Students considering business graduate programs can earn a Masters Degree or an MBA degree (Masters in Business Administration). An MBA degree can be specialized (MBA in Finance) yet an MS degree carries no specialization due to the fact that it is a specialization in and of itself.

For example, a Master of Finance (M. Fin) is designed to prepare graduates for careers in financial analysis, investment management and corporate finance. The M. Fin. is generally a one-year, non-thesis master of finance degree and is often positioned as a professional degree.

An MBA with a specialization in finance however will have the majority of its coursework be across broad business disciplines such as marketing, finance, economics, operations, organizational behavior and strategy. Finance as the MBA specialization will usually be layered into the course load in the second year of study particularly in team oriented practical work projects to help develop managerial and leadership skills.