List of the most prestigious Masters of Finance programs in US and UK 
As some of you know, I go to non-target school. My goal was to get into prestigious IB. Why prestigious? So I could have better exit ops in future. Getting into elite IB from non-target is hard. We will find out how hard in about 3 months. Networking helps to some degree. Although it got me SA, the prospects of getting FT through networking are looking bad and I want to hedge my options.
I created a list of top Masters of Finance graduate programs. The list includes 15 US and 4 UK institutions that do not require work experience. I included the title of degree, name of department, and website for each school. Additionally, I added undergrad and MBA (if applies) rank of US institutions (2009 US News & World Report Ranking)
This list includes ONLY Master of Finance/ Master of Science in Finance/Master of Science in Financial Economics degrees because I am interested in M&A type front office analyst position. Master of Financial Engineering/Financial Mathematics/Computational Finance degrees are very quant and more on trading side.
Here is the list (the Excel file with more info is at the end)
US:
MIT - Master of Finance (MFin)
Princeton - MFin
Duke - Master of Management Studies (MMS)
U of Virginia - Master of Commerce (MComm)
Vanderbilt - Master of Science in Finance (MSF)
Washingron Unveisity in ST. Louis - MSF
John Hopkins - MSF
Brandeis Unviersity - MSF
Boston College - MSF
U of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign - MSF
Indiana University - MSF
Purdue University - MSF
Texas A&M University - MSF
U of Florida - MSF
Tulane University - MFin
U of Texas in Dallas - MSF
UK:
Oxford - MFE
Cambridge - Master of Philosophy in Finance
LSE - MFin, Master of Science in Finance & Economics (2 programs)
Warwick - MSF, Master of Science in Finance & Economics
Please share your opinion about the prestige/credibility/popularity of these universities on the Wall St. Also, feel free to add similar programs and names of universities they are offered at (I will update the file). Please DO NOT suggest Financial Engineering type degrees (like one in Haas): they involve a lot of programming, superior knowledge of math, and quant experience.
Excel File: http://drop.io/MFinMSF
P.S.: I beg you, please don't discuss Master of Financial Engineering (MFE) vs Master of Science in Finance (MSF) in here.














If you're interested in M&A,
by indian-bankerIf you're interested in M&A, then you should consider LSE's Master of Science in Accounting and Finance. UT Dallas, Texas A&M and Purdue will most likely not get you into banking. Boston College requires experience. Cambridge M.phil puts a lof of emphasis on what undergrad college you went to. Coming from a non-target might not help but a very high GMAT would help. Also, what are you majoring in now? If you're majoring in economics or anything finance related, then you might not be eligible for UVA's M.comm. Vanderbilt places well into middle-office and risk management positions at BBs but front office positions at boutiques. Johns Hopkins, WUSTL and MIT place a lot of emphasis on your quantitative skills, so you should probably have some background with linear algebra, multi-variable calculus and probability/statistics. I don't have any information about Tulane other than that they used to be popular with Bear Stearns, but that's of no use now. If you don't have a business background, then take a look at Duke's Master in Management Studies program. Princeton once again prefers people with strong quantitative backgrounds. It's probably the toughest program to get into. Some of the candidates had a masters/phd and the others had a few years of work experience. UF has a decent program but usually places a select few in S&T. They are getting better every year though and next year should be good for them.
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by PussInBootsWow indian-banker. Thanks a ton. I created a broad list for everyone. I've picked the schools I am applying too based on my personal experience and knowledge. I go to top-15 public/top-45 overall/top-100 world school.
Btw, Boston College does not require work experience: http://www.bc.edu/schools/csom/msf/admission/requirements.html
More info on Duke's Master of Management Studies is here: http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/other_programs/mms_foundations_of_bus...
This is great addition to the list: prestigious school, relevant courses. Definitely worth checking out, especially for non-targets who need more prestige on the resume. I've updated the file.
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by PussInBootsWhat's everyones opinion about Villanova and Drexel? Both have MSF programs and I wonder if universities have good representation on the Wall St.
