Wich master for a fundamental, L/S analyst, non-quant front office analyst role at a Hedge Fund ?
I'm currently a BBA student at EM Lyon Business School, top 4 French business school "Grande Ecole", specializing in finance. I’ve had several internships in Private Equity, M&A and Project Finance.
My ideal long-term goal is to work in NYC ideally as a fundamental analyst or L/S Equity Analyst or something related but not as quant nerdy (sorry xD) in a hedge fund such as millenium or D.E Shaw & Co.
The type of role I’m targeting is not quant-heavy or dev-oriented, but more aligned with fundamental equity, analyzing companies, following sectors, and building investment theses based on financial statements, catalysts, and macroeconomic context. Think of a role closer to investment-driven decision-making, not one spent coding or modeling derivatives pricing all day.
I’m now exploring which U.S Master’s degree would best position me for this kind of career. I know that some of the top programs, like the Master in Finance at MIT (which seems very flexible and not full oriented for maths) or Princeton (major valuation & macroeconomic analysis), or more technical ones like the Master in Financial Engineering at Baruch College or Carnegie Mellon, UCB, Columbia, NYU have excellent reputations and strong hedge fund placements. But I’m struggling to figure out which type of program fits best.
A classic MSc in Finance seems very relevant and could also open doors to investment banking or private equity, which are still very much part of my plan. But I also know that hedge funds tend to value candidates with quantitative credentials, especially in the U.S., so I’m wondering whether a more technical/quant program is becoming the norm—even for fundamental roles.
In short, I'm trying to understand whether I should:
- Stick with a Finance program focused on valuation, markets, and investing fundamentals = A Mfin/MiF
- Or go for a more quantitative degree (Financial Engineering / Financial Math), to strengthen my profile and show technical depth—even if I don’t plan to be in a quant role
Any advice, especially from people who’ve worked or recruited in hedge funds, investment banking, or asset management, would be incredibly helpful.
Thanks in advance
None of these degrees will matter. Look at the type of people P72 and Millennium are hiring in their London office, which is the best comp for you. It's a lot of non-finance students.
Hi,
Good to know thanks. But, without the masters in the UK or US I don't have any visa so it will be complicated to apply directly FT no ? Especially for this high selective HF ?
Hedge funds aren't going to hire someone out of school for discretionary long/short, so the master's point is moot. P72, Citadel and Millennium have graduate programs but hire a handful of students; these programs are extremely competitive vs banking, and they will not care about what degree you have.
You should focus on pursuing a degree that is targeted for banking/sellside equity research.
Also learn how to use the reply function.
Your chances would be better if you know how to spell 'Which'.
Sorry english cousin. I’ll just write in French next time, as this is just a French subsidiary
Agree on the BB sell side research or banking route. HF will not pick you up from a masters but those are the best feeders RN.
HF do indeed hire from masters.
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