Quit Economics MS and Do MFin?
I am one semester into a two-year masters in econ right now in continental Europe. However, I am considering just quitting and doing a one-year MFin in the UK, where I would like to work after graduation. When I started the econ master I was unsure of what I wanted to do afterwards but now am pretty settled on finance. I come from a completely different undergraduate background with no related experience. What it mostly comes down to is whether simply quitting a degree program halfway through would look bad enough to outweigh having a degree titled MFin and possible networking and work permit advantages (i.e. internship might not require a separate permit) of going to school in the same country as you want to work after graduation. I have been rejected or have not heard back from the places where I applied for internships in the UK and it appears likely that I will not have a summer internship--I got started applying somewhat late and am hampered by the obstacle of needing a permit. I can't apply on the continent because the only European language I speak well is English. In defense of continuing with the econ masters, I will mention that opportunity exists to have about half the final year coursework be finance in my degree program through electives, as well as the thesis, and an MFin is likely to cost at least €10,000 more next year than my current program. Also my school is in the top tier of econ masters programs in Europe and I suspect the ranking would drop somewhat--I am thinking of schools like Imperial, Cass, or Warwick, not Oxford or LSE. Thanks





Stick with MS Econ, assuming
Stick with MS Econ, assuming you're not concerned with the extra year. You'll be competitive for the same jobs. Your real goal should be to lock up some internships.
I'll do what I can to help ya'll. But, the game's out there, and it's play or get played.
Thanks for that advice. I
Thanks for that advice. I guess I should clarify that I would graduate at the same time either way, since the MFin would start in fall, so I don't lose an extra year. But yeah, coming from an unrelated background I will really need internships. Hopefully I can find something off cycle.