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For what it's worth Penn
by roar19For what it's worth Penn State Great Valley also has an MSF though I'm not sure its what one would look for if trying to get into banking...
Florida
by heloo17Florida MSF used to place a lot into Wachovia prior to the collapse, don't think they had a great graduation year this past one.
Boston College rarely admits
by indian-bankerBoston College rarely admits students straight from undergrad. There are a few but these guys are probably pretty good. It's worth giving a shot nonetheless. Also keep in mind, that for Johns Hopkins, if you don't have the foundation courses completed, the entire course might take you 1.5 years versus 1 year. In my opinion, the most ideal MSF program to be part of is LSE. It's less selective than Princeton but has a great track record. The program itself is well known and usually has it's "own prestige" as compared to other schools where programs sometimes have to depend on the College's prestige. Also, if you have a reasonable quant background, take a look at Lehigh's MS in Analytical Finance.
columbia
by hisabnessid add them
vanderbilt/villanova
by robertoCan someone speak more to these if im aiming for BB mid office or boutiuqe?
,
by PussInBootsindian-banker, thanks a lot!
hisabness, are you referring to Master pf Arts in Mathematics of Finance? http://www.math.columbia.edu/department/mafn/index.html seems pretty cool. Pretty quanty, but there is no programming and this is not your typical FE or Mathematical Finance degree. Here is what I found:
I received an MA in stat in 2008 from Columbia and am now in a PhD program (not at CU though). I'm quite familiar with the math of finance program since I audited a couple classes last year- one with Prof. Kosygin and one with Prof. Smirnov. Most MAFN students are French because Columbia has an exchange program with a few elite French engineering schools. I believe these students are recommended by their advisors in France who know Prof. Smirnov and they don't even have to apply, they are in. To be fair, these students are very, very gifted, e.g. real analysis in early high school. If you are not French than I would say it's incredibly difficult to get in- basically have to be a star student in your undergrad or already have significant Wall Street experience. Sorry to discourage you- it is a lot of effort and money to fill out the application. You might want to retake the GRE because 310 verbal will definitely be a problem everywhere.
Anyway, let me talk about the statistics department- you really can take all the MAFN classes and many good IEOR classes. In this environment, I think it is best not to be overly specialized in finance and to acquire a broad skill set. Staying with fundamental classes that improve your data skills to carry out empirical work is tremendously important if you undertake further research in academia or in the workplace. A statistics degree has great value in pharmaceuticals, operations/logistics and marketing/advertising in addition to finance. It really is best to cast a broad net from a career point of view. If Wall Street rebounds, finance jobs will definitely be a possibility also.
by Statsstudent
As far as Villanova/Vanderbilt. I did LinkedIn search with school Villanova and field Investment Banking, 188 results. I did same search for Vanderbilt, 328 results. Both schools have around 6,000 undergrads. To put it in perspective, my non-target school has over 24,000 undergrad and linkedin found only a tiny bit over 100 alum in Investment Banking.
I've heard back in the days Villanova was a feeder school. But that was 4-5 years ago, idk how they are doing now. Apparently, they have very strong Masters Programs.
I don't know anything about Vanderbilt. The school is in Nashville, TN. Anyone know if banks recruit there?
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Morgan Keegan recruits well
by indian-bankerMorgan Keegan recruits well from Vanderbilt. The only issue with Vandy is that it's in Tennessee. The program and the school are great but the whole South factor does suck. You will certainly find quite a few alum on the street though. GMAT average for Vandy is 700. WUSTL also has a great program, albeit it's more like JHU/Princeton and focuses heavily on the quant stuff. The most important factor in choosing an MSF program is probably the eagerness of the faculty/career services committee to try and get you a good job. You could go to a great school, but if career services is reticent about your prospects, then you probably will not do well. JHU for instance doesn't have placement stats readily available. When I asked admissions for some info. pertaining to career placements, they directed me to the career services website. So there's no dedicated career team for the masters program. That's a huge disadvantage of the JHU program. Princeton and some of the programs in the UK like LSE and Oxford on the other hand have some really dedicated teams that help you find a job. Columbia's MA in mathematical finance requires you to have a strong mathematical background and also requires you to know a programming language. The programs is also pretty challenging from what I hear. Also look at some of the programs in Canada.
i was thinking more
by hisabnessi was thinking more ORFE-like:
http://www.ieor.columbia.edu/pages/graduate/ms_financial_eng/fe_curricul...
