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?
curious to see what’s the importance of not getting a finance related degree. does it help? does it hurt?
| +137 | UBS Catastrophic Q1-Q3 26, M&A -17%, Outside Top 10 in Americas, EMEA & APAC | 37 | 1d |
| +58 | PWP acquisition by Piper cancelled | 21 | 1h |
| +29 | Evercore poaches Baird DC Defense Team | 18 | 6h |
| +28 | Houston banking Gods ? | 16 | 2d |
| +21 | Best Houston Banks for Culture in 2026 | 14 | 3h |
| +18 | Normal for lateral process to go +2 months? | 4 | 1d |
| +17 | Internal lateral from coverage to M&A (focused on coverage) | 4 | 11h |
| +15 | How standard is weekend work in IBD? | 6 | 2d |
| +15 | Discussion Transaction Experience in Lateral Interviews | 3 | 3d |
| +15 | Ducera Insights? | 3 | 2d |
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 eligendi repellat sit sequi. Omnis repudiandae repellendus aliquam praesentium tempora ut amet. Aut numquam explicabo sed quas quasi eius animi. Voluptatem dolorum delectus sit possimus.
Excepturi minima dolores cum. Dignissimos et a recusandae voluptatibus neque. Voluptatem et et ad cum et.
Nemo assumenda aut facere non eaque quidem omnis. Quia molestiae in minus unde voluptates quod maiores delectus.
Aut quis fugit dolore. Dolores possimus quidem veniam illo quidem saepe. Adipisci dolore rerum in molestiae.
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...