Hey Welcome2nyc,

I am literally trying to find out the same thing so I can decide between Tulane and Duke's MMS. I talked to the Career Services yesterday and they told me Tulane has been placing well in Houston with energy trading and less well in Chicago and NY. She said those that were bent on going to NYC and Chicago had to take less prestigious jobs to actually get into the market. But, she also thought this had a lot to do with the current economic downturn.....Although, she said she was very impressed with how much the Tulane M. Fin alum take care of the recent grads.

 
smdalton:
Hey Welcome2nyc,

I am literally trying to find out the same thing so I can decide between Tulane and Duke's MMS. I talked to the Career Services yesterday and they told me Tulane has been placing well in Houston with energy trading and less well in Chicago and NY. She said those that were bent on going to NYC and Chicago had to take less prestigious jobs to actually get into the market. But, she also thought this had a lot to do with the current economic downturn.....Although, she said she was very impressed with how much the Tulane M. Fin alum take care of the recent grads.

As an MFIN grad all I can say about Tulane is hahahahahahahahahahaha. Seriously the career center is terrible, and MFIN alums don't ever take care of recent grads. Go to Duke jesus, how is this even a question?

 

OP this is what an alumnus sent to my personal email.....and it pretty much perfectly responds to MsCleo....

I wouldn't worry about someone who "bashes" any university or program because while some schools are more competitive than others and some will open more doors than others, universities (particularly private ones) are business entities and would not survive if they didn't do well. Why would someone donate money to a school if it hadn't helped them in their career? Why would someone PAY to send their kid there if it had hurt their own careers?

The reality is most people that bash a school usually have personal reasons for doing so and frankly usually have no knowledge of the specifics of the school. All of that being said, Tulane is older than most and has a long history of being a great academic institution. Tulane is older than Rice, Emory, Vanderbilt, Duke, the US Naval Academy, Cornell, Stanford, Wash U, Northwestern, U Chicago, UC Berkley, USC, Notre Dame, Villanova, Ga Tech, and is only 15 years younger than UVA. It would not have that history were it not successful.

In terms of rankings, Tulane was tied with NYU just over a decade ago. Only since the US News changed its formula (as it has continued to do) to more subjective data, has TU fallen.

Finance-wise, Tulane is among the best in the US. Here are a couple of links to show some of the accolades/general attention that Tulane has received recently.

Energy Trading Video from CNBC: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=615836031&play=1

Tulane’s Finance Dept. ranked in Top 10 in World http://tulane.edu/news/releases/012808.cfm

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3f930b0c-cb17-11dc-97ff-000077b07658.html

My classmates ended up at Saracen, Marathon, SAC Capital, Luminant, and a host of top hedge funds. I know several are traders on the NYMEX as well as the CBOE.
Some are structuring derivatives for JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley. I know several are I-bankers at top bulge bracket firms as well as boutique I-banking firms. Another classmate of mine trades municipal bonds for Morgan Keegan. A few are in equity research. The simple fact is Tulane is not Harvard. It's also hundreds of miles away from Chicago and New York. My friends/classmates got their jobs based purely on the reputation of the strength of Tulane's finance program despite its distance from financial centers and its lack of ivy prestige.

I'll impart one quick thing an I-banking associate told me about how his Tulane MBA had 'hurt' him. He was in a board room before a meeting and one guy started to deride the fact that he had gone to Tulane while everyone else had either gone to the LSE or an Ivy league school. The guy was a friend of his and was simply trying to get under his skin. He then asked, "so I'm guessing you even went out during the week?" The Tulane alum said, "well... yeah, didn't you?" He then proceeded to say, "funny that I was able to do that yet I'm still sitting in the same meeting as you guys." The fact is, Tulane may not have the social reputation/prestige of a Princeton but it will still help you in your career on wall street and give you considerably more regard from employers than most other schools.

One additional note, the MFin, at Tulane as well as every other school, is a very new degree. It hasn't even been around a decade yet. It's definitely rising in popularity and everyone I've met with has been more impressed it than had I had an MBA with a concentration with in Finance.

I'm sure you've seen these but I thought I'd post links to them all the same:

Tulane’s Equity Research Program http://www.freeman.tulane.edu/burkenroad/whatis.php

Tulane’s Darwin Fenner Program http://www.freeman.tulane.edu/fenner/

 
smdalton:

OP this is what an alumnus sent to my personal email.....and it pretty much perfectly responds to MsCleo....

