What do you study in finance?

Contents

Finance in a nutshell:

Many subjects are taught in this field, and studies differ depending on the field and the level of expertise targeted.

Finance is the set of activities that enable economic agents with a need to be financed by those with a surplus.

Finance is a sector that encompasses a wide variety of professions, many of them highly specialised.

What all these financial jobs have in common is an understanding and analysis of our economy and the business world.

Definition

What is finance?

The first definition of Finance is that money has a price and that those who lend money to those who need it take a risk and must therefore be remunerated for that risk. This definition can vary according to the times and political ideologies in force (Marxism, liberalism, etc.).

Those who finance by contributing capital require a return to compensate for the risk they are taking, which is known as profitability. Profitability is sought by all those who have surplus capital (household savers, for example). This surplus is used to finance those who need it (a business looking to expand, a household looking to buy its main home). The two are brought together by banks and financial markets.

Finance can be divided into 4 main areas of specialisation: market, corporate, banking and real estate finance.

Market finance : deals with the operation and transactions that take place on the financial markets. Market finance jobs can generally be divided into 3 main categories: front office (jobs involving direct contact with clients or creating products or trading for clients), middle office (risk management, compliance, IT finance) and back office (settlement verification in particular).
corporate finance : the aim is to assess and optimise a company’s financial health. The teaching provided is essentially based on financing (capital raising operations), financial analysis and corporate financial management.
Banking finance: this covers all the subjects that will enable our students to work in retail banking, private banking, cooperative or mutual banking and investment banking. The increasing complexity and digitalisation of financial operations requires increasingly advanced skills in these areas.
real estate finance: this covers the entire life cycle of real estate products, from acquisition, sale and rental to construction, financing, operational management and renovation.

Description

What are finance subjects?

During their finance training, students may be required to study a wide range of finance subjects: accounting, analysis, auditing, market finance, management control, compliance, etc. Here are the most common definitions:

General knowledge of the business world : keeping abreast of how the world works, what the latest financial news is and being able to talk about it and discuss it with your professional network.
Economy: this covers all activities relating to the production, distribution and consumption of wealth. It is often divided into micro and macro economics.
Accounting: accounting is a discipline that provides a real-time statement of a company’s financial position. Accounting collects important financial information that companies need to make intelligent business decisions and comply with applicable laws. It can also help investors, creditors and regulators understand a company’s financial health, as it provides a clear picture of the company’s past and present performance.
Financial analysis: this consists of analysing accounting documents, in particular the document submitted to the tax authorities every year: the tax return. This financial analysis provides information on the health of a company, particularly in terms of solvency and profitability. This information helps the company’s directors to make informed decisions.
Audit, internal and external: this is an analysis of how a company or one of its departments operates. This audit can be carried out internally by a dedicated employee or externally by a specialist company.
Management control: this is a management system designed to optimise the performance of a department or company. The aim is to improve the ratio of resources deployed to results obtained. It is most often referred to as cost control.
Market finance: this is the type of finance that deals with issues, operations and transactions relating to investment securities, financing and their derivatives (currencies, commodities, interest rates, etc.) It seeks to assess the potential prices and risks of these various investment, hedging or speculative assets.
Taxation : this can be summed up as the practices used by the State or a local authority to collect taxes and other compulsory levies. It applies to both companies and individuals. By studying tax, you can identify the main risks, keep abreast of legislative developments and optimise your tax payments.
Business law: consists of all the rules applicable to companies and their relationships with each other. Business law governs many aspects of corporate life: articles of association, contracts, intellectual property, competition, taxation, etc.
Governance, risk management and compliance: these three concepts refer to all the processes and measures that help a company to achieve its corporate governance objectives, identify potential risks, assess them and counter them. All in compliance with applicable laws and standards.
Cash management: this is the activity that consists of managing a company’s cash position, the aim being to ensure that it is positive. Cash flow is the money available to a company to finance its activities: salaries, purchase of raw materials, rent, purchase of machinery, etc. It is a major issue for the company. It is a major issue for the company, and good management of it is a guarantee of the company’s sound financial health.
Business finance: business finance is a category of finance that focuses on issues relating to the management of a company’s assets and financial resources. It includes choosing sources of finance (including borrowing and saving), evaluating short- and long-term investments, managing assets, allocating resources and analysing profitability. Business finance focuses on the short-term decisions that help a company make optimal use of its financial resources and achieve its objectives.
Excel: the essential calculation software for analysing and tracking figures. Thanks to its advanced features, Excel enables users to create databases for tracking company income and expenditure, create templates for budgets, calculate loans and perform other finance-related tasks. Excel can also be used to generate charts and reports that can help clarify data and arrive at more accurate financial conclusions.

