BBA in Finance

Why pursue a finance degree at North Central College?

We’ve carefully balanced finance degree courses that develop practical career knowledge with a business core that creates a broad set of skills that employers value. With this business finance degree under your belt, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running whether you find yourself in the field of corporate finance, investments, wealth management, financial services, financial management, law, or government.

Not all finance colleges or finance programs are created equal. At North Central College, we prepare each and every student that goes through our bachelor's degree in finance with all the education and life experience they need to succeed in a career in banking and finance. Whether you take a job in financial planning, international finance, or investment banking, we make sure all of our finance students are as prepared as possible upon graduation.

You can also:

• Simulate trades and access thousands of proprietary reports and data screens in the Bloomberg Finance Lab, where 10 workstations are equipped with the Bloomberg Terminal software, the iconic dual monitors, and Bloomberg’s unique keyboards. When going through our finance program, you can also choose to become “Bloomberg certified” by completing a series of modules that cover economic theory, economic indicators, currencies, fixed income vehicles, options, equities, and more.
• Join the Finance Club and participate in networking events, attend guest speaker and panel presentations, and visit the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Board of Options, and the Federal Reserve.
• Participate in the Student-Managed Investment Fund to research investments, recommend investment options, and manage a real portfolio’s risk and returns.
• Prepare to sit for CFA Level 1 exam as the North Central curriculum meets the requirement to be a CFA Program Affiliated University.
• Compete for internships and job opportunities arranged through faculty, alumni, and our Career Development office.
• Learn about personal finance and work with local high schools through the Center for Financial Literacy.

Since 1861, North Central has been a place where new ideas lead to unlimited possibilities. We’re an independent college dedicated to the power of the liberal arts and sciences to transform students into leaders both in their careers and communities. Our nearly 3,000 students study across more than 65 undergraduate and graduate programs, with their education, made richer by supportive faculty and staff, world-class facilities, and countless opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.

A College on the move

Building on the foundation of more than 150 years of excellence, North Central continues to grow with numerous new facilities, programs, and initiatives in the works.

The College opened with 40 students in a single two-story building in Plainfield, Illinois. Since then we’ve changed names twice (to North-Western, then North Central), moved once (from Plainfield to Naperville), and grown steadily (to about 3,000 students).

Over the years, thousands of dedicated students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends have helped us thrive through the toughest challenges – wars, economic crises, social upheavals, and more – and build a future brilliant with hope and promise.

We’ve met the changing needs of students from Civil War veterans to millennial entrepreneurs. And we’ve always stayed true to our heritage of moral courage and forward-thinking.

Today we’re a top-ranked private comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences. U.S. News & World Report counts us among “America’s Best Colleges,” one of the top six schools in the Midwest for a “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” Students choose from more than 55 undergraduate majors and five graduate program areas.

Although the College originally discouraged organized athletics as a distraction from weightier matters, our 26 intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division III make our athletic department the largest in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW). North Central is proud of its 32 team national championships and 123 individual national champions.

Though affiliated with the United Methodist Church, we welcome and encourage students and staff of all faiths. We are thoughtfully expanding our academic programs to respond to the needs of our ever-changing world, recently adding Middle Eastern and North African Studies, along with Arabic. And we’re transforming our facilities – most dramatically with a new interdisciplinary Science Center located at the corner of Brainard Street and Van Buren Avenue.

It’s been an amazing 150+ years. But it’s clear that the best is yet to come!