Unconventional Graduate Degrees in IB?

Hi all,

First year analyst in the fixed income space at a boutique in NYC. I was recently accepted into NYU's MA in International Relations program. Is this a value added for a career in IB, or a stupid idea? Obviously it's unconventional, but not necessarily unheard of...thoughts?

I want to stay in IB as a career, but find the IR field very interesting. Obviously there are a lot of connections between IR and financial markets and I think this would give me a unique perspective. There's also a few sectors that are a natural fit with IR (Aerospace, defense, gov't services, industrials, etc.) I'm already an officer in the Army National Guard, so this goes along the same vein. Additionally, NYU is an excellent school.

**I understand that an MBA is better, but that is not the question I am asking. I'd appreciate your thoughts on this topic, not about the differences between an MBA and an MAIR. Thanks.

1 Comments
 

Dolore assumenda facere voluptatem facere. Neque ex tempore laborum. Ut facilis laborum non culpa est. Aut tenetur ullam quos alias deleniti dolores. Vel voluptatem quaerat nam. Aut eum vel velit.

Est sapiente dolore non. Optio fugiat quia quia est sit. Incidunt enim ut odit pariatur at dolores.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”