Studies

Studying finance?

Bac général, Bac STMG, DUT, BUT, BTS, Licence, Bachelor, Master, Master of Science… There are many ways to study finance. These can be initial courses (via work placements) or continuing education courses (professional training contracts or apprenticeships). Focus on these courses:

Which BAC to study in Finance?

Finance courses are open to students in their final year of general or technological education.

For the general stream, the most recommended specialities are mathematics and economic and social sciences, but other options are also available.

Students with the Science and Technology of Management and Management BAC (STMG) can also study finance.

Which post-baccalauréat route is best for studying finance?

After the Baccalauréat, several types of study are possible, the main ones being the BTS, the BUT (former DUT), a licence at university or a Bachelor’s degree at a business school.

The main post-Baccalaureate courses in finance are :

A BTS (Brevet de Technicien Supérieur) is a 2-year diploma prepared at a lycée or school after the BAC. There are BTSs in accountancy, management, finance, banking and insurance, international trade, etc. You can work as an assistant after a BTS or continue your studies.

a Bachelor’s degree from a business school:

– INSEEC BACHELOR: this 3-year programme enables students to acquire the fundamental concepts in management (economics, law, human resources, corporate strategy, management, etc.) and a progressive specialisation to build their professional project. In the 3rd year, students choose one of the following specialisations: Finance ; Real Estate Transactions and Property Dealers; Real Estate & Finance; Financial Products, Real Estate & Insurance; Management & Administration.

– INSEEC BBA: this 4-year internationally-focused programme offers innovative teaching methods and specialisation in the 4th year with the International Finance major.

A BUT (Bachelor Universitaire de Technologie – formerly DUT) is a 3-year degree awarded by an Institut Universitaire de Technologie, a structure linked to a university. Specialities taught may include economics, accounting, finance and banking.

A “Classe Préparatoire aux Grandes Ecoles“: these 2-year courses do not lead to a diploma, but to a Licence 2 level qualification. The “classes prépa en sciences économiques” are two intense years, often reserved for students with the best marks at lycée. They enable students to sit the competitive entrance exams for the Grandes Ecoles de Commerce at the end of the 2nd year.
a Licence at university, a 3-year degree awarded by the “FAC”. The courses are usually given in a lecture-style format, and the specialisations for working in finance are economics, law and mathematics (for those who want to work in market finance).

Which post-Baccalauréat +2 course is best for studying finance?

After a BTS, a classe préparatoire aux Grandes Ecoles or a Licence 2 validated at university, students looking for training in finance can go to a business school or university:

The University with a “licence 3”, 3rd year of a Bachelor’s degree.

a Grande Ecole business school. The INSEEC Grande Ecole programme: This 3-year programme is part of the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles. It enables students to acquire a general foundation of excellence coupled with a specialisation in the final year:

– Corporate Finance and Risk major;

– Finance, Audit and Control major;

– Finance for 21st practitioners major.

A Bachelor’s degree from a business school. The INSEEC Bachelor programme can be taken directly into the 3rd year. It provides an initial specialisation before entering the job market or continuing your studies towards a Master’s degree.

Which post-BAC +3 /+4 course is best for studying finance?

After a Licence or Bachelor’s degree, students can choose to specialise in greater depth in order to enhance their skills with a Master’s, MBA or MSc at a university or business school:

A specialised Master of Science from a business school. The aim of the INSEEC MSc programme is to enable students to acquire a business specialisation in 2 years so that they can work directly in a company. Graduates with 4 or 5 years of higher education can go straight into the final year , so they only have to complete one year of study. The specialisations offered are :

A generalist Master’s degree from a Grande Ecole business school. The INSEEC Grande Ecole programme can be joined in 4th year.

– MSc Corporate Finance & Financial Engineering;

– MSc Banking Digitalisation & Financial Management;

– MSc Audit & Management Control;

– MSc Investment Banking & Financial Engineering;

– MSc Risk Management, Control & Compliance ;

– MSc International Financial Analyst;

– MSc in Taxation, Business Law, Consultancy and Business Management ;

– MSc International Financial Analysis;

– MSc Financial Markets & Trading;

– MSc Real Estate Management;

– MSc in Wealth Management and Real Estate Markets.

A Master’s degree obtained at university. Degrees that allow you to work in finance will mainly be related to business law, intellectual property, company law, mathematics or economics. A university degree can also be used for research (doctorate) and to take competitive examinations for the civil service (competitive examinations for the General Directorate of Public Finance, Customs and Indirect Taxation, the National Institute of Statistics, Fraud Control, etc.).

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