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lotus6's picture
O
 
Points)
 on 1/20/09 at 1:32pm

What are you opinions on getting an MSF? I am interested in working in Research or Asset Management.

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thefountainhead's picture

It depends on your

 
Points)
  on 1/20/09 at 7:01pm

It depends on your background. If you have a finance, math, or economics background, an MSF could be a great addition. I would also look into Virginia's MS in Commerce program, especially if you have a liberal arts background (unless you're older or your background is finance - it's a 5th year program for liberal arts majors). When deciding upon a program, however, make sure to go to a school with good recruiting. Vanderbilt has a good MSF program, but its reputation is somewhat more regional than a school like Virginia when it comes to finance. I looked at Vandy, Boston College, Virginia, and Florida. I chose Virginia, and I had multiple offers at investment banks this past fall. There are also good programs at Princeton and Berkeley, but they are financial engineering programs.

lotus6's picture

I have a Finance background

O
 
Points)
  on 1/20/09 at 9:44pm

I have a Finance background and have been looking into BC's MSF program. How is that looked upon in the AM or research field? I'm sure they have connections to all the mutual funds in Boston but I'm from NY and would prefer working in NY.

thefountainhead's picture

Most of the programs

 
Points)
  on 1/20/09 at 11:09pm

Most of the programs coincide fairly well with the CFA designation program. I think the CFA designaton is well respected in the research field - not sure about AM. A lot of MSF students will prepare for the level 1 test while doing their coursework. It would probably be easier to stay in NY coming from BC than from the other programs that are out there. The professors in that program seem to be well connected in the finance world.

CompBanker's picture

BC has a fantastic MSF

PE
(Almost Human, 7,797
 
Points)
  on 1/21/09 at 6:52pm

BC has a fantastic MSF program. Someone I am very close with is going through the program right now and believes the professors are very well connected / work in the industry. The program is geared towards the CFA, as thefountainhead mentioned, so you should be in a strong position to obtain a solid finance position coming out of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~
CompBanker

CompBanker

kazzaf84's picture

Do you have work experience?

O
 
Points)
  on 1/21/09 at 11:15pm

Do you have work experience? Are you looking at quantitative finance programs as well? Carnegie Mellon's MS Computational Finance program has a very impressive placement record (including research and AM):

http://www.tepper.cmu.edu/corporations-and-recruiters/recruiters/salary-...

http://www.tepper.cmu.edu/corporations-and-recruiters/recruiters/salary-...

You can also choose to enroll in their satellite NYC campus.

I would say if you have work experience, look at an top MBA or quant finance program because the most 'prestigious' positions in finance (including research and AM) tend to recruit at these programs, if only because non-quant MSF programs are usually offered at less-targeted schools...

mass_banker's picture

I was looking into the BC

PE
 
Points)
  on 2/18/09 at 2:36pm

I was looking into the BC MSF program as well and it seems pretty solid. A lot of the people, however didn't go into IB after graduation though (or so it seems from the website).

drexelalum11's picture

I've heard good things about the program at LSE

O
(Neanderthal, 3,875
 
Points)
  on 2/18/09 at 3:58pm

I've heard good things about the program at LSE.

This topic has been discussed a few times as well if you do a search

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mMilken's picture

Is it a huge disadvantage

ST
(Monkey, 57
 
Points)
  on 2/18/09 at 5:20pm

Is it a huge disadvantage applying for Berkeley-Haas' Financial Engineering program straight out of undergrad, compared to several years of work experience? Or any MSc in Finance or Financial Engineering for that matter...

dejaveau's picture

Masters in Financial Economics

IB
(Chimp, 2
 
Points)
  on 2/23/09 at 3:04pm

What's ur opinion about an MSc. in Financial Economics at Oxford? Do you think it's a good choice or should I throw my weight behind top American Schools?
What schools do you know offer the best MSc. in Finance/Finance-related courses in America.

Dejaveau

indian-banker's picture

Msc. Financial Economics at

IB
 
Points)
  on 2/23/09 at 3:33pm

Msc. Financial Economics at Oxford seems like a sound course. Some other good programs in the UK are Cambridge, LSE, Warwick and LBS. They also have really good placements according to date on their website. The best schools that offer MSC in Finance in the US are;

Princeton
MIT

Some other good ones you could consider are;

Johns Hopkins
Washington University in St. Louis

The average GMAT for the MFE at Oxford is 730 by the way. It's higher than the average GMAT at some of the top MBA schools in the US including Harvard.

If you're willing to masters in financial engineering, you have a lot more options;

stanford, cmu, uchicago, nyu, berkeley, cornell and umich. Baruch has a very good program too but it's discounted heavily because the placements are not as top notch.

lotus6's picture

Job Placement

O
 
Points)
  on 2/23/09 at 6:03pm
mass_banker:

I was looking into the BC MSF program as well and it seems pretty solid. A lot of the people, however didn't go into IB after graduation though (or so it seems from the website).