I wouldn't worry about someone who "bashes" any university or program because while
some schools are more competitive than others and some will open more doors than
others, universities (particularly private ones) are business entities and would not
survive if they didn't do well. Why would someone donate money to a school if it
hadn't helped them in their career? Why would someone PAY to send their kid there
if it had hurt their own careers?

The reality is most people that bash a school usually have personal reasons for
doing so and frankly usually have no knowledge of the specifics of the school. All
of that being said, Tulane is older than most and has a long history of being a
great academic institution. Tulane is older than Rice, Emory, Vanderbilt, Duke, the
US Naval Academy, Cornell, Stanford, Wash U, Northwestern, U Chicago, UC Berkley,
USC, Notre Dame, Villanova, Ga Tech, and is only 15 years younger than UVA. It
would not have that history were it not successful.

In terms of rankings, Tulane was tied with NYU just over a decade ago. Only since
the US News changed its formula (as it has continued to do) to more subjective data,
has TU fallen.

Finance-wise, Tulane is among the best in the US. Here are a couple of links to
show some of the accolades/general attention that Tulane has received recently.

Energy Trading Video from CNBC:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=615836031&pl...

Tulane’s Finance Dept. ranked in Top 10 in World
http://tulane.edu/news/releases/012808.cfm

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3f930b0c-cb17-11dc-97ff-...

My classmates ended up at Saracen, Marathon, SAC Capital, Luminant, and a host of
top hedge funds. I know several are traders on the NYMEX as well as the CBOE.
Some are structuring derivatives for JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley. I know several
are I-bankers at top bulge bracket firms as well as boutique I-banking firms.
Another classmate of mine trades municipal bonds for Morgan Keegan. A few are in
equity research. The simple fact is Tulane is not Harvard. It's also hundreds of
miles away from Chicago and New York. My friends/classmates got their jobs based
purely on the reputation of the strength of Tulane's finance program despite its
distance from financial centers and its lack of ivy prestige.

I'll impart one quick thing an I-banking associate told me about how his Tulane MBA
had 'hurt' him. He was in a board room before a meeting and one guy started to
deride the fact that he had gone to Tulane while everyone else had either gone to
the LSE or an Ivy league school. The guy was a friend of his and was simply trying
to get under his skin. He then asked, "so I'm guessing you even went out during the
week?" The Tulane alum said, "well... yeah, didn't you?" He then proceeded to say,
"funny that I was able to do that yet I'm still sitting in the same meeting as you
guys." The fact is, Tulane may not have the social reputation/prestige of a
Princeton but it will still help you in your career on wall street and give you
considerably more regard from employers than most other schools.

One additional note, the MFin, at Tulane as well as every other school, is a very
new degree. It hasn't even been around a decade yet. It's definitely rising in
popularity and everyone I've met with has been more impressed it than had I had an
MBA with a concentration with in Finance.

I'm sure you've seen these but I thought I'd post links to them all the same:

Tulane’s Equity Research Program
http://www.freeman.tulane.edu/burkenroad/whatis.php

Tulane’s Darwin Fenner Program
http://www.freeman.tulane.edu/fenner/

Would it be worth it to transfer into Tulane as a junior from a non target?

 

SMDalton you are on crack. Period. I graduated from Tulane MFIN recently, and can personally say that over 70% of my class is jobless. And some of those that do have jobs are just prop trading. It's fricking Tulane you're talking about here. You lose 100% of the time to kids from HYP, or Emory/ Rice/ Vandy. New Orleans is a tiny community. There are going to be hardly any available internships. Only decent places there are HW, Chaffe, Johnson Rice, or Cap One SC. And these places take 1 intern a year, maybe 2. You are kidding yourself if you think that this degree will guarantee a job. I personally did Darwin Fenner and Burkenroad and nada.

 
MsCleo:

SMDalton you are on crack. Period. I graduated from Tulane MFIN recently, and can personally say that over 70% of my class is jobless. And some of those that do have jobs are just prop trading. It's fricking Tulane you're talking about here. You lose 100% of the time to kids from HYP, or Emory/ Rice/ Vandy. New Orleans is a tiny community. There are going to be hardly any available internships. Only decent places there are HW, Chaffe, Johnson Rice, or Cap One SC. And these places take 1 intern a year, maybe 2. You are kidding yourself if you think that this degree will guarantee a job. I personally did Darwin Fenner and Burkenroad and nada.

