Finance Major

Throughout the program, you'll build skills in critical thinking, data interpretation, and strategic decision-making, which are the kind of skills that will serve you well in any career — not just in finance.

Why Choose Finance at LAS

At Touro LAS, the finance major is a great fit if you're mathematically inclined and curious about how financial systems work. You'll gain the tools to understand how businesses operate, how investments grow, and how financial decisions get made — all while learning from faculty with experience in both academia and industry.

You’ll take core business classes in accounting, economics, business law, management, and statistics. These courses help you build essential skills, understand how different parts of a business connect, and figure out which course of study fits you best.

Based on your career goals and interests, you’ll likely take courses related to these general paths: 

• Investments: If you want to understand how people build wealth, you’ll take courses in real estate, stock valuation, commodities, portfolio management, and options and futures trading. 
• Corporate/Managerial Finance: If you're more interested in how companies and organizations make financial decisions, you'll study budgeting and forecasting, internal financial strategy, operational decision-making, and corporate structure and management. 

Throughout the curriculum, you’ll get hands-on experience with industry tools like Excel, financial modeling, and the Bloomberg Terminal. Whether you’re heading into finance or another business discipline, you’ll leave with practical skills and a sharp, strategic mindset.

Meet the Finance Faculty

The professors teaching your courses have worked across Wall Street, nonprofits, corporate, and academia as researchers, consultants, advisors, and instructors. Our faculty bring a range of perspectives into the classroom and care deeply about helping you succeed.

Here are some of the faculty members you’ll have a chance to learn from:

Dr. Meyer Peikes has taught finance and mathematics at Touro for decades. With a Ph.D. in finance from Columbia, he combines deep academic training with a thoughtful, student-centered approach to advising. As the department’s student advisor, he’ll help you navigate everything from course planning to long-term career goals.

Dr. Menahem Rosenberg teaches investment-focused courses and leads the CFA prep boot camp — a standout opportunity for students planning to take the CFA® Program Level I exam. He earned his Ph.D. from CUNY and is known for helping students build strong analytical skills and a sharp investment mindset.

Dr. Kenneth Dreifus draws on his background in consulting and academia to help students connect big-picture theory with real-world finance challenges. His courses emphasize practical strategy, critical thinking, and an applied understanding of financial systems.

We also have many adjunct faculty who are professionals from Wall Street and the corporate sector. These professionals bring hands-on industry knowledge to our classrooms. Among them is Robyn Polansky Morrison, the founder and lead principal of financial advisory firm MORR Strategy. An alum of Touro’s Graduate School of Business, she’s passionate about teaching values-based investing, financial literacy, and philanthropic strategy. 

Course Spotlight: Seminar in Options Trading

One of the program’s most popular courses, Seminar in Options Trading (EBFN 410), bridges financial theory and real-time market experience. You'll begin with foundational modeling work and then analyze live options data from the  Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), crafting strategies that simulate professional-level decision-making. 

The course also introduces key concepts like option valuation models and hedging strategies, giving you practical tools you can use in a variety of investment settings. It's a student favorite for the insight it offers into real investment strategy

More About the Finance Major

From your first business core classes to advanced electives, the finance major gives you the structure, tools, and mentorship to grow as a thinker and decision-maker. Here’s what else you can expect from the finance major at Touro LAS: 

Boost Your Resume with CFA Prep

Each year, you’ll have the chance to take a preparation course for the CFA® Program Level I exam — one of the most competitive credentials in finance. Touro’s pass rate is around 80%, which is far above the global average of 40-50%. 

You’ll also get exposure to Series 7 exam material and hands-on training with the Bloomberg Terminal, which is the same platform used by professionals across the finance world. These opportunities will set you apart when applying for internships, jobs, or an MBA program.

Put Theory Into Practice with Real Businesses

In upper-level courses like Security Analysis, you’ll pick a company listed on the NYSE and follow it all semester. You’ll create financial reports, model valuations, and present a final long-term analysis. Projects like these give you real insight into how markets behave — and they’re great to reference in interviews.

Expand Your Horizons with Advanced Electives

Finance at Touro LAS isn’t one-size-fits-all. You can tailor your experience by choosing courses in areas like options trading, corporate finance, or even real estate investment. In many 300- and 400-level courses, you’ll tackle full-semester modeling and analysis projects that simulate real-world challenges and build your confidence as a financial decision-maker.

After Touro: Opportunities in Finance

Because the best MBA programs require a few years of real-world experience, most of our finance majors start working right after graduation. You’ll find Touro finance grads working in investment analysis, banking, financial planning, real estate, nonprofit finance, and corporate operations. Others head into growing fields like fintech or data analytics. 

If you have a strong background in math or statistics, you can also explore specialized fields like data analytics or actuarial science, which are in high demand.

For many, that first job is just the beginning, with around half of our alumni going on to graduate school within 5-10 years. Touro LAS finance alumni have been accepted to top MBA programs at NYU, the University of Chicago, Columbia, and Pace. When the time is right — no matter how many years it's been since you graduated — our finance faculty are here to help you through the process.

Alumni Spotlight: Stock Analyst Jeffrey Drezner

Touro LAS graduate Jeffrey Drezner is a stock analyst at asset management firm Nippon Life Global Investors Americas, Inc., covering the consumer staples sector and helping guide investment decisions for a major life insurance company. His role requires deep industry knowledge, clear communication, and the ability to interpret complex financial data — all skills he ties back to honing during his time at Touro.

When he started at Touro, Jeff didn’t know he wanted to work in finance. But one economics course later, he was fascinated enough to take a few more classes. 

“I love understanding the cogs and wheels that make the markets work,” he recalls. “After the economics course, I took a class with Dr. Rosenberg, and it was the most challenging — and rewarding — course I’d ever taken. After that, there was no turning back.”

Jeff still remembers the CFA® prep course he took with two other students — a class Professor Rosenberg designed and led outside of the regular curriculum. 

“All three of us passed the Level I exam on the first try,” he says. “Traditionally, that test has a really low pass rate, so it just speaks to the quality of a Touro education and the professors.”

Before his current role, Jeff worked on the sell side at major investment banks like Morgan Stanley and KBW, a Stifel company. Now, on the buy side, he uses the same type of research he once helped create. 

“There’s a lot of value in understanding both sides of the industry,” he says. “And Touro gave me the breadth and opportunity to choose from multiple directions.”

A decade into his career, Jeff still carries the impact of his professors at Touro LAS. His advice? “Find a professor who challenges and supports you — and then push yourself even further.”

What to Expect at LAS

At Touro LAS, we meet you where you are. Our students are balancing school with work, family, community obligations, and more, which is why our programs are designed to be flexible, career-focused, and personal from day one. Here’s what you can expect at Touro LAS: