Imperial vs Others
Hello everyone,
At the moment I am preparing to take the GRE in the next following weeks and I would like to ask for help regarding my Master's intake for 2025.
I already have an offer for Imperial's MSc in Finance & Accounting (rejected from the MSc in Finance mainly because I applied without the GMAT or GRE) - and I am applying for HEC and LBS after taking the GRE.
Given that Imperial and LBS would be a stretch in terms of financing because of London prices, I have two main questions:
1 - Is Imperial going to provide a good return when it comes to landing interviews and positions after the Master's? Mainly focused in summer internships and off-cycles. Wouldn't say no to a full-time offer
2 - Besides LBS and HEC which are known to have good placement are there other schools which you would consider to have good placement in my desired locations and industry sector (IE, ESADE, EDHEC, etc)
Additional info:
I know Bocconi is also very good, however I would like to keep my degree under 2 years.
Location - Mainly focused in London, Paris and Germany (other countries would be okay given that I receive a good salary offer)
Languages spoken - Portuguese, Spanish and English + French intermediate
Thank you!
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's what you need to know:
Imperial's MSc in Finance & Accounting and ROI:
Imperial College Business School is well-regarded, especially for its MSc Finance & Accounting program. It has a strong reputation for being practical and career-focused, offering modules like VBA/Python to enhance technical skills. While it may not carry the same prestige as LBS or HEC, it still places well in London, particularly for roles in investment banking and finance. Alumni feedback suggests that the program provides good opportunities for landing interviews, summer internships, and off-cycle roles, especially if you leverage the school's career services and networking opportunities. However, the return on investment (ROI) will depend on your ability to network effectively and secure internships during the program.
Other Schools with Strong Placement:
Besides LBS and HEC, here are some schools with strong placement records in your desired locations and sectors:
Additional Considerations:
Ultimately, if you secure offers from LBS or HEC, they would likely provide the best placement opportunities and ROI. However, Imperial remains a solid option, especially if you are focused on London and can maximize the program's career resources.
Sources: Imperial MSc Finance and Accounting vs. ESCP MiM vs. IE MIF, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/school/admitted-to-imperial-college-business-school-msc-finance-and-lse-msc-finance-for-2019?customgpt=1, Imperial MSc Finance and Accounting vs LSE MSc Accounting and Finance, Profile Evaluation: MSc in Finance at LBS, LSE, Imperial, Said or MIT, Imperial MSc Finance and Accounting vs MSc Finance
Imperial mfa is less prestigious than the msc finance so I wouldn't pay for this program personally.
French schools in general would be a better choice particularly : ESCP, HEC, EDHEC...so on
Bocconi, St gallen, esade are all solid too
ESCP/EDHEC/HSG are definitely not better than imperial for postgrad lol. Yes for HEC. The imperial FA programme is largely seen as in the same league as the mfin, according to students and people in the industry anyway.
Lol not at all. Imperial name is solid in stem and places really well in any field. But accounting degrees from anywhere are less selective/prestigious in general vs a cpa or finance degree for IB. They're flexing Big 4 placements lol.. and the outcomes in general are mid at best for a £50k degree.
Placements from HSG, ESCP etc have been solid, but behind LSE, LBS, HEC etc of course.
French schools apart from HEC are much less good
Idk man, imp students have told me it places similarly to, if not better than, the mfin, and people in the industry have said the two programmes are treated as pretty much the same thing. And calling it an accounting degree is misleading as hell, its literally the exact same courses as the mfin with like 2 additional accounting classes slapped on top.
Mate be honest, if you had the choice you would go for the msc finance over the mfa. The people who made their decision will ofc protect it. But £50k for landing big 4 roles is not the best ROI in my view. Their employment report isn't very attractive.
If you compare placements after top EU programs vs an ok business program in a school focused on stem then ofc there's a big (unsurprising) difference.
The placement tidbit actually came from an mfin student lmao. Dont know where you're getting this Big 4 flex stuff, just checked their employment report and they list a bunch of BBs alongside Big 4 firms, as does the mfin, as indicative destinations, as well as McKinsey. I'd still choose the mfin because I'm less interested in pure accounting, but there doesnt seem to be much of a difference. Also, the only EU programmes I'd classify as "top" would be HEC and Bocconi, both of which I'd place above Imp. But EDHEC/ESCP? Come on.
"They have been hired by renowned companies such as Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC." literally on their careers page. Also, their testimonials on the front page aren't exactly amazing. One works at Kpmg, the other at costa coffee.. Just 51% work in the UK after. So much so for London placements lol.
There's people from random schools who end up at BBs. Where do they work though? Front or back office? How many land full time?
In my ACs I've never come across an imperial kid. Just a look across LinkedIn and you can see HSG MBF, Bocconi MiF, Escp MiF etc... place vastly better and are way more selective, with better ROI.
Not to mention they are targets in their own country so at worst, they start there and pivot to London internally if they want. Imperial doesn't really have presence like that.