Does Tulane undergrad do better than Tulane MSF (since it's a new degree)?

 

SMDalton, I wouldn't read too much into that. In a program, you are bound to have a few bad apples.

Tulane is a fine school. Just work hard, network, establish a connection with the faculty and staff, join clubs, get an internship, etc. and you'll be fine. No degree guarantees a job, in the end its all about making the most of the opportunities that are available to you.

 

Tulane is a good school and historically the MSF was really good for energy placements in Houston. They now have a class of around 100 students, mainly internationals (mostly Chinese). Placements for anyone requiring sponsorship is going to be difficult at best. I think the program is fine, but I think a top placement from the program is going to be very difficult.

 

I am currently attending Tulane, and am enjoying it thus far.

It is interesting being able to reach out to so many alumni and pick their brains regarding job placing post program. The consensus I have heard is, do well enough and be social. The Tulane name will only get you as far as you are willing to network. If you are anti-social you will be stuck in New Orleans with few options.

 

I'd like to know this too. One of my top MSF choices if I'm chose to go to grad school.

"It is better to have a friendship based on business, than a business based on friendship." - Rockefeller. "Live fast, die hard. Leave a good looking body." - Navy SEAL
 

Tulane is going to be strong in TX, with some NYC pull. The real issue is that they have this MEnergy program that is hardcore energy focused. They've also increase the MSF program size to like 100 students, mostly Chinese. This will impact placements, etc. S&T is hard to break into no matter what. Outside or MIT and Princeton most programs struggle with this type of placement.

 
Withoutapaddle:

My biggest worry is that HR would look at a Master of Energy Management as an energy degree and not finance focused.

Trust me, HR knowing UG and MBA. Any specialized masters confuses them. I'd just sell it as a specialized graduate degree in energy finance.

 

To OP, to break into S&T, you really have to network because it's a hard area to break into as TNA said. The thing is that S&T takes people from a variety of backgrounds. This is good news for you. You can sell yourself and your background and explain why S&T. It's not as structured in hiring as BB IB. I'd encourage you to network with older people who are in S&T. You'd be surprised how much they are willing to help you.

 

Well, if Miss Cleo did in fact attend the Tulane MFin programme, perhaps you should PM him/her about it b/c it doesn't sound too great does it?

there's always the chance Miss Cleo is just making it up as she goes along too, IDK, but I'd certainly want to find out if I were you.

 
Best Response

Just finished the program. The class is generally split down the middle in terms of people who are there to get jobs and those who want a 5th year at tulane or want a reason to party in new orleans. My roomate and i finished the program and are in Houston doing commodity trading rotational programs. Here are some placements and recruiters that came to the campus:

Macquarie (energy ressearch/nyc) Citi (commodities/houston) BNP Paribas (nyc) JPM( commodities/houston) Shell BP KeyBanc (research) Piper Jaffray Tudor, Pickering, Holt Sequent Energy Florida Power and Light Bloomberg Geneva Trading

Well respected energy trading program. Run by the former head at Shell and one of the lecturers is a former MD of comm trading at goldman. Other than energy research, banking, and trading, you have to network to get more connections. Lots of alumni in the nyc and houston areas.

PM me if you have more detailed questions...

 

I graduated from the program in '07. If you want to do banking you're better off getting an MBA. A lot of companies have trouble with a non-MBA masters in that you're over-qualified for undergrad jobs but underqualified for MBA jobs. All of the guys who went into banking in my class started as 1st year analysts. The rest of us went into ER, trading, corp. fin, etc. I think if you don't have a good undergrad degree (like I didn't) its a good program to get you into a finance job. If your heart is set on banking then either try to get in now, or go get an MBA and come in as an associate.

 

smdalton, if you got into duke, then go, period. Duke is much much safer option, especially as far as recruiting/career placement goes. IMO, Duke will offer a much better overall experience.

 

Tulane is going to be strongest in say Houston or Dallas. The issue is UT Austin is now on the scene and SMU is building up their program. Plus Tulane started the MEnergy which really competes with their msf program.

They've also increased the size and percentage of internationals in their program. I think it's a good school, but placements are going to be up to you.

 

I think SMU is fine. Will do well in Texas, especially Dallas. They recently got serious about their program which is good. I don't know placement stats, but if you do well and know how to network and interview I am sure you'll do fine.

