Much of the terminology and essential conceptual frameworks needed to understand important financial documents come from years of prolonged academic study. Executive finance programs often seek to condense this information, providing the skills and understanding necessary to process and react to technical reports.

Once you have obtained a graduate degree in business and have significant hands-on experience, the next step is an Executive MBA (EMBA). Programs combine fundamentals such as finance, accounting and marketing with leadership studies to get you into high-level executive and management positions.