The Finance major is comprised of courses in two broad areas: Corporate Finance and Investments.

In Corporate Finance, students learn to analyze business opportunities to identify those that create value. Financial analysis boils down to sophisticated cost-benefit analysis for decision making in all aspects of business, and students majoring in Finance successfully pursue careers with major corporate and other organizations.

In Investments, students learn to structure portfolios of stocks, bonds and other financial assets that meet the objectives of institutional and individual investors. The curriculum helps prepare students who wish to sit for Level I of the CFA exam series, and many graduates in Finance successfully pursue careers in asset management and wealth advising.

The Investment Strategy Institute (ISI) computer lab is dedicated to investment analysis with more than 20 Bloomberg terminals, which bring together real-time data on every financial market, breaking news, in-depth research, powerful analytics and communications tools in one fully integrated solution. They are very powerful tools that are used extensively in the profession and are a significant part of the curriculum.

Finance students can participate in several Student Managed Investment Funds under the guidance of faculty and industry professionals. The total amount of funds available for students to manage is in excess of $1,000,000. The SMIF experience also provides opportunities for students to interact with investment professionals, many of whom work downtown just minutes from campus and who are Duquesne alumni.

Good internship opportunities for Finance majors are available with leading companies such as Federated Investors, PNC Corp., BNY Mellon, UPMC Health System and JPMorgan Chase. Many of these internships are within a few minutes walk from campus.