Best masters in finance for financial analyst roles?
Here's the thing and the trouble. I have an Arts degree and postgraduate degree in the humanities also- got first class honours in the latter, 2.1 in my degree, so even though it's non-finance I at least have good academic credentials.
I have been really interested in finance for last couple of years and I have decided I really want to become a financial analyst and right now I'm trying to find out what the best possible masters programme I can do is. I want to apply to the top programs (and depending on costs) and take the best one that I get offered. No doubt I won't be eligible for all of them due to my non-finance background. I'm open to studying anywhere in the world, preferably Europe, if not US.
I am from Ireland and we have some decent programs here but I have the additional problem in that I'm not sure if I should go for a general masters in finance, or computational finance. The latter might be tougher as i haven't studied maths before, but doesn't mean i can;t do it.
would appreciate any advice, I'm also going to be sitting the CFAs and hoping there will be work experience as part of the masters course I end up doing.
Any general advice also greatly appreciated!
no, you cant do the quant
no, you cant do the quant stuff.
not helpful.
not helpful.
rofl there is no way you're
rofl there is no way you're accepted into any reputable quant finance program with that background. You may have a shot with high GMAT at mid-tier regular MSFs
p.s. at this point you probably need to take some acct/math classes somewhere to show u can do the quantitative stuff.
I have already found out that
I have already found out that I can do a masters in finance in some universities so you're wrong. I'm asking where are the best ones and which one is best for learning skills and for my CV.
If you can't help, don't post- this is aimed at first replier.
are u fuckin stupid? that is
are u fuckin stupid? that is what we are trying to do is help. Again no REPUTABLE QUANT finance program is accepting some humanities hack with no math background. Idk what programs you're looking into but ppl on this site like to look towards the best. Now, a general masters may be attainable but even that isn't going to be easy (not getting into a good one anyway).
my cat can do a master in
my cat can do a master in finance in some universities if i pay for her
and ya, just a master degree in finance from a random university won't get you a job
yeah i'm getting a sense of
yeah i'm getting a sense of the high calibre on here lol
Go find a school where you
Go find a school where you can take calculus 1/2, principles of econ 1/2, and intro accounting 1/2. If you can do well in these classes and do well in the GMAT you give yourself a much higher chance of getting into a MSF (quant MSF would still be hard to get) that will actually land you that analyst job. Do not go to some mediocre school thinking b.c you have a degree you're getting the job u want, especially considering you have NO EXPERIENCE in said field.
I acknowledged in my original
I acknowledged in my original post that the quant side of things would be very tough for me but I am already doing the MIT free online mathematics course and I'm learning programming and as it happens I have a decent flair for maths, part. theorems. I have a lot to learn but I want to learn.
Would a MSc in quant finance/computational finance be better than an Msc in finance for someone who wants to be a financial analyst? That is really my question. I don't want to do financial modelling or product bundling modelling - I want to analyse equities.
No. Financial Analyst
No. Financial Analyst positions have nothing to do with computational finance. Financial Analysts do modeling, exactly what you don't want to do. Analyzing equities = equity research/portfolio management which are dream jobs for most of the ppl on this site. You are way too late in the game buddy.
BigBucks wrote: No. Financial
No. Financial Analyst positions have nothing to do with computational finance. Financial Analysts do modeling, exactly what you don't want to do.
spot on and rofl...
Best programs: Princeton,
Best programs: Princeton, CMU, maybe MIT
Good programs worth the money: Cornell, Columbia, Chicago, Stanford, Michigan, Berkeley, NYU, Baruch.
International: Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, INSEAD, TUM, IIT India.
Typical prereqs for the good programs:
-Recent success in either school or work.
-800Q on the GREs.
-solid grades in Calc 1,2, & 3, DiffyQs, probability-based stats, linear algebra. (This can be done at a community college; they just want to know that you know what you're doing.)
Work hard, play hard.
The issue isn't really the
The issue isn't really the degree (which is largely worthless for real finance -- most of the stuff you will learn is academic finance that doesn't hold outside of the classroom), it's the recruiting. So you either need to figure out how to study whatever math you need to get into an MSF program, or go to an MBA program with good recruiting, or knock on enough doors to get in without going back to school. None of those paths are easy. Whichever one makes more sense for you is up to you. My guess is that it would take you years to go the MSF (due to the pre-math courses required) route and that an MBA would be a better bet. The unfortunate reality is that if you don't figure out what you want to do in life until you are in your mid-20s or later, you are at a big disadvantage unless you have elite credentials or connections.
Folks need to keep in mind
Folks need to keep in mind that most Europeans have already taken multivariable calculus and understand stuff like partial differentiation before they even graduate high school. OP may have the prereqs.
But yes, if this were the US and the kid graduated with an Art History degree and 1 basic calculus course, it's a bit like a 50 year old with a GED asking how he can get into HBS.
Work hard, play hard.
I don't know about that
I don't know about that comparison. You can be a math-lite liberal arts major who eeks out a respectable quant score on the GMAT and get into HBS or another top program if you're strong in every other way -- that happens all the time. Obviously you're not going to do well applying for a math-based graduate program though. The issue is more that beyond a point, time gets heavy and starts to weigh you down. Does someone want to take a risk on the 30 year old guy with a humanities degree and no relevant experience? Probably not. Same guy at 22 might have a chance, or at least would have time to point the ship in a different direction.
IlliniProgrammer wrote: Folks
i would suggest you figure
CaliforniaAnalyst
BigBucks wrote: No. Financial
"I am the hero of the story. I don't need to be saved."
I had thought that financial
Also, thanks for the help,
Then do it. Talk is cheap. A
Seems the terms financial
You're right, all of the
Most people look into Wall
"I am the hero of the story. I don't need to be saved."
Yes, and to add to the above,
ok... so have we successfully
Sxh, thank you for the
Wall Street doesn't mean New
"I am the hero of the story. I don't need to be saved."
Very interesting, hadn't
OP, The reason why everyone
" A recession is when other people lose their job, a depression is when you lose your job. "
Can anyone explain what they
Work hard, play hard.
I've a 1.1 in my masters, the
Can you explain what a 2.1
Work hard, play hard.
Also, realdeal, I have a
Oh, a 2.1 is the top 12% of
Ok. That's helpful. I think
Work hard, play hard.
Right, so can I ask what ye
cheers illini! I'm doing the
IlliniProgrammer wrote: Can
" A recession is when other people lose their job, a depression is when you lose your job. "
I'm female actually!
BigBucks wrote: are u fuckin
well, how come i feel it's a
The.RealDeal
Work hard, play hard.
IlliniProgrammer
Thanks again illini. I can
California analyst -what is
I think the point here is
Work hard, play hard.
It's a dose of reality
" A recession is when other people lose their job, a depression is when you lose your job. "
why do i get the sense that