If you have aspirations of studying at one of the most prestigious business schools not just in the US but around the world, then Wharton provides a great opportunity for students to focus on developing their skills in line with the ever-evolving field of finance.
In the 2024-2025 U.S. News & World Report's Best Business Schools ranking, Wharton reclaimed the #1 spot, tying with Stanford University.
The finance courses that are offered across the university help students develop the key skills that are in demand and heavily relied upon in finance.
If you are looking to elevate or kickstart your career in finance, then there is no better place to go about your learning than Wharton. In this article, we’ll take a look at the offerings that are on the table for finance students like yourself and see just why the university is held in such high regard.
The Entry Requirements for Studying at the University of Pennsylvania
If you are looking to earn a place on an undergraduate course at Wharton then you’ll need to sharpen a broad range of aspects on your resume in order to satisfy the criteria for admission.
As you might expect from a top-ranking university like Wharton, they look for applicants who possess a history of academic excellence.
Like many of the other leading universities for finance across the US, getting these impressive grades while swaying the odds in your favor, won’t guarantee you’ll have success in getting a spot. This is because the admissions process takes into a number of other factors into account.
For starters, you’ll need to submit your SAT or ACT scores so that the university can have a look at your aptitude across related subjects and overall academic potential throughout your years of schooling.
One aspect of the requirements that makes the university stand out is the necessity for applicants to demonstrate leadership experience, as this is valued in the ethos of the school.
If you want to maximize your chances of getting accepted to Wharton as an undergraduate student, you’ll want your GPA to be northwards of 3.9 on a 4.0 scale.
Outside of the results that you’ve gotten in school, the admissions process also weighs heavily on a candidate's participation and interest in extracurricular activities such as involvement in community service and sports.
Of course, you have to consider that they are trying to gauge whether or not a student is right for the programs that they offer and not applying for the sake of it, so there is an inherent need to communicate your interest in business or finance, especially throughout your application.
This can be done in the personal essay that you’ll be required to submit, where you’ll have the opportunity to discuss your unique qualities.
On top of that, if you have the opportunity to take part in some personal development or growth-oriented courses over your summer months, this is also something that will bode well in your application to the Wharton School of Business.
Core Finance Courses
💼 Corporate Finance
📈 Monetary & Global Economics
💵 Investment Management
In order for you to get a sense of whether the university is the right choice for your respective goals and make a more informed decision when deciding between candidate schools for studying finance, let’s take a look at some of the core finance courses at Wharton.
The strategic mix of courses that are taught at the university lays a strong groundwork for your financial learning journey, acting as a bridge towards the future career path you envision yourself in.
By studying at one of the best finance schools in the US, you will be positioning yourself well for a successful career.
Corporate Finance
Notated as FNCE1000, this course is designed to introduce you to the field of finance by introducing and subsequently expanding on the various principles, practices and considerations that influence decision-making within businesses.
The knowledge acquired in this course will serve as the foundation for your finance-related studies. You will explore subjects like the time value of money and strategies for capital budgeting, as well as competencies that are in high demand and make up many of the tasks of a modern role in the industry.
One of the most crucial learnings that will surface throughout this course is the ability to analyze the relationship between risk and return, which will give you plenty of insight into how organizations navigate these variables.
On top of that, you can expect the course curriculum to go into detail on topics such as security market efficiency, optimal capital structure and dividend policy determinations, all of which are essential components of managing finances in their own right.
New York University provides some of the most sought-after finance degrees in the US.
Monetary Economics & Global Economy
This course, better known as FNCE1010 will work to widen your perspective by including Macroeconomics and the Global Economy.
It’s no wonder why students make sure to underline this course in their timetables, as it covers the framework to analyze events and policies that influence the business landscape worldwide.
While it might not cover some of the more finance-heavy components as other courses, having a strong understanding of monetary economics will help you understand the range of factors that influence financial markets across the globe.
The number of UPenn undergraduate students majoring in Finance at UPenn.
