LSE MSc Finance or LBS MFA

Question

Hi all,

Background:
- UG in Management from semi-target in UK (High 2:1)
- Experience at BB in investment management
- Secured SA offer at a BB for summer 2019
- GMAT: 700

Which programme would you say is better from an academic point of view?

Having been lucky enough to get a summer internship out of undergrad I am not looking to do a master's to get my foot into the industry, i.e. the careers services offered are not important to me. I am really just looking for an intellectual challenge.

Thanks in advance!

LongTermWarrior · Accepted Answer

Also last time I checked you needed a first to be eligible for the Finance and eco programme, correct if my wrong though

In your case, I would suggest you to go to LSE, much more ‘intellectual’ and academic oriented than LBS. LBS is a great school that opens many doors and give you access to top tier 1 companies and jobs. LSE also gives you this but it is more aimed at developing PhD candidates than LBS if you want to pursue that path it’s easier at LSE.

Bananas101 · Answer

I don't think LBS is below LSE regarding prestige, at least in Finance, LBS has the best Finance faculty and PhD program in Europe.

hedgefund0123 · Answer

Since you're looking for an academic challenge, I would highly recommend going for the LSE programme. Depending on how serious you really are about going into depth, you might want to take a closer look at the LSE MSc Finance and Economics.

LBS programmes can generally more be seen as very applied and less theoretic whereas LSE always aims to have a focus on the theoretical foundations (although the LSE MSc Finance also has a significant portion of more applied content)

notsoquant · Answer

I think the two institutions, LSE and LBS, are somewhat similar in terms of prestige (for a career in finance, in academia LSE wins no doubt). For the two programmes, I'd lean towards LSE MSc Finance though, because it's LSE's flagship programme (for finance) and it has been around for a long time, whereas LBS' flagship programme is the MBA.

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LSE MSc Finance or LBS MFA

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LSE MSc Finance or LBS MFA

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