Official Site of The State of New Jersey
The Finance Career Cluster® includes those career opportunities that relate to making strategic decisions to report, obtain, save, protect, and grow the financial assets of businesses and individuals. Individuals working in finance must have strong computation, analytical and interpersonal skills.
Career Pathways
- Accounting
- Securities and Investments
As stated in the New Jersey Perkins V State Plan, career and technical education programs of study must support career pathways meeting two out of the following three criteria, high-wage, high-skill, and in-demand occupations. The following CIP codes from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) have been identified as meeting these requirements at the state level.
| CIP Code | Program Name | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 52.0301 | Accounting | A program that prepares individuals to practice the profession of accounting and to perform related business functions. Includes instruction in accounting principles and theory, financial accounting, managerial accounting, cost accounting, budget control, tax accounting, legal aspects of accounting, auditing, reporting procedures, statement analysis, planning and consulting, business information systems, accounting research methods, professional standards and ethics, and applications to specific for-profit, public, and non-profit organizations. |
| 52.0801 | Finance | A program that generally prepares individuals to plan, manage, and analyze the financial and monetary aspects and performance of business enterprises, banking institutions, or other organizations. Includes instruction in principles of accounting, financial instruments, capital planning, funds acquisition, asset and debt management, budgeting, financial analysis, and investments and portfolio management. |
Industry-valued credentials (IVCs) are identified by the New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL) as:
- Valued – demanded by employers.
- Portable – skills learned are transferable and provide broad opportunities.
- Stackable – skills learned may lead to opportunities for continuous or advanced training and education.
- Rewarding – lead to higher wages, career advancement and or increased job security.
Obtaining an Industry Valued Credential (IVC) is a method districts can use to meet the requirement that a Program of Study culminates in the attainment of a recognized postsecondary credential. Previously, NJDOE analyzed credentials provided by the New Jersey Department of Labor and aligned them to CIP codes and assigned them a designation of Tier I or Tier II.
- Tier I IVCs were defined as stackable credentials and not eligible to be used as a pathway for Program of Study Status.
- Tier II IVCs were defined as advanced credentials and were eligible to be used as a pathway for Program of Study Status.
In 2024, the NJDOE proposed and gained approval from the Credentials Review Board for an evidence-based submission and review process to enable districts to offer additional IVC to students as a pathway for meeting legislative requirements.
| Certification Name | Organization Name | Credential Status | Applicable CIP Codes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fundamental Payroll Certification |
American Payroll Association | Tier II |
52.0301 |
|
QuickBooks Certification |
National Bookkeepers Association |
Tier II |
52.0301 |
Teachers of CTE Programs of Study must hold the endorsement aligned to the program CIP code. The following table provides the eligible CIP codes in this career cluster and the corresponding CTE endorsement an educator would need to hold to be able to teach courses and the program of study. For more information on endorsements visit the Certification homepage.
| CIP Code | Program Name | CTE Endorsement |
|---|---|---|
| 52.0301 | Accounting |
Review needed endorsement on certification page. |
| 52.0801 | Finance |
Review needed endorsement on certification page. |