Ah right, I found the quote you mentioned, although they do mention McKinsey/Citi first. Agree the testimonials are crappy, could've had more accomplished grads there, though this might have to do with the target demo as opposed to the mfin. London placements are also skewed from all the Indian/Chinese students that they stuff into the programme, again unlike the mfin (though I haven't heard this affecting perception in the industry). Again, London placements for the EU schools you mentioned dont appear to be that great judging from LinkedIn, with the exceptions of HEC/Boccconi. "Vastly better" placements seems patently false. Asyou mentioned yourself, these schools are regional targets first and foremost, and the placements they do have probably owe more to coincidental language skills more than anything.
That's basically it. I can imagine it being a decent choice for natives but the majority of people they stuff into the program will have mid outcomes mostly due to tighter immigration rules. It does skew the employment numbers a lot unfortunately.
But from my point of view as a European who studied in the UK, Masters in general (outside of LBS) are not as prestigious in the UK vs in the EU. I have personally seen some real duds get into Msc Finance at LSE who had to settle for mediocre roles after, while their highly selective undergrads are basically a direct pipeline into high finance. So the name does help but the rest is on the individual.
So in my opinion, for masters the better ROI is to pick the EU targets which are more selective, cost less and have a good network of pros in London to pivot afterwards or quite frequently start there directly.
If you actually bothered to look at the Imperial report for 2022 23 (which you have to request) you would see it has had better placements in terms of PPP real adjusted salary than every school beside Oxford MFE and HEC Mfin
Hsg is edhec and ESCP aren’t
LSE, HEC and LBS are the obvious choices if you can get any of them (do the GRE/GMAT again if you need to) :)
Can a really good and strong GRE offset an okay below 2:1 ?
On the Imperial website, they only ask for a 4.5/6, and I have a 4.9/6.
French MSc are crap, except HEC MiF.
Spoke to some HR in my BB in London and consensus is LBS, Imperial, LSE, HEC, Bocconi is the clear top five here for Masters. From my understanding, Imperial and LSE F&A are on par with their traditional MFin programs, just more corporate finance focused - seen equal placement in the BBs
Where the f*** do you get the consensus for it is just the three above and you can add HEC but that's it full stop.
How good is HSG (St gallens) compared to the other 5 masters
HSG is really strong but lower than the three I mentioned but better than Imperial
From what I’ve read, it seems as though the consensus from people within the industry is that Imperial MFIN and FA are target programs, take from that what you will.
Y
If your ranking masters for placement in London
Oxbridge,HEC,LBS>LSE>HSG,Bocconi>Imperial ,SSE>ESCP,Warwick,ESSEC>WHU,RSM,UCL
rubbish comment lol Warwick and UCL so low and Bocconi so high...
What would you change on the list
Imperial should be lower unless you're talking about STEM programs. Outside of HEC, LBS, LSE and oxbridge I would put bocconi (only MiF) hsg (only MBF) like you and then Escp/Essec not far. Not sure how to rank SSE, its the best in the nordics but haven't come across many grads in London personally.
These are all top notch and you will clear decent amount of screenings. The rest are a tier below.
So the accounting and finance version of Bocconi and Hsg much of a drop off compared to their pure finance programs
For masters no they are not
If you want to work in London Oxbridge lbs lse are the best for France HEC and for Germany HSG . Other high paying places in Europe Switzerland and Hsg again the only target school for that country
Gonna say it again here lol I've seen this topic several times:
Imperial business school is not as good as the STEM side of the uni. I studied at Imp business school so i can tell from first-hand experience.
The business school does get its fair share of good events and views, but it's more limited than eg an LBS or LSE.
Qui rerum quis cum sunt quia. Molestias possimus cum incidunt sed commodi aperiam veniam aut. Ipsa quia hic consequatur dolorem.
Ipsam dignissimos vero aut corporis reiciendis sed quasi facilis. Nam error omnis nostrum corrupti enim aliquam quia.
Fuga dolores consectetur necessitatibus ipsum mollitia architecto saepe. Non rerum aspernatur et delectus. Mollitia nemo unde consequatur nulla at. Voluptates nostrum aut in dolore iste.
Qui perspiciatis sit occaecati repellat soluta necessitatibus. Praesentium fugiat neque voluptas vel. Quia sed eum unde qui quos quia voluptatibus.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Laborum et aliquam consequuntur laudantium qui eveniet error. Quaerat facilis eum delectus veniam neque ex perspiciatis. Laboriosam deserunt adipisci pariatur atque. Dolores et recusandae ipsam assumenda quisquam laborum ea. Voluptatem ex illum quod quia enim ab saepe. Eligendi similique iure sunt.
Hic voluptatem beatae aut incidunt. Aut modi numquam et provident. Cum laudantium libero iusto molestiae atque officiis. Quia dolor esse reprehenderit consequatur sit quam dignissimos.
Qui ex quis similique velit fugit maiores nobis. Non velit eius non doloribus. Aut sapiente et doloribus quia qui ipsum eum. Voluptatibus delectus ratione in cum iure dolorum non.