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Also, what are the different career possibilities?
getting an mba is generally less specialized than a masters in finance. getting an mba is like a general business degree versus a msf, which will specifically target financial positions
MBA is more general, but to have a real comparison you probably want to compare specific programs. MBA is focused on developing both hard- and soft-skills (leadership, teamwork, negotiations, business strategy). MSF or MA is more focused on analytical skills and arguably prepares better for entry-level roles (many MBA programs can give you solid hard skills as well).
MBA Finance: you'd get management training with an emphasis in finance. you have the option to take finance classes but also other courses in leadership, strategy, marketing, operations, supply chain etc.
MSF: you would get finance skills. http://www.princeton.edu/bcf/graduate/core/
Dude, you should have come to the conference! We had a panel on this.
An MFin is either a fifth year of college or if you have several years of prior experience, a thrifty finance specific MBA.
Recommended for:
-those paying cash or using employer's money. -those with state school x on their resume who want Cornell, Columbia, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, or CMU too. -Those with STEM undergrads. -Those with prior finance experience.
Not a good idea if: -Borrowing money to pay. -If you can get an FO job straight out of undergrad, or for second tier schools, if you can get an MO job out of undergrad.
There are 30 valuable schools for MBAs. For MFins and MFEs, I would argue that the list narrows to ten:
-Princeton -MIT -NYU -Cornell -Columbia -Stanford -CMU -Chicago -Villanova (2nd) -Vanderbilt (2nd)
Half of these schools will take anyone with the engineering math sequence, a 3.5 undergrad GPA, and 800 GRE Q who can write a coherent personal statement.
I know you lumped MFin and MFE/MSFM's together there but aren't they quite different? I know Princeton and MIT call their programs MFin but they seem more like MFE/MSMF.
Not a whole lot of schools have either MFin or MFE programs. And for someone who needs an MFin program to get into the FO, there are only a handful of schools that will do the trick. Furthermore, for someone already working for a bank (FO, MO, or BO), there are only a handful of schools that aren't a step down.
MBA is generalized and for people with work experience
MSF/MFIN/MFE are specialized and ok for people without work experience
MSF is corporate finance and more banking orientated. CFA type material
MFIN is more math focused and tends to be banking/trading
MFE is math/programing focused and more for trading/quant stuff
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