Best master degree for M&A

Hi everyone, I'm currently a fourth year Financial market student in top Business School in France. In September, I'll be in my fourth year (still in Corporate Finance). And I'm looking for a master degree in Investment Banking or Corporate Finance. In France, we have prestigious school like HEC, ESCP, EDHEC, ESSEC and prestigious universities like Sciences Po Paris, Paris Dauphine or La Sorbonne. I don't know yet but maybe I will want to do my master degree in USA in order to work as a M&A analyst. So if you have any recommendations as recruiters, Associates, VPs, MDs, it's a pleasure to discuss with you.#mergers #acquisitions #investmentbanks #masterdegree #businessschool

19 Comments
 

Depends what you want to do.

If you want to do London:

LSE, LBS, Oxbridge, HEC (no order)

For States:

Look into the good MSF (eg MIT, Vandi). Disclaimer, most of ppl I knew going for this route ended up in London at Shops you could also have gone to with EU/UK Uni + now the have 60k more in Education Costs

 

Hi,

I am strongly considering applying to MSF @ Vandy and MIT. I believe I have a somewhat decent chance of getting in - however if I were to attend, it would be to work in the USA, and not to go back. Could you elaborate on what you mean by "most students go back"? Were they only gunning for top EB/BB or what? Their placement seems quite good (100% for Intl) and I've seen some good firms sponsor - Jefferries, JPM, etc all on their career report.

 

Ok so if I want to work as an M&A analyst and do my master in France the best are HEC or ESSEC ?

 

y'a de l'ambition c'est bien. Je v parler en anglais pour pas exclure les gens qui comprennent pas. First of all, it all depends on you gpa, internship (a little) and your GMAT/GRE (anf of course a stong cover letter where you showed that you know every little things that the master offer and a good CV - Volunteering is very appreciated). If you have these things solid, you could aim for the best universities in the US. But you have to know that for the top 1-2-3 you have to be the best everywhere and have a GMAT of at least 750 (i had 770 so it's doable but you need time - can give you some advices if you want) to have a chance bc there are many applicants. 

 

I forgot to say that the price is a big point to consider. In france, you pay the master maximum 20k a year while in the us, everything is more expensive and the year is approximately 40k$ (almost same as 40K €). If you have the money without taking a loan, go for it. You can even aim lower. In the us, with a good networking and grades, even a top ten school student can land a job in the firms like Goldman sachs --> you can check the school placement in a specific firm by way of linkedin). Plus, the student life is outstanding and you will discover a new way of thinking. 

 

Unfortunately completely off. Target Master in France such as the MIF at HEC will set you back around €40k while the equivalent in the US such as the MFin at MIT will cost around $90k - so there is a significant difference.

 

It depends on the master. In france essec has two 2 years programs in finance and hec too but in his case he is certainly talking about 1 year programs so my bad... Thanks for the correction 

 
Most Helpful

I’m facing a similar situation and I've talked to numerous people about it so I believe I have a pretty accurate answer. Since you come from a French Business School and you are French, the good MiM programs are out of reach (this is how it works in France) so I would focus solely on Masters in Finance. This ranking is based solely on these programs and differs from the general Business School / Engineering rankings consensus.

Tier 1:

1) HEC MiF: Top program. Top placement across geographies. Very slim chances of getting in if you come from a French Business School.

Tier 1.5:

1) ESCP MiF: Impressive placement. Compared to HEC, good placement in London but definitely a tier below. Placement almost on par with HEC when it comes to Paris. Selective, but more accessible than HEC.

2) ESSEC MiF: Very good placement also. Slightly below ESCP when it comes to Paris and London. Better placement across Asia (they have a campus in Singapore). As selective as ESCP.

Tier 2:

1) Sciences Po Master Finance et Strategy: Good placement for Paris (although a tier below ESCP and ESSEC). Placement for London is below average.

2) Polytechnique (l'X) MSc Economics Data Analytics and Corporate Finance: Good placement when it comes to Paris (same as Sciences Po). Placement for London is also below average.

3) EDHEC MiF: They have been climbing up the ranks recently. Good placement (similar to Sciences Po and l'X when it comes to Paris, better placement for London).

4) Dauphine: I don’t know the name of the program in particular but it places well mostly in Paris but also in London. Something to know is that they are one of the top feeders when it comes to markets but not for IBD (M&A, etc.)

 

Generally speaking in France, it’s HEC MiM > ESSEC MiM > ESCP MiM > Sciences Po when it comes to a career in business.

However when it comes to MiF programs it’s HEC > ESCP >= ESSEC >>> Sciences Po. Sciences Po is a good place if you want to work in politics but definitely a tier below the others when it comes to finance.

 

Yes, the top executives of France often have Sciences Po diploma but they have done the whole Sciences Po program (bachelor+master) with very often additional diplomas like HEC or ENA. The Master in Finance and Strategy from Sciences Po is not that prestigious in France

 

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