Master Ranking - London IB
Hi, everyone. Most of the master rankings you can find here seem to be either wrong or not well explained. I’m gonna try to make one that suits most people. However, 2 assumptions are needed: This ranking is a) Only for London IB, and b) Independent of nationality and languages spoken. However, being a national or speaking the language of the country from where you’re getting your master from, strongly increases placement chances (e.g a German from Bocconi is tier 2.5 but an Italian from Bocconi is tier 1.5).
Here we go:
Tier 1: Oxford MFE, LBS MFA, LSE MFin, LSE MFin & PE, HEC MiF
Tier 1.5: Imperial MFin, LBS MiM
Tier 2: LSE MFin & Acc
Tier 2.5: Bocconi MiF, ESCP MiF, ESSEC MiF, HSG MiF
This is only for the targets/semi-targets, I have no clue about the other unis. Feel free to add them.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, it's clear that the discussion around master's programs and their ranking, especially in relation to London IB (Investment Banking), is a topic of high interest and debate. Your ranking provides a structured view focusing on London IB placement, which is a crucial aspect for many candidates considering their postgraduate options. Let's delve a bit deeper into some of the programs you've mentioned, aligning with the insights from the WSO dataset:
Tier 1:
Tier 1.5:
Tier 2:
Tier 2.5:
Your approach to ranking these programs, especially considering the nuances of nationality and language skills, adds an important layer of consideration for candidates. It's crucial for students to not only consider the academic and placement strengths of these programs but also how their own backgrounds might influence their placement opportunities in the highly competitive London IB market.
Sources: European Masters Ranking | 2020, European Masters Rankings, European Masters Rankings, UK Target Universities Discussion Thread, European Masters Ranking | 2020
Overall good ranking.
Would just divide these MFin in 2 brackets to simplify:
Targets: Oxford MFE, LBS MFA, LSE MFin, Imperial MFin, HEC MiF
Semi-Targets: Bocconi MFin, ESCP MiF, ESSEC MiF, HSG MiF
Regarding MiM it’s hard to rank them as French schools lead there, then LBS MiM is good too.
Imperial not a target like the others
Definitely not as strong as Oxford/LSE/LBS/HEC, but still a target for people with solid profiles.
Considering how degree subject doesn't matter nearly as much to employers as the overall university brand name, from what multiple people have told me (at least for practically identical subjects like finance and a&f), you could probably group LSE MFin & Acc with the MFin. I'd also move Bocconi up to 1.5 at least, but I'm not entirely sure how well it places for internationals. Seems like the vast majority of people from Bocconi are Italians staffing southern Europe desks.
Agree with you.
1) The program name doesn’t matter that much
2) Bocconi MFin would be considered a Target for Italians / Semi-target for non-Italians
I think it depends. If you’re recruiting for MM banks or like transaction services I don’t think the particular master matters. But for BBs/EBs, it definitely matters. For example, some recruiting events are limited to only some masters from each uni. Also a strong proportion of the people working in BBs/EBs also came from these masters so they know which ones are more difficult to get into, and they use that as a "first screening".
Do you have specific insights from people in those programs/engaged with recruiting at these banks? Recently spoke to a current MFin student at Imperial, for instance, who claimed the MFin and MFin & Acc there have the same prospects, with the Fin & Acc kids even getting better offers on average due to more of them having IB-tailored profiles.
Interesting. Work experience plays a major role, so I’m not surprised if some candidates perform better even if they come from a less recognised program. Everything else equal, the MFin is more targeted than the MFin & Acc. This is also true for LSE. A quick LinkedIn search will show you that.
For sure, but how much of that is due to employer discrimination versus student self-selection? MFins typically admit stronger candidates, who perform better as a function of their stronger profile, and some programs are more "IB-oriented" than others (more market-oriented kids at the Imperial MFin, given its quanty nature, for example, so not as many people interested in IB). But it seems kids from "lesser" programs with a strong profile place just as well. Individual profile strength seems to matter more than program prestige, at least within the same university. Things are obviously different when comparing different schools, where actual quotas or uni-specific hiring practices may exist for each one. Regarding the recruiting events you mentioned, do you have an example of one that discriminated between programs?
Does anyone have any insights into the finance masters from UCL or Kings? For ex. UCl has a mater in PE, VC, & Financial Technology - a newer program but would this be net positive on a CV?
As said in OP, there's always a premium in doing a Masters in your country's best uni (Bocconi for Italians, HSG for DACH students, Nova for Portuguese, etc.)
However let's take a Polish/Indian/Turkish/American who wants to break into London IB:
Having King's in Tier 2 is massively overrated. ESADE, IE, EDHEC all much better than KCL. Even UCL, which is a target undergrad is not very strong for Masters, same with Warwick
RSM in tier 3
Ho are these T2s higher than the MBF or SIM from HSG?
Is HEC Paris a whole tier above Bocconi?
For an International, I would say yes. For an Italian, it evens out.
Is LSE MFin & PE as targeted as LSE MFin?
MFP&E alumni here. They are pretty much the same class. Only 1 module is different. In fact, during the first term you can switch between programmes, but then you stick with one from second term onwards
Admission rate is <10% for both and was able to get interviews from MFPEs/BBs/EBs/MM
Needless to say, it did not give me any advantage in PE recruiting over the classical LSE Mfin. To be honest, I never understood why they made a new programme if everything is the same but one module
Out of curiosity, what work experience did you have when applying for SAs?
Is English speaker from HEC Paris still tier 1?
What about MSc Fin at WW, where does it track in the rankings.
Bump
Any input on programmes that are more economics focused?
so UCL and Warwick are not even worth applying if we want to target banks in the UK?
Warwick could make a decent safety option if all else fails, UCL definitely not, at least for postgraduate. Both are targets for undergrad though.
thanks! unfortunately I do think everything else will fail, so do you think it's even worth applying to Warwick or is it better to find a job for a year and then try again next year?
Where does the HEC MiM fit here? Also, If you're not of French nationality but fluent in French, would you still be disadvantaged ?
Top tier. Very good especially if you take the gap year to have a years worth of internship experience.
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