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by PussInBootsi was thinking more ORFE-like:
http://www.ieor.columbia.edu/pages/graduate/ms_financial_eng/fe_curriculum08_09.html
FE/OR is too much of quant. Students who are mainly interested in M&A side of banking will learn nothing useful. Columbia MAFM is more quant than MFin/MSF, but much less quant then FE.
indian-banker, Princeton, MIT, Oxford, LSE, Cambridge are all fucking awesome programs, but the admission is pretty random. I looked at Princeton resumes and while some are rock-starts, others are not so much (at least based on their resume). As far as UK, US applicants should have a little edge, but there are so many Europeans applying to Oxford, LSE, and Cambridge.
Do you know how much does extra-curriculum matte or weight-in? I have top grades, but I also compete in and win National-level athletic competitions.
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Does anybody know anything
by westfaldDoes anybody know anything about Stanford's Management Science & Engineering program? I'm sure since its Stanford it places well, but in terms of admissions/selectivity/gone thorough application process.
"Cowards die a thousand deaths, but the brave only one,"
Bill Shakespeare
MFE/Math fin distinction
by MichaelHutchensthere was a good comparison between Columbia's math program and CMU MSCF a while back on globalderivatives.com:
"for CMU vs. MAFN: I think with the 18K scholarship at CMU the cost will work out the same for tuition. Brand/reputation would give an edge to Columbia, placements slight edge to CMU since business schools market their students better than math departments, especially ivy league/Chicago/Stanford math that think the name alone is sufficient in the job market.
Based on what people have said- MAFN is rigorous math, less programming and CMU is more programming, less math."
^Stanford MS&E is awesome, tough to get into even though the class is really large (like 300 students). I think the Convex Optimization course is online if one is supremely self-motivated.
quick points-
by MichaelHutchensPrinceton- I think others have said it before but the Princeton program is basically a math finance/financial engineering program- to get in you have to be excellent at quant classes so I doubt the students are less math inclined than at Columbia or NYU.
Johns Hopkins- looked at the curriculum- really well-designed, if you've done a lot finance, you might want to place out of foundation classes. Downside is there isn't much finance in DC/Md./NoVa (besides Carlyle haha). You could land a sweet job at Treasury or IMF or World Bank but I'm guessing the last two are geared more for PhD econ students.
Boston College- probably the most recognized MSF program in the country, great for buyside opportunities in Boston
Florida- top notch curriculum, skews younger, like first year out of undergrad or joint BS/MS. My guess is the Flordia network is very strong.
Illinois- top notch curriculum, broader range of students, some with work exp. I would think UIUC has a lot of contacts on the street and is the #1 school by far for just about every Chicago bank/firm.
Vanderbilt- one of the leading MSF programs, strong curriculum, prestigious school
Villanova- maybe not as prestigious overall as Vanderbilt or Hopkins, but well regarded and a feeder to buyside opportunities in the Philadelphia-area
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by PussInBootsMost of real FE programs require GRE. All MFin/MSF programs require GMAT only.
I am a math major and Princeton MSF does not look too quant to me. I'd never put it next to Haas's MFE, but it's definitely more quant than typical MSF (and that's how it should be in my opinion).
The problem is not wether or not students are more/less math inclined. FE programs place well in trading type positions. Look at CMU MSCF placement: almost all are related to trading.
