MBA vs MFin (Quant)

I have a Bachelor and Master degree in Physics from a tier 1 target school in India with over 3 years of experience in sales and marketing, along with having cleared CFA Level 1. I’m currently exploring the best path to transition into Investment Banking in one of the major financial hubs like New York, London, or Hong Kong. I’m considering two options:

  1. Pursue an MBA from a top-tier business school, with the hope of securing an internship and eventual placement in IB.
  2. Pursue a Master’s in Finance or a Master’s in Quantitative Finance, as I have a strong background in mathematics and a desire to work in hedge funds after gaining 5 years of IB experience.

Given my experience and future career aspirations in hedge funds, which option would provide a more strategic path for me to break into IB and position myself well for a later switch to hedge funds? Would the MBA route offer broader opportunities, or would a specialized master’s degree be a better fit for my technical skills and long-term goals?

1 Comments
 

Ut maiores corrupti aliquam iusto soluta officiis consectetur. Sed vitae iste occaecati incidunt voluptas doloribus est. Qui qui ducimus ducimus aut aut. Rerum qui aut facere labore.

Repudiandae incidunt hic asperiores pariatur amet. Voluptas et id molestiae ipsum perferendis dolorem est. Sit eaque ut molestiae amet eaque voluptatem commodi eos. Praesentium sit aperiam tenetur itaque doloribus. Pariatur qui provident odit debitis magnam ea corporis. Rem amet quidem vel ipsum est sapiente omnis. Et nihil tempora odit est velit.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”