Finance is the backbone of any business and the graduates learn effective resource management and digital advancements. It combines economic, statistical and mathematical tools. Entrepreneurial spirit is one of the benefits offered by this course. It is a course that combines communication, management, strategy and technology. 

A three-year graduation degree in any course from an accredited university. A score of GMAT/ CAT/XAT/CMAT/ CUET, as decided by the college, an appealing resume, work experience and Class 10th and 12th exams are given weightage.

The subjects taught include corporate finance, financial derivatives, international finance, capital markets, venture capital, microeconomics and macroeconomics.

The fee for this course ranges from Rs.1 Lakh to Rs. 38 Lakhs. The average package from the top institutes is around 28 LPA. 

Highlights

*Note -Fees and Average packages for other colleges apart from the ones given in the table may vary accordingly.

What is an MBA in Finance

The curriculum of an MBA in finance differs from one institution to another. Subjects include cost and benefit analysis, resource management and planning a budget for the company's financial year. 

Subjects like macroeconomics and microeconomics teach about the market, the demand and supply forces of the economy and the policies that play a major role in regulating a business. Cost accounting and advanced accounting teach how to evaluate the company’s fixed costs and variable costs involved in each transaction. 

Banking and insurance highlight the functions and strategies of a bank. Finance students who want to study banks, enjoy this subject.

Corporate finance teaches how to set and achieve financial goals, how companies finance their daily operations, pay their employees and minimize costs.

Finance students extensively study taxation to help companies or businesses with taxes. They are taught how to be exempt from some taxes and fill out the necessary ones. Investing, trading, cryptocurrency and stock markets are also explained to the students. Risk management is an important subject to sustain the company in times of financial crisis.

Cost accounting and advanced accounting train a student to evaluate the company’s fixed costs and variable costs involved in each transaction. 

The subject of corporate finance teaches students how to set and achieve the financial goals of a corporation, how companies finance their daily operations, pay their employees and minimize costs.

Finance students study taxation to help companies or businesses with taxes. They are taught how to be exempt from some taxes and fill the necessary ones. Investing, trading, cryptocurrency and stock markets are also explained to the students. 

Subjects covered

Finance teaches calculation-intensive subjects, subjects about the economy and markets. The following is the list of subjects covered in two years.

To apply for the course, the students must have completed 10+2 and a bachelor’s degree in any subject with a minimum of 60% or equivalent. The students must appear for any of the CAT/ XAT/ CMAT/ GMAT. Colleges release their cut-offs and the exam score should meet the college cut-off. The next step is a Personal Interview/ Group discussion and a written ability test (in some cases). Based on these steps, the aggregate score of the applicant is calculated. 

Entrance Exam

1. CAT: The Common Admission Test is conducted once a year, on the last Sunday of November. This exam is accepted by most colleges for pursuing MBA in India. It has three sections to check the aptitude of the students, in the sequence of verbal ability and reading comprehension, followed by logical reasoning and data interpretation, with quantitative aptitude in the end. It is a two-hour exam with +4 for the correct answer and -1 for the wrong one. There are a total of 66-68 questions. 

2. XAT: This exam is conducted by the XLRI. It has three sections: verbal ability and logical reasoning, decision-making and quantitative aptitude, and data interpretation. This is a three-hour exam with +1 for the correct answer and -0.25 for the wrong answer.

3. SNAP: This exam is conducted by the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management. It has 60 questions and 60 minutes to answer. It has a marking pattern of +1 for each correct answer and -0.25 for every wrong answer choice.

4. CMAT: The common management aptitude test is conducted by NTA. There are a hundred questions with five answer choices where only one option is correct and the candidate gets +4 for every correct answer and -1 for every wrong answer. This is a three-hour exam.

Top Colleges with specialisations in PGP/MBA- Finance

The college names mentioned below are the top colleges for an MBA in Finance, according to the NIRF Ranking. The table includes government and private colleges. Government college includes IIM Ahmedabad with a fee of ₹26.50 lakhs and an average package of ₹34.45. The private colleges mentioned include SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai which has a fee of ₹22.50 Lakhs and offers an average package of ₹32 Lakhs per annum. These colleges offer a 2-year PGP/ MBA in Finance. It also highlights the fees and average packages of the respective colleges.

Specialised MBA in Finance Colleges List

According to NIRF, the colleges mentioned below are top private and government colleges that provide a specialized 2-year MBA in Finance. The curriculum primarily focuses on subjects regarding finance like corporate finance, financial management, taxation, accounting, financial marketing and so on. The best private colleges are IIFT Delhi which offers a Business Analytics program, specialising in finance. It has a program fee of ₹17.87 Lakhs and an average package of ₹29.10 Lakhs per annum. 

The table mentions colleges that provide programs in Finance other than MBA and specialised MBA. The courses mentioned are Integrated programs, Dual country programs executive PhD, PhD and fellow programs in management. It shows the best private and public colleges providing these courses, according to the NIRF. Their fees and the duration of the program are also present in the table. It includes public institutes like IITs and IIMs. 

Job Opportunities

There are multiple job opportunities for MBA in Finance graduates. The table mentions the job titles and information regarding the job profile. The table presents lucrative jobs that are highly demanded by Finance students. 

Studying for a career in finance provides well-paid jobs today and in the times to come. The best recruiters highly rate the experience and intellect that graduates in finance bring to the table. The FinTech industry offers great opportunities to these students. The booming capital market and surge in stock market investors is the trend. An increase in investments leads to a growing demand for finance enthusiasts who can guide investment decisions. After the introduction of blockchains and cryptocurrencies, employment chances will grow. Insights into customer behavior and market trends are a significant demand of this career. 

With globalisation gradually increasing, there are more cross-border investments and international transactions. After the pandemic, risk management requirements have increased, leading to transparency and sustainable investment practices. 

There is a transformation in the banking industry after the digitalization of the economy and mobile payments. 

Since an MBA in finance teaches about the foundation to an expert level of money management, it provides a career that will never be out of trend, whether it be an industry. Finance students also study the spectrum of profitability and costs of companies

Skills Required for MBA in Finance

1. Accounting: This skill is significant in understanding a company’s performance. Anybody proficient in understanding financial documents like annual reports, income statements and balance sheets is suited for this course. 

2. Financial Decision Making: The skill to make financial decisions considering the goals, finances and budget is important. This includes calculating the return on investment and estimating the cost and benefits of a project for the company. 

3. Financial Forecasting: This is important to predict future trends by studying the present market conditions and financial data of the past. This helps create opportunities in profitable periods. 

4. Investment: Investing money in projects and calculating the returns to conclude whether it will be profitable or not is an important skill. For long-term growth, capital allocation is important for building wealth. 

5. Management: Professionals like general managers, financial managers, operations managers and financial investment analysts require management skills to prepare a budget, whether annual, semi-annual or quarterly budget to decide the amount allocated for each sector.  

6. Communication: Financial literacy for conveying the meaning of financial terminology and concepts. This is important as some stakeholders might not belong to the finance industry. For any collaboration, interpersonal skills, adaptability and an eye for detail are very important.

An MBA in Finance teaches financial management skills, corporate finance, investment strategies and risk management, from foundation to expert level. The curriculum of this program facilitates leadership skills and analytical thinking. Therefore, it nurtures students for dynamic roles in the banking, corporate finance and investment management sector. 

A firm foundation in finance enables the graduates to facilitate business growth, economic development and financial stability of the organisations. Finance, as a field, continues to evolve, presenting new challenges for professionals and thereby keeping them ahead of trends in the market. Constant learning and an adaptive nature will make finance graduates competitive enough to succeed in business environment.