Master: Brown MS Data Science vs LSE MS Finance vs UTokyo MPP

Master: Brown MS Data Science vs LSE MS Finance vs UTokyo MPP

A brief background about me: did undergrad at a non-HYP Ivy, interned at a BB’s ER last summer in APAC, but no summer internship in BB this year.

I’ve been admitted to the following schools and programs for grad school, and I’d appreciate it if you could provide some insights regarding where would be best for me to break into front office roles, preferably IBD (including Capital Markets) in NYC/London/HK/SG/Tokyo.

Brown MS Data Science:
Standard program length is 12 month but can be extended to 16 month, which would then give me a summer for applying SA this year. While Data Science isn’t gonna be big plus to my resume (I guess) when applying for front office roles, studying it probably opens the door to fields other than finance like tech in the future.

LSE MS Finance:
One of the best Master programs in LSE? I’ve heard this is one of the MS that’s taken more seriously in the UK. Program length is 12 month but can be extended past summer if secure a summer internship in London (only London, extension not allowed for other places). The Harvard-style teaching format looks nice, and course content is pretty much about case studies.

Also got accepted into MS Finance and Econ (more intellectually and mathematically challenging since it’s a bit tailored toward pre-PhD preparation), but I’m probably declining it to confirm my place for MS Finance.

UTokyo MPP (Economic Policy track):
One of the target schools in Japan, but not sure if MPP is a target for Japan BB. Program length is two years, but it’s a lot cheaper than Brown and LSE (maybe less than half cost of both). Bad thing is its semester schedule, classes run thru end of July, which means I cannot apply for summer internships in HK/SG that normally start in late June.

I’m leaning toward Brown Data Science, given its flexibility in program length and potential opportunities beyond finance (beyond front office roles, quant, data analytics, etc.), but the development of COVID-19 in US leave me quite concerned – may still be paying same amount of tuition for online classes. OTOH, LSE announced that it’ll reopen the campus and the MS Finance (as well as MS finance and econ) will teach in person. The more I read about the modules of LSE MS Finance, the more I like the program, but if I go there, I can only apply for summer internships in London (London is good, but the pay never gets adjusted for post Brexit depreciation, let alone the high taxes)

So all in all, I want to ask which of three programs seem to offer me the best chance to land a front office roles (IBD) in BB?

 

I'm an ignoramus, but I think the only grad degrees with established channels to front office are MBA (IB, ER) and PhD_Econ (S&T research, Trading). That said, I think if you get any of these degrees, work in a decent role, then get a MBA, you'd be front of the line for a ton of great jobs

 

You're comment is grossly incorrect in europe. Almost all continental european students do masters before joining IBD. Plus, a considerable amount for UK students. Especially at the super targets for masters LSE,Oxford, and LBS. For OP go to LSE, if you do everything right you will most likely get a top BB in London, work there for couple years then transition to NY through offices or after MBA.

 

From all I've gleaned from the internets, a front end role in Tokyo or Hong Kong will need you to have a high level of proficiency in the local language? Also this post is pretty old, tell us what you picked, OP. 

 

LSE MSF is by far your best option for IBD, they have OCR, networking events, curriculum designed to help you crush it, etc. I doubt the Brown MS in data science will help, it might hurt you if you can’t spin data science -> IBD (which is a big change). I’d say you should probably figure out what you want to do: tech or finance, and then decide on the programs from there.

 
Most Helpful

LSE

U Tokyo - Unless you speak Japanese fluently, and I mean you grew up with the language and can speak in a business setting, don't bother as getting hired in Japan as a non-native entry level person in finance is beyond difficult. 

Brown - Data science isn't going to help you got ahead in finance, it's a cool masters but not tailored to what you want to do. I would also exercise caution w/ Brown's grad programs, some are total cash cows like their eMBA program w/ IE. 

LSE wins on so many fronts vs the other schools it isn't even a competition. It's the only program you've been accepted to that places directly into finance roles, the other two are far away from your goal. Between OCR, alums in your target industry, on-campus recruiting and a strong global finance brand - this seems the obvious choice. 

 

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