As far as Columbia MAFM. The website is soooooo bad. We cannot judge book by its cover, and as indian-banker said, at the end of the day job placement and career service center matter the most. Seems like Columbia's career center gave up on their MAFM
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From my conversations with
by indian-bankerFrom my conversations with admissions counselors at the MSF programs, I basically inferred that they usually look for a person with a certain skill set (more for MFE than MSF). MFE usually looks to see how well you've done in your quant courses and they also place more emphasis on the quant side of the GRE. For Masters in Finance, they put a lot of emphasis again on your quant courses, economics/finance/accounting courses and your GMAT. References are pretty important as well. I'm sure your extra curricular activities will play a role in your admission, but a lot more importance will be placed on your GMAT scores, references, grades in related courses and of course work experience. Like every other adcom, they want to see some evidence that you're interested in their program, and relevant work experience is a good way to show that. Keep in mind that for masters in financial engineering, the admission methodology is pretty different. For schools like LSE, Oxford and Cambridge etc. the prestige of your undergrad institution usually plays a certain role as well. I've heard Oxford's interviews for admission are pretty intense. You get tested on technical stuff in Finance. Keep in mind that although these guys don't mandate work experience, they have a preference for people with work experience. Now that we have more unemployed finance guys, competition will certainly be more fierce.
On indian-banker's
by Greenback8On indian-banker's comments
"For schools like LSE, Oxford and Cambridge etc. the prestige of your undergrad institution usually plays a certain role as well. I've heard Oxford's interviews for admission are pretty intense. You get tested on technical stuff in Finance."
I can attest to the interview - I interviewed for the MFE and was admitted (though I've deferred it for a year to pursue a job opportunity). The interview was very interesting and the interviewers were all professors teaching courses so it could potentially get quite in depth. For mine, it consisted of fairly random discussion of financial theory - going from MPT to cost of capital.... and then taking it a step further to discuss my thoughts on the theory and why empirics didn't work out - I think an emphasis was placed on critical thinking and they wanted to see if the intellectual horsepower was there (I presume because there are a lot of applicants from asia who can regurgitate shit like machines but can't apply theory or connect it to the real world), to the crappy weather at Oxford, and then to how I designed experiments during my biomedical research internship a few years back.
Not so sure about how important going to a prestigious undergrad matters - I went to a non-target canadian school for undergrad and then did my MBA there right after (it was only during my MBA that I "discovered" finance), but I still got my admit.
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Columbia Math (MAFN) and FE
by johngutfreindI emailed three Columbia alums in stat and OR on Columbia math vs. financial engineering:
I think the emphasis is a lot different- a lot of proofs to construct in MAFN but not much hands on work, except for a numerical methods class which is terribly taught. Most MSFE classes have math at the advanced undergrad level vs. MAFN at the PhD level (core is essentially all PhD stat classes) but MSFE has a lot more practical training which is far better for industry work. If you intend to do a PhD in applied math, finance or stat absolutely do MAFN. If you want to work for a company (financial or non) I would take MSFE.
btw: PhD placements at MAFN in the last five years include Princeton ORFE, Caltech applied math, Stony Brook, Paris-Sud 11, Ecole Polytechnique, Ecole Centrale Paris, Imperial and Yale SOM.
work placements last year for MAFN: Goldman Sachs (3), Societe Generale (3), BNP Paribas (3), Calyon (2), Morgan Stanley (2), Credit Suisse (2), NYC Hedge Fund >10B assets (2), CT hedge funds >10B in assets (2), CT hedge fund >5B in assets (2). Most in trading (2/3) or quant developer (1/3). Approx 15-20% of 2008 class is unemployed/underemployed.
BankonBanking, Alex and others:
by johngutfreindI am interested in a quantitative finance masters for fall 2010 intake. Which schools would you suggest? I'm finishing up my final year as a maths student at a top university in Eastern Europe.
Hey you seem to be
by dipset1011i would have you look to HASS masters of FE, and also NYU. Another program that is similar to Columbias Masters of Financial Mathematics would Be university of Chicago. If you still have electives left i would take additional math courses.
Lin alg, probabilit/stats, mulit/differential calc and geometry.
if you do Columbias MAFM you will not have opportunities to participate in MBA recruiting.
U. pheonix and devry are pretty solid as well.
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by PussInBootsHaas is the most prestigious FE program in the nation.
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Duke
by PocketHandkerchiefDuke just started their program. I am surprised to see them so high on the list.
Anyone know...
by Intaglio5what the breakdown between UK schools looks like in the City?
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by PussInBootsIntaglio, based solely on the prestige of the name for general public:
tier 1: Oxford/Cambridge
tier 2: LSE/Warwick
As far as Finance/IB side, idk. IMO all 4 are amazing.
