Duke MMS vs JHU MSF

Hello,

I'm straight out of undergrad. I'm looking at two schools: Duke MMS and JHU MS Finance.

Duke MMS - 1 year, brand new program JHU MSF - 2 years part time

Q1: How good is Johns Hopkins MS Finance ? Q2: Which could get me better placement? Make me more desirable? (not interested in heavy Quant jobs) Q3: Any others I should be looking at?

JHU seems to go more in depth in finance with classes on capital markets, derivatives etc, while the MMS seems like a general light MBA program at a much better B-School (Fuqua).

Here's the course list so you can advise me better:

Duke MMS

Financial Accounting (3 Credits) Fundamentals of Business Communications I (2 credits) Fundamentals of Quantitative Business Skills (3 credits) Strategy (3 credits) Business Economics (3 credits) Marketing Analysis (3 credits) Fundamentals of Business Communications II (2 credits) Supply Chain Management (3 credits) Investments and Financial Markets (3 credits) corporate finance (3 credits) Marketing Intelligence (3 credits) Managerial Accounting (3 credits) Financial Analysis (3 credits) Management and Organizations (3 credits) Spreadsheet Modeling and Decision Analysis (3 credits)

Johns Hopkins MSF

*Required Business Core (12 credits) Finance and Capital Markets Financial Analysis Modeling Financial Institutions Investment and Portfolio Analysis Derivatives

*Required Skills, Tools, and Methods (12 credits) Accounting and Financial Reporting Statistical Analysis Business Communication The Firm and the Macroeconomy Economics for Decision Making Ethics and Humanity

*Concentration and elective courses (8 credits)

*Capstone course (4 credits)

7 Comments
 

What's the correct title of the MMS btw? Is it a MSc or MA?

Wouldn't it sound a little odd and not like a real masters degree to write on your CV: Masters of Management Studies: (!!) Foundations of Business (!!!) program

Doesn't this sound too much like prep programme or "masters light" compared to e.g. a Masters in Management from LSE or LBS in London?

 
Best Response

Duke MMS

Pros - Duke Name Cons - 40K for Dukes name

You are paying for the name, nothing else. Speak to anyone with a Masters in Finance and see how much of a headache it is trying to explain to people what the name means. I cannot imagine trying to explain what a masters in management studies is.

Not shitting on it, it might develop into something, but dropping 40K for a degree which might not increase your knowledge and MIGHT give you a bump in recruiting is a risky gamble.

JHU

Pros - JHU name and bump in knowledge Cons - JHU is not a finance powerhouse so to speak

I looked at the program a year ago. The name is solid, but the school is more known for other things. Two years for an MSF is absurd. If you want to do something part time look at BC. I think they have a much better name in finance and their program has been around for a while.

 

Thanks for the advice! I'll check out BC.

Q: Which one would you say would give me more / better employment ops?

Q: Since I'll be straight out of undergrad, would a part-time MSF be a good idea? Could I get a decent entry-level job while doing my MSF? Does not working while doing a part-time school look bad?

 
AnthonyD1982Duke MMS

Pros - Duke Name Cons - 40K for Dukes name

You are paying for the name, nothing else. Speak to anyone with a Masters in Finance and see how much of a headache it is trying to explain to people what the name means. I cannot imagine trying to explain what a masters in management studies is.

Not shitting on it, it might develop into something, but dropping 40K for a degree which might not increase your knowledge and MIGHT give you a bump in recruiting is a risky gamble.

JHU

Pros - JHU name and bump in knowledge Cons - JHU is not a finance powerhouse so to speak

I looked at the program a year ago. The name is solid, but the school is more known for other things. Two years for an MSF is absurd. If you want to do something part time look at BC. I think they have a much better name in finance and their program has been around for a while.

Thanks for the advice! I'll check out BC.

Q: Which one would you say would give me more / better employment ops?

Q: Since I'll be straight out of undergrad, would a part-time MSF be a good idea? Could I get a decent entry-level job while doing my MSF? Does not working while doing a part-time school look bad?

 

Listen, I went to Villanova for my MSF so I am going to try and not be a shill for the school.

I would look at UVA, BC, Vandy, Villanova, BC, WUSTL, UIUC. All are good programs, established and place well. I would not do a part time MSF since a MSF in and of itself will not get you a job. Well wait, let me say this. Suppose you interned during the day and took the MSF at night. That might be different. If you could string together a couple solid internships and have decent grads in the MSF then that might work. I did an internship during my program and it absolutely helps when speaking to companies, recruiters, etc.

I say not to go to Duke because the program is fairly new and it is kind of a watered down MBA. In a year or two the program might solidify, but you would be paying a lot of money with the hopes that you can access some of the recruiting on campus. That is a risky bet.

 

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