It gives students the opportunity to develop their understanding of concepts like inflation, interest rates, asset prices and wages in order to gain an understanding of the forces that impact businesses.
You can see that the core subject certainly comes with an extensive workload, as also goes a step further by covering exchange rates and the international trade flows of goods and assets to help you grasp the complexities of the economy.
So armed with a good understanding of FNCE1010, you’ll be ready to impress in any future interview and capable of making an impact in the workplace.
Investment Management
FNCE2050, or Investment Management, is a course that is often favored by students as it delves into the principles that are useful in handling investment portfolios.
You’ll learn how to optimize an investment portfolio through diversification and effective asset allocation, discovering how to maximize returns on portfolios.
As you might have guessed, the opportunity to learn all about investment tactics, including options like index funds and active approaches such as hedge funds and long-short positions, is a student favorite and full of applicable learnings.
Throughout your learning, you can also expect to touch on mutual funds, performance assessment methods and long-term investing, so you’ll be more than prepared for any future roles that revolve around managing portfolios.
Advanced Finance Electives
Let’s take a moment to look at one of the biggest attractions for students looking to steer their education in line with whatever career path they envision themselves pursuing once they graduate from the university.
The number of masters students studying at UPenn. All of which will engage with core finance modules over the course of their learning!
The advanced finance electives that are available to those who wish to major in the subject are plentiful and will give you the necessary skills and tactics to supplement your core learnings throughout the course.
Employers roll out the red carpet for finance graduates from UPenn and Harvard University, recognizing the unparalleled blend of tradition and innovation that defines this world-class institution.
FNCE2030 - Advanced Corporate Finance
One of the most popular elective courses that finance majors at Wharton tend to opt for is the Advanced Corporate Finance course, which covers everything you’ll need to know about mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring and financial strategy.
Just by glancing at the course curriculum, you’ll immediately begin to see the application of the course in a practical sense.
The module places particular focus on investment decisions amidst uncertainty, capital costs and financial structure, which are all major components of a finance role in the contemporary jobs market.
Your enhanced capacity for financial decision-making will resonate with potential employers once you get around to interviewing for different positions in the sector.
So, if you’re fortunate enough to land a place at the university, this is definitely an elective you might want to consider taking.
FNCE2070 - Valuation
Next up, we have Valuation, which is a course that centers on the skill of evaluating a company. If you enjoy seeing theoretical learning come to life through practical applications, then this is a course that will definitely pique your interest.
Throughout the course, you will be tasked with applying financial models to real-life situations, making complex ideas more accessible for interpretation by various levels of management.
This is an important skill that you’ll need in any financial role, as there is an inherent need to communicate any trends or forecasts that you arrive at to non-finance-oriented roles and teams.
If you’ve ever wondered how a company is valued, then FNCE2070 will surely have you sitting upright in your chair inside the lecture hall. The course will instruct you on collecting and assessing data from financial statements, among other records, to accurately determine the value of companies.
As you progress through your study, you can expect to become a master at using a range of methods, such as discounted cash flow and price ratios.
Ultimately, this will go a long way in providing you with all the skills you’ll need to succeed in investment banking and many consulting roles!
Why the University of Pennsylvania is a Good Finance School
After reading, it’s clear why Wharton’s finance graduates are in such high demand from the moment they finish their final year of study. Hopefully, you also have a better sense of whether or not the school is a suitable next step in your respective career path.
With that said, the school seems to open countless doors for applicants who are lucky enough to come out the other end of its admissions process and competitive courses.
The choice of elective modules that you can opt to engage with over the course of your learning can also allow you to develop a holistic skillset across a range of financial subjects or specialize in a particular area that you intend on pursuing after graduating.
This makes the leading finance school an attractive option for students who know exactly what they want to do after their studies and those who wish to have a range of options available to them by the time all the hard work is behind them.
The university’s experienced faculty, coupled with the innovative curriculum taught to finance majors, enables Wharton to nurture the next generation of financial leaders, ensuring they are prepared to excel in this dynamic industry.
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