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I'm surprised that this
by WegmansTunaI'm surprised that this hasn't come up yet, but it should be discussed.
Let's say you do a MSF program right after undergrad, would you then enter the job market as an Assoc, or would you still have to start as an analyst? Obviously, it probably depends on which program you do (more prestigious = Assoc?), but it almost seems pointless to do one of these programs only to enter the job market as an analyst when you maybe could have had the same job straight out of undergrad. Thoughts?
Tuna Tuna
by baylormaleMy firm has hired analysts who have a MSF. It would just help you stand out compared to other analyst canidates. The only way you could get hired as an associate with an MSF is by already have completed an analyst stint.
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by PussInBootsWegmansTuna, no, you'll start out as Analyst. I saw a title "senior analyst" on the placement page of Columbia MFE, but in 99% of cases you'll get Analyst.
but it almost seems pointless to do one of these programs only to enter the job market as an analyst when you maybe could have had the same job straight out of undergrad. Thoughts?
If you are target student, you are correct. But then again, all of us have special circumstances, and I am sure MSF from Princeton will be a great addition to BS from UPenn.
If you are a non-target student, then you could greatly benefit from the program in the long-run. My networking is not going too well because of non-target background. Right now chances of getting into decent MM are small, and I can practically forget about everything else. MSF from one of top schools will significantly increase the chances of getting FT @ good bank. Another questions is whether or not student can get into one of top MSF programs.
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Hi,
by maxcanadaAdvantage when you went to target is:
- can do an additional internship / sort out career aspirations
- delay entry on the job market if prospects are dim / did not land a gig
- pure academic interest
- networking outside of alma mater
Plus, for exceptional students whose university is part of Bologna's 3+2 system, you can do your BS (3 years) plus MFin (1 year) over a total of 4 years.
When you went to non-target:
- all of the above along with a respected degree
Now, it is possible that, given the downturn, many students from target schools applied to MFin/MBAs and the competition is (was) cut-throat.
Imperial has one that's
by GenesisImperial has one that's pretty good.
Tulane MFIN
by efript2009I am currently enrolled in Tulane's MFIN. There is a short summer session which I am currently in the middle of. We immediately starting valuing and modeling companies, and even during orientation the director of the program said this degree will prepare you for investment banking, as well as a variety of other careers.
As far as analyst/associate position once you graduate, I know someone who completed the program and was hired as an associate, but at a small firm. You would be competing for an analyst position. Is this a downside? I don't think so. It gives you a leg up on other applicants. Especially given what was going on last year for recruiting, it isn't such a terrible thing to be in school for one more year, especially if you like learning new things and being in an academic environment.
I can tell you though that Tulane is not a target school, but there are plenty of alumni on Wall St. I have spoken to alumni at JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. But a degree from Tulane definitely carries more weight in the South. Tulane was recently ranked Top 10 in the world for its finance program. I would hope this helps the prestige of the school and helps it become a target.
LSE MFin?
by anilagthis looks similar to my post couple months ago... for those like MSF, sharpen ur head, go to Princeton, for those like MFE(quants), sharpen ur head, go to Haas...
OK, joke aside, I noticed LSE has two: MFin, Master of Science in Finance & Economics, I'm particularly interested in the MFin though it is a relative new program, didnt find much useful info like class profile and placement info. Anyone knows this MFin program? how is it? any testimonial? thanks
If you're considering S&T,
by indian-bankerIf you're considering S&T, then you should do the LSE Master of Science in Finance & Economics. The Mfin is a relatively new program, so there isn't much information about the rigor of the course etc. Masters in Finance and Economics demands a pretty strong quant skill set though. It's something that makes the degree more attractive to recruiters.
To the OP: You're doing a
by Banker88To the OP: You're doing a summer analyst program and you're worried about full-time jobs? What kind of firm is it?
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weird. why is baruch not on
by jackdanielsweird. why is baruch not on the list. baruch is like GS's top feeder.
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by PussInBoots1. For those who misunderstood, this is not ranking from some website. I put together this list and schools aren't even ranked, I just gave basic info and wrote undergrad and MBA rankings. I don't know if Duke's Master of Management Studies is better than Vanderbilt's MFin.
