Program at a Glance

  • Online and On Campus
  • Part-Time Study
  • 16 Credits
  • 8–12 Months to Completion
  • 7 Core Faculty
  • No GRE/GMAT
  • Tuition & Fees—Part-Time Study*: $14,020-15,720

*Based on 2024–2025 Boston University tuition and fees.

Build a Foundation in Financial Management

Available online or on campus, the Graduate Certificate in Financial Management at Boston University’s Metropolitan College (MET) is designed to provide leaders and managers throughout an organization with essential skills for making intelligent business decisions. Professionals in the financial services industry and those who are responsible for making financial decisions—as well as for students who are interested in a financial services career— who complete the program will be qualified for positions in cash management, capital budgeting, and risk management.

By taking the required courses for BU MET’s Financial Management graduate certificate, you will receive a strong foundation in financial theory, acquire technical skills for developing analytical approaches, and improve your critical thinking abilities through hands-on coursework and real-world case studies.

The Financial Management certificate is excellent preparation for the internationally recognized Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) Program exams, and shares courses with BU MET’s MS in Financial Management, which is part of the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program.

US News & World Report Best Online Programs - Criminal Justice 2024

#4, America’s Top Online Colleges

Newsweek magazine ranked Boston University’s online programs #4 in the nation in its 2023 survey.

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U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs - Grad Business 2024

MET's online master's degrees in management are ranked #6 in the nation

2024 U.S. News & World Report Rankings

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Charles River Campus

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CFA Institute University Affiliation Program

Our master’s in financial management degree is part of the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program

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AACSB logo

Accredited member of AACSB International

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (through BU's Questrom School of Business)

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What Is My Career Outlook as a Graduate of This Program?

1,185,897

Total number of US Jobs

155,927

Annual job openings

+4.1%

Annual job openings

8%

Projected ten-year growth in jobs
(faster than average)

$100.5K

Median annual salary

Common job titles include:

  • Financial Analyst
  • Finance Manager
  • Financial Planner
  • Investment Analyst
  • Wealth Manager
  • Equity/Credit Research Analyst

Employers seek expertise in:

  • Financial analysis
  • Risk management
  • Investment analysis
  • Corporate finance
  • Portfolio management
  • International finance

Source: Lightcast, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Headshot of Dezhen Liu, MS, Financial Management (MET’22)

“The financial management program exceeded my expectations because the courses introduced the finance realm in a practical and comprehensive manner rather than focusing solely on formulas and theories.[...]My master's degree not only qualified me for more job opportunities, but also broadened my career options by studying in another field.” Read more.

Dezhen Liu (MET’22)
Actuarial Analyst at Aetna
MS, Financial Management

Meet An Advisor

Why Earn a Graduate Certificate in Financial Management at BU?

  • Active Learning Environment: BU MET’s Financial Management program focuses on practical, hands-on education, ensuring you are immersed in all aspects of financial management and related research—education you can apply on the job.
  • Engaged Faculty: In BU MET’s Financial Management master’s program, you benefit from working closely with highly qualified faculty who draw from active research and substantial professional achievements in areas such as international finance, financial analysis, portfolio management, systemic risk analysis, investment analysis, mergers and acquisitions, economics, financial markets and institutions, and more.
  • Extensive Network: Study principles of finance alongside peers with solid business experience, learn from faculty who have valuable business contacts, and benefit from an alumni community with strong professional connections.
  • Exam Preparation: The Financial Management curriculum provides excellent preparation for the CFA Program exams. BU MET’s MS in Financial Management is part of the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program.
  • Complimentary Analytics Labs: Two levels of self-paced analytics laboratories offer access to advanced tools and provide opportunities to hone analytics skills using cases that are populated with realistic data.
  • 15:1 Class Ratio: Enjoy an exceptional student-to-instructor ratio, ensuring close interaction with faculty and access to support.
  • Valuable Resources: Make use of Boston University’s extensive resources, including the Center for Career Development, Educational Resource Center, Fitness & Recreation Center, IT Help Centers, Mugar Memorial Library, Center for Antiracist Research, Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, George Sherman Union, and many others.
  • Flexible Options: Study at the pace that works for you, evenings on campus or fully online. Courses begin fall, spring, and summer; online courses have two starts per term.
  • Track Record: Learn from the best—since 2014, BU MET’s part-time master’s programs in business and management have been ranked among the top in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