 

Duke will be a better option if you want NYC/northeast banking. Tulane is excellent for Trading / Houston. Just depends on you.

------------------------------------------------------------------ "I just want to be a monkey of average intelligence who wears a suit. I'll go to business school!"
 

My undergrad is Ohio State.

TNR, what do you mean "save that card for later"? I always thought that an MBA was a more reliable way to break into buy/sell side equity research. I know Tulane isn't top tier, but it has a pretty good name in the South, where I want to stay if possible. I feel like between the nonstop quantitative coursework in an MSF program, I wouldn't have time to participate in the student investment fund or Burkenroad reports.

 

An MBA is for people with experience since most of your learning will be from your classmates. The MBA is your one big shot at rebranding, changing careers, having a two year break to recharge, etc. You should keep it in your back pocket in case you feel you career needs some energizing. Also, you want to go to the best school you can (particularly for a career in finance). While Tulane is a good school and a good MSF program, you could 100% do better when it comes to MBA programs.

Breaking into ER will be helped with the CFA or an MSF (more CFA than anything else). I'd focus on getting an ER type internship, prepping for L1 and if you feel you need more schooling to stand apart then look at an MSF. Wait until later to do an MBA.

 

Yeah, I mean Duke definitely seems like the safe option. But, the MMS program is only in its infancy of 2 yrs and is definitely not specialized like a Master of Finance. I don't even know if it is good enough to place in banking in NYC/northeast due to the limited knowledge of employers of the MMS program.

 

MSF w/ Energy Focus at the New Orleans campus. There is a strong alum network in the industry, and you'll have a much more fun experience at the actual campus rather than in a satellite program.

Hey, how's your art career going?
 
ARR:

I'm a senior set to graduate in May 2015 from a small school in Philly and I've been considering applying for Tulane's Master of Management in Energy. However, I recently discovered that Tulane offers a Masters of Finance with an energy focus in Houston as well as in New Orleans. I want to work in the energy trading industry and am not sure which of the three offers the most. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated. Also, I'm new to these forums so please take it easy on me.

Personally, if you want energy I would do the MEnergy. The MSF has exploded in size and it is mainly Chinese. Nothing against Chinese people, but I don't think it is optimal when the whole class is international. I also think the MEnergy program took a lot of steam out of the MSF program.

100% do it in New Orleans. You are close enough to Houston and you'll get a good college experience.

 

Would it make sense to go to Tulane Master of Management in Energy in order to break into ER covering the energy sector? (Assume you still network hard and learn the modeling/stock pitch/etc. skills necessary for ER.) Or am I way off base, i.e. the MME is really for S&T.

 
smdalton:
Trader_X, does your friend who is trading in Houston at an IB firm not think it is worth it, do they not make a lot of money and have a pretty dynamic day?

its a job pal... its not trading like you see on TV or in movies. I worked with said "friend" and trading for an energy company is hard work. Its not printing money and drinking every night like you may think.

 

Hmmmm, whenever someone says energy trading I think of working in Texas. I would say Tulane will give you a better shot than a northern school, but if you could find a program closer to TX it would be better. I am not familiar with jobs from Tulane, do a lot of people go into trading ? What is the typical region graduates go to work in?

 
AnthonyD1982:
Hmmmm, whenever someone says energy trading I think of working in Texas. I would say Tulane will give you a better shot than a northern school, but if you could find a program closer to TX it would be better. I am not familiar with jobs from Tulane, do a lot of people go into trading ? What is the typical region graduates go to work in?

not true at all. Lots of the BB;s still use the same feeders as NYC just the kids choose Houston.

 
unqwertyfied:
Last year Tulane hosted a really good energy trading competition that attracted the attention of ppl in energy trading firms. If you get involved in clubs like that that and network well, should be possible.

this was a very good comp and lots of people came out in full force. Tulane places well in energy and the MFin is a good fil for some folks vs the MBA's. Not to say it cant be done cause I have seen it done but its not easy.

 

No MSF at UT. Although the MBA program is nice (especially in Texas), i doubt I have the experience or even the desire to attend an MBA at this point. Also, with an MFIN I doubt i'll be pursuing associate level positions like UT MBAs would be. I would be expecting analyst level roles, perhaps trader development programs at BP or the like.

Of course it won't be easy, it'll require networking...but will a Tulane MFIN provide the opportunity?

 

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