The website barely gives an info regarding job placement. It says salaries range from $54,000 to $102,000. That's a pretty big range. From what previous posters have said, job placement isn't bad you just gotta network and work hard.

bluechimp's picture

MFin vs. MFE

IB
(Monkey, 55
 
Points)
  on 2/24/09 at 2:53am

RE: MSF versus MFE. I was struggling with this myself for a while. Short profile: math major at an Ivy, solid internship at an AM division of a BB, ended up with no offer. Applied to grad school and now have offers from Columbia, Cornell, NYU (MFE/FinMath) and Princeton (MFin).

Right now, I'm quite sure I'll take Princeton's offer. It's not even the name, but just the flexibility afforded by a finance degree vs. something as specialized as financial math. Traditional structuring jobs will be out for a while, so that's something I kept in mind. To OP's point about job placement, Princeton's record has been historically phenomenal. Not sure if this will be the year that sees their 100% placement record end..

Regarding salary range: keep in mind that students at these programs came from diverse backgrounds. Someone who had 4-5 years working experience will find it easier to place himself into a higher position after completing their degree, whereas someone who entered the program directly from undergraduate (like me) might have to settle for a more junior position. The salary differential then follows these placements; I'd take the salary range given with a grain of salt.

@zyphNOR: Haas' MFE program is top-notch, but is also known to put a premium on prior work experience. The average age of the entering class is somewhere around 25-27.. not sure. Kids straight out of undergrad are definitely in the minority.

@drexelalum11: MSc. in Finance & Economics at LSE is very highly regarded, and places its graduates well into IB positions in the City. However, its Financial Mathematics program is rather new to my knowledge.. not sure how well they place their graduates.

@indian-banker: just a quick sidenote, MSc. in Finance at MIT will probably start by admitting exclusively MIT undergrads. I had conversation with their admission officer, and it seems unlikely that they'll open up for outside applicants in the near future (not to mention, they'd have crazy internal demand).

Nomade's picture

Stanford financial math

IB
 
Points)
  on 2/24/09 at 8:32pm

is also very flexible. In fact it is as flexible as Princeton. On top of it, you may take courses at the GSB with the likes of Duffie or Singleton...

lotus6's picture

Most likely I'd work for

O
 
Points)
  on 2/26/09 at 10:54am

Most likely I'd work for about 3-4 yrs then hopefully go to BC or another program for an MSF. So I'd prob be about 27. Would be hired as an associate? Like I said before I'm looking to get into research or IM.

dejaveau's picture

Masters in Financial Engineering VS MSc. Financial Economics

IB
(Chimp, 2
 
Points)
  on 2/27/09 at 1:10pm

I want to start my career as an Investment Banker. What do you advice- an MSc. in Finance, Financial Engineering or Financial Mathematics.
I'm very confused right now. I like Financial Engineering because it sounds exotic, Financial Economics because it sounds professional.What do you guys think?

Dejaveau

MichaelHutchens's picture

hey guys, from Wilmott (on

ST
(Baboon, 164
 
Points)
  on 3/5/09 at 6:51pm

from Wilmott (on the math finance masters at Imperial):

Depends on whether you like maths or not, you'll either love or hate this program.

If you have never done any measure theory before, it's not the program for you. You'll suffer a lot in the first term. In particular, if you did badly in stochastic processes (say, you didn't pass, which there are always a handful out there), you may not get a chance to do your project in the industry.

Very honestly, the course is unimaginably competitive. Unless you were top few in your class in one of the top uni's in the UK/you were from France, you would feel that the world is not yours when you are here. The course is "MATHEMATICS" and then finance, and so if you don't have a rigorous maths background, try other courses such as MSc Finance in TBS, MSc Econ & Finance in LSE or MPhil in Finance in Cambridge.

Regarding the projects, not much too say...

So, conclusion: if you want a job in trading/structuring, a econ/finance degree with significant mathematics is preferred. If you like solving SDEs and doing programming, MathFin (not just Imperial) sounds like a good choice.

drexelalum11's picture

dejavue

O
(Neanderthal, 3,875
 
Points)
  on 3/5/09 at 8:40pm

for IB, I'd say you want an MSc in Finance or Financial Economics. They'll be less quant, slightly easier, and position you better. Financial Engineering or Financial Mathematics would position you more for trading/product structuring/other quant roles

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Nomade's picture

that is an illusion

IB
 
Points)
  on 3/7/09 at 4:42pm

Mfin ends up on the same type of roles (trading, structuring, etc). For IB, you'd better off with an MBA.

prabhat's picture

Hi, I am a computer engineer

O
(Chimp, 2
 
Points)
  on 7/4/10 at 7:04am

Hi,
I am a computer engineer with pretty average academic record. I am currently working as a technical writer with an IT company (non-finance work experience). I have 3 queries:
1) Does a CFA level 1 certification add to your resume when applying for masters in finance in the US?
2) does the job placement in this program depend on th location of your university?
3) does this program have a very high programming (coding) quotient? As in, i am more interested in the mathematical part of the same.
Thanks in advance.