MSF, MS Applied Stats or MA Econ

Hey All,

I need some feed back on a decision I need to make: work towards an MSF being phased out, a new online MS in Applied Stats or an established online MA in Economics.

First of all, let me level set what I am looking for. I live in a sizable midwestern city with the headquarters of a smaller National bank in town. My long term career goals are to stay in the same city or one of the other region's cities (i.e. KCMO, St. Louis or Chicago) and work in asset or portfolio management.

I currently work in a "financial" operations role for a telecom. This position uses little to no finance, but is categorized as corporate finance. Invoicing and internal auditing would be a better descriptor. We also have a pretty good tuition benefit with no clawback clause after leaving the company.

Our local university has an MSF program that is being phased out...this academic year will be the last intake. The university is realigning its approach and streamlining (read: cost cutting). This includes closing degree programs with small enrollments. The MSF program usually has about 50 or so students. So its closure is not reflective of the quality (the MSF students have always had higher GMAT scores than the MBA or Master's in Accounting programs). I already hold an MBA from this university. This degree placed me at my current company, but we did not go very deeply into quantitative subjects like finance. After completing my MBA (5 years ago), I have taken 3 courses towards the MSF. I have 7 courses left.

I am currently enrolled to return to the program in a few months. While I was discussing my return, I asked about scholarship funding. I applied and got a 60% tuition reduction. With my company tuition benefit (they will pay for books too) and one other outside source, this makes the program free (other than my time and energy). Due to their sunsetting schedule, I have a schedule that will allow me to graduate in 18 months. The program is respected locally and we have many contacts at the local national bank. Some students have been placed at Barclays, Deutsche, Wells Fargo...all in NYC, Chicago or San Francisco. However, most have stayed in the region. I feel that this is too good to pass over considering the cost.

However, I have looked at doing an online degree in Stats or Econ. The online MS in Applied Stats and Analytics is at the University of Kansas. The program is roughly $700 per hour. My tuition benefit would pay for this but it would likely take 3 years to complete this (so I could pace out my tuition money). I really enjoyed my Econometrics course in the MSF and univariate and multivariate regression in stats...that is why I am being pulled towards this MS in Applied Stats. Also, with the onset of "Big Data," I was thinking the MS in Applied Stats might have better longevity. I thought I could do this program in 3-ish years and eventually work on the CFA, if I should continue with finance. My main issue with this Applied Stats program is that it appears that there is no standalone probability course...it is integrated in one of the courses. Also, it is a new online only program offered through KU's medical school (biostatistics). The GRE is optional for admissions.

The online MA in Economics program at the University of Missouri is taught in the same manner as their on campus program. The on campus program lists many of their graduate school grads as being placed in PhD programs and employers of quality. This program is about $450 per hour and will take about 2 to 3 years to complete. Despite these pluses, I really question the programs quality because they do not even require a GMAT or GRE score.

My GMAT score was a 620 for my MBA program. I scored that without much study and coming from a liberal arts background. Unfortunately, I do not have time on my side to contemplate doing this MSF. I am currently thinking of staying on path with reenrolling in the MSF program. My fourth option is to do no further schooling and/or work towards the CFA. My draw is towards completing the MSF...but I am concerned about hedging against the future with a background in a more data science/analytics subject. I guess my two concerns is staying on top of "Big Data" (with the applied stats or, to a lesser extentt, the econ) and the reputation hit the MSF program is taking since it is being closed.