Columbia B-School NEW Masters program- Opinions? Is it worth it?
Hi guys,
So, I've been admitted into this very new Masters program at Columbia Business School - Masters of Science Accounting and Fundamental Analysis. 2017 would be the program's first batch to enrol.
A lot of you guys are quite switched on, hence I'd be very keen to hear your views
Pros:
-It's taught by some very well known, well credentialed and well respected accounting, finance and value investing professionals at Columbia.
-The courses look more finance related and accounting theory and quantitative based as opposed to purely accounting, which is what you may find in a MS in Accounting at say NYU.
-It's at Columbia, a top Ivy, therefore in NYC, therefore at the centre of business.
Opportunity for summer internship with investment funds in NYC
Columbia is where value investing as an academic discipline commenced. The principles of value investing and accounting are very applicable to both business and investment analysis
1 year program
Courses are often taken together with PHD students. Columbia's PHD students are undoubtedly top tier
the program is stated to be between a regular masters and a phd in terms of academic rigour.
Cons
Not sure of the market's awareness of this program given that it's so new. GSB's other Masters in Science programs are quite well regarded; often enrolling just 10 or so students out of a pool of 400 plus applicants, leading to a selectivity rate higher than most elite MBAs, including Columbia's!
Overshadowed by Columbia's MBA students and to a lesser extent by NYU's.
I'd be looking for Associate level jobs in buy side and sell side firms in NYC during and post graduation
Thanks guys, appreciate your views.
I'm sure its a good program, look into which professors they have running some of the fundamental analysis courses. I really don't think CBS would put their reputation on the line launching a half-assed masters program. Depending on the path you decide to go down, this degree would probably pair nicely with CFA and you wouldn't need an MBA down the road.
Columbia is known for launching half-assed masters programs. It's a fucking cash cow. Everyone and their mother has a masters from Columbia in NY.
If there is one thing to love about NY it's all the moms with MBAs.. notice I said CBS. Any of the top schools within Columbia are not half assed degrees, they probably have top graduate programs in NY across the board in Journalism, Business, Teaching, Nursing, Engineering, Law. Anything in general arts and sciences yea probably half assed but even those still carry the brand name. Every school is a cash cow, some are just worth the cash.
Unless you have some sort of banking / consulting experience, it's unlikely you would be recruiting for associate level positions (i.e. not entry level) at either buy or sell side firms, especially since this is a new program.
Also, given it is a one-year program, when are you planning on doing this summer internship? I'd assume you were admitted for a Fall 2017 start, and any respectable place that has an internship program has probably already filled their seats. Now, given that you will be in NYC, you might be able to swing an internship during the school year, but if the program is as rigorous as you describe (between a masters and PhD), you probably won't have time to do so.
All of this isn't to say that you should or shouldn't do the program. That's really not for any of us to decide. Even if we have a full understanding of your situation, the ultimate decision needs to be made by you since you'll be the one impacted by it. As someone who has been in your shoes before, I understand the hope for someone else to be able to make this call.