MSF Degrees in the United States

I am an international student based in Dubai, pursuing my undergraduate in a Scotland based university called Heriot-Watt University. I am looking to enter IB and pursue a MSF preferably in the States. The reason I am looking to do a MSF is because I don't have relevant IB experience and the IB sector in Dubai is relatively smaller and tougher to break into. Hence, I want to pursue an MSF so that it gives me a benefit of breaking into IB and a more diverse knowledge in Finance. I have a set of universities which I will be mentioning later. I wanted a review of my list and if anyone could recommend me any more universities. This is my list so far. I have one in Canada as well.

  1. USC Marshall

  2. UT Austin

  3. UIUC 

  4. Boston College

  5. WUSTL Olin Business School

  6. University of Notre Dame

  7. Vanderbilt University

  8. Ohio State

  9. McGill University

  10. Indiana University - Kelley School of Business

  11. UVA - MS in Commerce Finance Track

  12. Georgetown University 

Being an international student in USA, I am looking for stem designated universities as we get a 3 year opt period which can help us find a H1B sponsor. I am not thinking of applying to financial engineering degrees as I don't have a very strong quantitative background. I wanted a review of this list especially the last 2 universities. I have heard mixed reviews about Georgetown and UVA. UVA because there are not many IB placements from MS Commerce degree and about Georgetown, it's kind of an online degree and I have heard the msf degree was worth it. Additionally, I have recently found out that Notre-Dame is not offering a stem designated degree and also I have read from some websites that it is tough to get an IB placement from the Notre Dame after graduating from the MSF degree. 

I am still looking to add more universities. If there is any other university you could recommend, it would be great. I am just preferably looking for the States. 

 

Have a handful of friends that went to some the above programs and are in ER/IB/PE. Check out Vandy, MIT, USC, and maybe BC. Not sure about which has STEM designations eligible for visas, they should say on the website or if you reach out to admissions. Good luck!

 

Hey, BTW which did you end up selecting? 

I'm looking to pursue MSF - Fall '23 and If you have your top 10 (any changes for the above list), it would be much appriciated.

 

Hey! So I haven’t applied just yet. Even I am planning to try for fall 2023 or 2024. Haven’t made a decision on that yet. But, I’m planning to apply to the above mentioned universities excluding UVA and Georgetown

 

With your background - Vandy, WUSTL, UT Austin, and BC (ranked from top to bottom). Other programs are irrelevant IMO. MIT’s program is probably out of your reach. Get 700+ on GMAT and you will even get some scholarship money.

While STEM OPT is great and must have in your situation, it’s still an uphill battle and it’s getting harder and harder to get a job and then convert it to a work visa. You can’t be picky (“GS TMT or die”) and have to network with everyone / apply to banks of all sizes and all over the U.S. states but at the same time, smaller firms don’t usually sponsor, so don’t get upset about rejections and just move on. It will be a numbers game… I think I sent 300-400 networking emails when I was in MSF program.

 

If your math is stronger than your English, take GMAT. Otherwise, GRE is fine. One benefit of GMAT is it lasts for 3-4 years and you can use it to apply to MBA if your situation requires it in the future

Re Notre Dame - I haven’t even heard of their program when I was applying to MSFs 3-5 years ago. Also, someone above mentioned MSFHQ - you should definitely check it out. Great source.

 
Most Helpful

I would choose Georgetown hands down. Absolutely destroys every school on this list with presence in NYC IB. A buddy in my group (elite boutique) did it and said that it gives you solid technical skills and networking opportunities. Although the MSF program doesn't send as many into IB as Georgetown undergrad (literally >100 per year, check the school's employment stats), a good number of banks recruit from the MSF. The program is set up on a hybrid model so you can either attend in person or online if you have geographical/other constraints. Think it's definitely worth it for the technical skills/recruiting opps/alumni network

 

Yea I’ve heard a lot about Georgetown, about its reputation and alumni network. However, I read somewhere on the website or a mail sent from Georgetown that they do not sponsor visa’s for international students. So I don’t think I would be able to do the degree in person. I am really looking forward for a in person degree after all the Covid-19 situation.

 

Yes, I am planning to apply for the UK colleges as well. I’m going to be applying for 2024 so will be starting my applications next year. Apart from the ones mentioned, are there any other unis in UK you would recommend? With Dubai, the IB sector is slowly developing. However, the local banks require the UAE nationals to work for them in IBD and the big and medium sized banks usually recruit foreign nationals like people with an American or a European passport or get employees from their foreign offices. So I’m finding it a bit difficult to break into over here.

 

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