Managers (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.

What jobs can you get with a international finance degree?

Our degree→occupation mapping links International Finance to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian annual wage
Financial Managers818,620$161,700
Accountants and Auditors1,448,290$81,680
Personal Financial Advisors270,480$102,140
Financial Analysts340,580$101,350
Financial Examiners62,830$90,400
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents472,300$78,140

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a international finance degree worth it?

College Scorecard national medians for the Finance and Financial Management Services bachelor's program family: median debt $35,481, median earnings $83,343 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.66.

About 3.4% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.

Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $9,358 and median net price is $18,397.

We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in International Finance and the types of students that study this field.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$9,358 Median In-State Public

$38,700 Median Out of State Private

Tuition costs for International Finance majors are, on average, $9,358 for in-state public colleges, and $38,700 for out of state private colleges.

Tuition costs comparison for International Finance programs.

Degrees Awarded Over Time

100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in International Finance from 2015 to 2023.

Historical trend of degrees awarded in International Finance.

Top 5 Schools by Enrollment

Schools with the largest enrollment offering International Finance programs.

Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition

# School State Tuition
1 Lake Tahoe Community College CA $1,131
2 San Diego Miramar College CA $1,146
3 San Diego Miramar College CA $1,146
4 Imperial Valley College CA $1,148
5 Southeast New Mexico College NM $1,176

Schools with the lowest tuition costs for International Finance programs.

Top 5 Lowest Net Price

Schools with the lowest average net price for International Finance programs.

Graduation Rates

Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.

Graduation/completion rates for International Finance programs across institutions.

Related specializations

Other NCES program codes in the 52.08 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.

Degree Levels (IPEDS)

Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 52.0806 in the survey year used in our extract (2 total across levels below).

  • 2 Master's (100.0% of IPEDS total)

Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.

Careers & Jobs

Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.

Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $140,813. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of International Finance graduates alone.

Related occupations (BLS OEWS)

Occupation Mean annual wage U.S. employment
Financial Managers$214,546818,620
Accountants and Auditors$106,6511,448,290
Personal Financial Advisors$173,641270,480
Financial Analysts$131,249340,580
Financial Examiners$120,55562,830
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents$108,560472,300

Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.

Program outcomes (College Scorecard)

National medians across bachelor's programs in the Finance and Financial Management Services CIP family (179 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every International Finance graduate.

  • $35,481 median federal loan debt among completers
  • $83,343 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
  • 0.66 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
  • 3.4% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)

Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.

Employment

Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$140,813 Average Wage in Workforce

The average salary for International Finance majors is $140,813.

Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for International Finance majors.

Occupations by Share

3,413,100 2023 Workforce

The number of International Finance graduates in the workforce has been growing.

Various jobs filled by those with a major in International Finance by share of the total number of graduates.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in International Finance in the United States.

Workforce Age

N/A Average Age in 2023

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in International Finance.

Age distribution for International Finance degree holders in the workforce.

Gender Distribution

124 Total Degrees Awarded

64 Male (51.61%)

60 Female (48.39%)

Gender distribution of International Finance degree recipients.

Race and Ethnicity Distribution

27 White (21.77%)

7 Asian (5.65%)

2 Black or African American (1.61%)

2 Two or More Races (1.61%)

Racial and ethnic distribution of International Finance degree recipients.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in International Finance are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Distribution of degree types awarded in International Finance.

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the International Finance field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Required Skills

International Finance majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.

Rating of how necessary various skills are for International Finance majors.

Skills Bar Chart

This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.

Skill importance ratings for International Finance majors.

About

A program that prepares individuals to manage international financial operations and related currency transactions. Includes instruction in international banking, international monetary and financial policy, money and capital markets, foreign exchange, risk analysis, and international cash flow operations

In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in International Finance.

CIP Code

52.0806 - International Finance

What the data shows

At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $35,481 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $83,343, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual International Finance graduate.

Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $140,813. The largest mapped role by headcount is Financial Managers (818,620 U.S. jobs in OEWS).

Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $9,358 in-state at public colleges and $38,700 at private institutions for programs in this field.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.

All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.