Master the Concepts of Global Finance

The Graduate Certificate in Financial Management and the MS in Financial Management (MSFM) are available through the Department of Administrative Sciences, which offers a variety of evening and online degrees and certificates to help you remain competitive in business and management and rise to the top of your field. Focusing on providing industry-specific programs that are innovative, scholarly, challenging, interdisciplinary, and practically focused, our mission is to produce critical and innovative thinkers—broad in perspective, international in attitude, skilled in communications—who are competent, capable, and comfortable in their ability to make strategic decisions either alone or in teams, and practiced in using the tools necessary to compete in their specialization. We prepare students to succeed in a global environment, within a professional and ethical framework.

Graduate with Expertise

Metropolitan College’s Financial Management graduate certificate will equip you with:

  • Expertise in how financial markets function, including the major participants, procedures for assessing and pricing risk, and market roles in the allocation of credit to various financial sectors.
  • Comprehension of the goals and functions of financial management.
  • Skills in financial analysis and planning, working capital management, and the capital budgeting process.
  • Knowledge of long-term financing.
  • Proficiency in the overall investment process and the key elements involved in the investment process such as asset allocation and security selection.
  • Understanding of debt, equity, and derivatives securities.
  • The ability to construct portfolios of different risk levels, given information about risk-free rates and returns on risky assets.
  • Full understanding of systematic and firm-specific risk, and portfolio diversification.
  • Insight on the concept and usage of the capital asset pricing model (CAPM).
  • Experience with the calculation of bond prices including accrued interest, promised yields, and realized yields.
  • Competence with active bond portfolio management.
  • Familiarity with how to analyze a firm using the basic financial statements to perform ratio analysis.
  • Understanding of mergers and acquisitions through the case study methodology.

Certificate-to-Degree Pathway

BU MET graduate certificate programs can serve as building blocks to a master’s degree. The Graduate Certificate in Financial Management shares specific courses with the MS in Financial Management. Students currently enrolled in a graduate certificate who are interested in transitioning into a master’s degree should contact their academic advisor to declare their interest in this pathway. A new master’s degree application is not required. Connect with a graduate admissions advisor at adsadmissions@bu.edu to learn more about this option.

Courses

(Four courses/16 credits)

And one of the following:


Financial Management Faculty

Tuition & Financial Assistance

Competitive Tuition

Our part-time rates are substantially lower than those of the traditional, full-time residential programs yet provide access to the same high-quality BU education.

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Comprehensive Financial Assistance

Our services include scholarships, graduate loans, and payment plans.

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BU MET programs offer the flexibility of part-time study, either on campus or online. Tuition, fees, and total program cost are determined by enrollment status. Course enrollment in this certificate program is 1–2 courses (4–8 credits) in a semester, and tuition is charged the part-time per-credit rate.

Financial Management Graduate Certificate (Online and On Campus)

Enrollment Status Part Time
Courses per Semester 2 courses
(8 credits)
Time to Degree 2 semesters
(8 months)
Tuition* $550-$975
per credit**
Fees per Semester* $60
Total Degree Cost* $14,020-15,720

*Based on 2024-2025 Boston University tuition & fee rates.
**Cost per credit is determined by course number (100–599 = $550/credit, 600–999 = $975/credit).

Questions? Please contact us to hear from an Admissions Advisor who can help you determine the best enrollment pathway. For information regarding financial aid, visit BU MET’s Financial Aid page.

Get started on your Graduate Certificate program today at BU MET.

Get Started

Please visit the BU MET admissions page for details on how to apply, financial assistance, tuition and fees, requirements for international students, and more.

Apply Now

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