What’s the importance of non finance majors in breaking into IB?
curious to see what’s the importance of not getting a finance related degree. does it help? does it hurt?
Trending Content - Investment Banking Forum
| +394 | Female bankers doing brand deals on TikTok (@emlywang) | 119 | 2h |
| +136 | UBS rolling out Enhanced Clean Desk Policy, bans deal toys | 16 | 1d |
| +76 | Starting FT in a city 3 hours away, dad has progressing Parkinson's. Looking for advice. | 6 | 1d |
| +67 | JULY 2026 CHICAGO BANK RANKINGS | 26 | 10h |
| +64 | Restructuring is paradise (a completely unbiased account) | 6 | 2d |
| +35 | Handling frustration | 5 | 2d |
| +35 | Not Treated Well by Other Interns | 20 | 15m |
| +29 | Taking days off as an intern | 13 | 27m |
| +28 | Thoughts on Intrepid - Houlihan Merger | 10 | 1d |
| +27 | Best books to read as a student/intern | 12 | 3d |
Career Resources
Depends on whether you're interesting and whether you know the requisite accounting/finance knowledge. If you come in as English but know how to model NOLs and deferred taxes, then you might be more compelling than your finance-major counterparts just because you're not another dime a dozen.
more competitive as a non-finance major from my experience. Studying engineering & got 5 BB offers and 1 EB. Would advise studying something u actually like / curious about & if u find an interest in finance, just read some guides and network.
Yes, I agree with this. Interviewers don't want kids who can only talk about finance. That shit is weird (airport test, etc). Having cool engineering projects to discuss went a long way for me in presenting myself as an interesting person worth hiring. I suppose the larger point is to be someone worth having a conversation with – your major really doesn't matter.
I’m confused, you say that it’s tougher for non-finance majors but then cite you getting 5 BB majors as an engineering major.
[you're] more competitive
Oh, makes sense. That’s probably true at target schools, but finance major is a lot safer at semi-targets and non-targets.
I think they’re saying that you’re a more competitive candidate if you have a non-finance major, particularly STEM. At the end of the day it’s probably true, majors that interest you and also show that you are smart tend to be eye catching out of a thousand business/finance/economics degrees.
Vitae esse voluptatem beatae quia voluptatibus beatae quae. Hic repudiandae in ducimus vel iste esse dignissimos.
Itaque et sequi nemo laboriosam consequuntur suscipit. Deleniti et doloremque sint totam a et. Id exercitationem eos vitae dolores voluptatibus. Exercitationem ut hic aliquam rem ut odio quas consectetur.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...