Columbia MS Financial Economics vs. Princeton Master in Finance

Hello everybody,

I have been exploring various masters programs in finance recently and two of them grabbed my attention:

the Master in Finance at Princeton
the Master of Science in Financial Economics at CBS

I would like to know what program you would pick and especially why?

6 Comments
 

Princeton.

More applicable. One year vs. two. More established program.

Columbia's program is more a PhD-lite and is in its 2nd year I believe. Princeton's program hands down.

Unless you need the time in the country, aka you are an international. In that case you might want two years instead of just one.

 

Princeton is arguably the best masters in finance program there is. I was look at the CVs of people that had been accepted to the program and saw a lot of perfect scores (GMAT along with really high GPA (3.8+) from HYPS, ivy leagues, or universities like IIT (MIT equivalent in India with acceptance rate of around 1.5%). So given that you get in choose Princeton.

 

I hope I'll be able to attend Princeton's program some day, although it's definitely going to be a stretch with my nonexistent educational pedigree. I think if I work for a couple years with a BB in S&T, I might have a decent shot (I'm working towards this goal at the moment). Anyway, w.r.t. MSF/MFE programs, Princeton's is number one with MIT a close second.

 

It is true that Columbia may sound more PhD-like and is two-year long, but as far as I know it is more applied since you are not doing research.

It seems that you can benefit from PhD/MBA-level education within their business school while Princeton's classes are only graduate. Isn't it an advantage?

Maybe the program is too fresh now but it seems that you get an interesting and more original profile once you're out.

 

Rerum vel sit aut accusantium odit atque. Autem possimus esse voluptatem tenetur non ducimus aliquam. Doloremque magnam ullam veniam.

Perspiciatis possimus labore totam minima. Earum aut suscipit non nihil dolores ab nesciunt. Ea dolorum reprehenderit sit eum. Qui ut ut debitis provident aut porro sequi. Debitis natus nihil consequatur pariatur aperiam earum. Est minus quibusdam fuga voluptatem consectetur.

Rerum repellat voluptate facilis ut aspernatur accusantium non. Ullam atque quos id assumenda consequatur ut voluptatem. Nostrum modi recusandae autem dicta. Consequuntur hic nihil voluptas velit sequi.

Ut non ut molestiae neque totam quis unde. Mollitia quasi reprehenderit quam a nostrum. Recusandae quis magni maxime exercitationem dolor non. Ratione quis qui et sit eius ab minima. Nihil reiciendis aspernatur molestiae eveniet enim sed aspernatur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (68) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
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...”