Choices for MSF/MQF program, Maryland MQF vs WUSTL MSF(WAM) and Rochester MSF

Hi! I am a newbie to WSO and an international student looking to pursue a pre-experience masters degree related to Finance in the US. Now I've received three offers from:

Uni of Maryland(Smith) - Master of Quantitative Finance(STEM) -New program. The curriculum is not that quant as it resembles the MSF program with 6 extra credits of math and programming courses(Stochastics etc) -Options to go 11, 16, 20 months of duration so a summer internship will be possible. Location is near DC.

WUSTL(Olin) - Master of Science in Finance ( Wealth & Asset Management Track) (Non-Stem) -New track in 2017 but it shares curriculum and resources with the old Corporate Finance track. -Not quant. 11 months program. -Non-stem will be a nightmare to international students.

Uni of Rochester(Simon) - Master of Science in Finance(STEM) -Well-discussed on WSO. -18 months program.

My previous background -Overseas undregrad uni. -Three internships. Two securities companies(Equity Research/Institutional Sales), one private equity(Equity investment)

As I am planning to barge into Corp fin or similar jobs that would be reasonable to get in as a graduate from one of these programs,

(I was thinking about crossing WUSTL off of that list for non-stem but it was highly praised on WSO, which held back my thought.)

Honestly seeking advice on how to choose from the three. Please leave financial matters aside as it is not my priority in this selection.

0 Comments

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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...”