2. The original purpose was to provide a list of prestigious programs which could potentially lead to FT offer from elite banks. This list is very useful to non-targets. Also that explains why there are 2-3 non-MFin programs.
3. How did I compile this list? I checked top50 undergrad universities and top50 MBA programs and picked those that have MFin programs or something very similar.
4. LinkedIn shows that Baruch has a good amount of alumni in banking, but I am not sure about the prestige of the school. Most of non-targets need prestigious name on their resume, and I am not sure that Baruch can provide it.
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1. Duke MMS was established
by Algorithmic_alpha1. Duke MMS was established this year, and is definitely a joke. I hope the MMS program doesn't drag down Fuqua's name value on the street, which it most likely won't since fuqua is a wonderful bschool.
2. Among MFin programs, the only program taht would lead to FT offer from "elite" banks would be Princeton's Mfin. All other Mfin programs are suspect by which I mean that you would have to be one of the top dawgs in other programs (top 5 of the class) in order to be considered for FT at an "elite" bank, lets say GS, JP, Lazard and a dozen others. And yes, programs like math finance or financial engineering should be mentioned if the goal of doing graduate school is to get front office positions at top 15 banks.
3. Your methodology is no good if your goal is obtaining FT position at elite bank.
4. Baruch is not a prestigious institution. But their MFE program has good name value on the street.
...
by PussInBoots1. I agree, program is brand new. I am sure people who run Duke and Fuqua aren't retarded and have a good long-term vision. As long as students of MMS have access to Fuqua's and Duke's Career Centers, non-targets will benefit from it.
2. I am sorry but I must disagree. GS recruits @ UoFlorida MFin, which is not even close to Princeton/MIT/Washington/Vanderbilt. Programs like math finance or financial engineering prepare you for TRADING, not M&A. MFE would be a complete waste of time for someone who wants to get into M&A.
3. You clearly misunderstood my point. I am not interested in FT @ elite bank, I want to secure good exit ops. Top PE/HF are extremely competitive and selective. I just don't want to have a non-target background.
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GS doesn't recruit at UF
by indian-bankerGS doesn't recruit at UF MSF. I know that for a fact. In fact no bank specifically recruits from UF MSF. Most of the jobs that are placed are through alumni contacts. That's not to say that there isn't an MSF guy who is at GS now. Additionally you must remember it's the program and not the school that matters most. With regards to Algorothmic_Alpha's post, tons of other MSF programs will place you almost as well as Princeton, i.e. you don't have to be in the top 5. LSE, Oxford, Warwick and HEC all do a good job.
Just
by drexelalum11Just to point out, it is much more typical in Europe to complete a Master's before becoming an analyst, and most of the good Masters Finance schools are over that side of the pond, so that is what you're looking at/the context in which you are playing
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Good list created.. and to
by mariadonnaGood list created.. and to get enrolled with some US based university, I recovered quality link:
http://www.thedegreeexperts.com/dg-accounting-92.aspx
All the listed universities are accredited and approved by USDLA. Fill up their request info form to enquire about the details of the degree and they respond instantly.
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by PussInBootsNew changes:
-Updated undergrad rankings based on 2010
-Added average GPA/GMAT info
-Added deadlines
-Added recruiters for two schools (Vandy, BC)
-Deleted Brandeis because it requires work experience
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Puss, Are you in the process
by humble_dudePuss, Are you in the process of applying to those programs? I also did quiet extensive research on MSF programs, and I found that there aren't that many great MSF programs in US, great in terms of placement. You said that you wanted to work in M&A, but from the look of it, Princeton's MSF does not place very well into M&A. In fact, on their website, it says that if you want to do M&A, you are better off applying MBA. Just my 2cents, correct me if I'm wrong.
I am looking into a masters
by Kevin88I am looking into a masters of finance program and logically would like to get into the most prestigious program. My undergraduate degree is from San Diego State University and my GPA is about a 3.1, I scored a 720 on my GMAT. I know my GPA is low but with my strong GMAT score do I stand a chance in getting into one of the top programs?
No
by schellhaNo