MSF Rankings 2024
Making this list purely on my personal perception of the programs. I feel like it would be helpful for prospective students who are thinking about doing an MSF.
S Tier: Vanderbilt
A Tier: Georgetown, UChicago
B Tier: UT, IU, Villanova, Notre Dame
C Tier: USC, Emory
D Tier: OSU, SMU
These programs would be generally better from a rebranding and OCR point of view.
Avoid Tulane, UIUC, WUSTL as these programs genuinely hold no value and have just become cash cow businesses where 90% of the students are Chinese kids and have poor placements.
Vanderbilt should be in a tier by itself. Really the only program that consistently places the majority of its class in FO roles. Emory and Georgetown should be equivalent to the next tier, and then everyone else below can be debated. Emory's program is new but is starting to gain a solid reputation and placed a few kids at some really good roles this year; Georgetown places 4-5 at MM each year, which is solid for an MSF.
Doing one of these next year, so researched them a lot lol.
Tbf cant argue that, just put Vandy in its own tier
Which program are you headed into next year?
Can't say. But would say all these programs are great except maybe for the D Tier
If I may ask, what program did you choose and why?
Why is Vandy the best?
We’re program did you choose and why?
Switch Nova and UT Austin, and it's a good list
Willing to make the change but what is the thought process behind switching these two? Both programs place students regionally, and for me in that case Villanova beats UT every time since its so close to NY.
Look up the VSB (Villanova School of Business) alums on LinkedIn and filter by "What they studied: Finance". Now do this to for Villanova University (undergrad) and see that the placements are wildly better.
Their masters programs have not placed anyone anywhere except for a few student athletes that were already at Villanova for undergrad and had been recruiting throughout undergrad.
Also the employment report for Villanova is so bare bones, it looks like they are trying to hide how bad their placements actually are.
UT Austin may be more regional to Texas, but at least you can get into better roles, and it's a top 20 school with a better name.
I can't say I'm too familiar with many MSF programs. However, I will note, I have crossed paths with GTown, Vandy, and Nova (albeit only a few) MSF alumni.
Georgetown MSF is by far the best. Places many in to MM/EB/even BB. Also the only program that places into buyside roles. Know a few who went to HSW after.
heard that they dont give F1 visa to internationals, is that true? I'm a canadian looking to apply
Yeah, program is non STEM extension. I've talked to admissions
I think Vanderbilt is a no brainer. But I wanted to stack other programs as not everyone can or will get into Vandy at the end of the day. Georgetown is a really good program but the only negative is that they don’t take international students, I guess it’s a good or a bad thing depending on who you are
is emory that strong? which program gives the most scholarship money?
Emory is a good program, but would say not as good as Georgetown. In terms of scholarships, the state schools are gonna give you the least amount. I know Villanova has a great option of becoming a GA where you essentially get 50% tuition off. And i believe around 35% of the students get the GA position.
edit: dropped Emory down after viewing the recent career outcome report
right. yeah for me i’m an international so Georgetown isn’t ideal, looking for the best program possible with the highest scholarship money. is getting a RA position guaranteed?
if you're choosing a master's program based on what's cheaper, you're better off not doing a master's at all - that's a 100% scholarship (more if you take into account money from working instead of going to classes), and the results will be the same if not better (cause 2 years of work experience are more valuable than a master's from a school that nobody's heard of) than going to whatever master's offers the most scholarship money.
I would probably encourage people to view the price according to how much you think the program will aid you with landing a job post grad. For example, I would pay full price for Vandy instead of having a large scholarship at a school with weak job placements. However, I would choose lateraling every time over attending masters. But for international students it is not an option unfortunately.
MIT, Princeton, NYU, Duke
Those are top programs just are not true MSF. They more quant focused MFE and MMS programs
still probably makes more sense to go to one of those, even if you don't plan to be a quant, rather than going to any of the ones on your list. yeah, you'll have to take a few difficult math/programming courses, but you'll have MIT/Princeton/NYU on your diploma instead of Villanova/OSU/UIUC. Duke is better too cause it will be a top diploma for a chill coursework. there are some other top schools that offer MMS. I forgot which ones, but something like UVA and Northwestern I think.
Agree with the comment on WUSTL, as a former graduate. WUSTL wasn't always like this. It had a very rigorous, selective program for a while. As the economy improved after the financial crisis, it slowly became, as you said, a cash cow for internationals (looking for the quant visa and willing to pay full sticker price).
I've applied to Vandy but does anyone know if they place into BB? I know they have great placements into MM but with a corporate banking internship at a BB what would be my chances of lateral into IB thru this program?
Cant speak on the corporate banking internship, but I wouldn’t be entering any MSF program if BB IB is my end goal. At that point it probably makes more sense to get some work experience in finance and then do an MBA at a T20 school
I'm international, so I need the work extension from STEM masters
Also, that'll make my placement into Private equity harder compared to breaking in undergrad but appreciate the suggestion
del
Your evaluation of MSF programs may be helpful to future students considering their study options. Your personal perceptions and experiences can help them make more informed choices. Given the variety of programs and their features, your list can be a valuable resource for those looking for a program that fits their needs and goals. I hope your feedback will help future graduate students make more informed decisions.
Does Emory place well? I am trying to find where MAF students ended up, but I cannot find that many. Is it worth the investment for IB?
See the link below. Breaking into IB will be solely on you at Emory. Doesn't seem like anyone landed a role in IB from the 2023 class.
https://goizueta.emory.edu/documents/MAFemploymentreport.pdf
It says it in the employment document you provided. There were CIB Analysts hired. Truist and Regions (Atlanta) call their IB analysts Corporate & Investment Banking analysts in this region. I don't know why, but I know several people in RE IB with the title CIB Analyst.
Truist and Regions will hire people out of the program and you don't need to recruit 12+ months in advance
2024 placed better. One at HL Rx, another at Baird
Where does UVA place on this?
Have heard mixed reviews on it, but am curious what this community thinks of it.
Ok, thank you for all of the info. So you would recommend Georgetown over Emory for IB?
Yes, at least imo.
100%
Did the Vandy program a couple years ago and got M&A banking and headed to buyside now. It's the best for getting FO roles; you can get them from most MSFs but there's just a culture at that MSF of picking up the phone and calling every alum till you get an offer that is proven.
Georgetown is good but it's 2 years which is unfortunate. If you really leverage the Georgetown network though; I know a few people who got BB or went to top tier MBA/law school afterwards (post Georgetown MSF followed by high quality work exp)
But they don't hold you hand in any of these programs, you need to spend your time socializing, networking, leveraging all that you can to make it work.
How would you place Yale’s Masters in AM among these
Visited the Gtown campus a few weeks ago to see the msf resources in person. TBH I found it very underwhelming. The designated classroom for the program is t.i.n.y (8 seats total), situated on a dark hallway in the depths of the building. If attending in person you still receive instruction through zoom, you just don't need to have your camera on for attendance (I should hope so, I would literally be sitting 2 feet from the instructor). The vast majority of the cohort is online (reinforced by the lack of desk space for in-person students) so no hope of camaraderie or social connection, average age is not in mid-late 20s as we were previously told, but early-mid 30s. No access to student events hosted by the university (ie guest speakers/ocr)
Did anyone here attend the program? How was the experience? I may be misreading the situation, but i find it hard to believe that the placements+rep of the program have anything to do with the quality and all to do with the brand name.
Vandy MSF is the real deal in terms of the classroom experience and placement - my friend did Georgetown and the program itself is for sure a bit of a joke. But, you're still at Georgetown - my friend networked heavily with the MBA and JD students, and ultimately got a very high quality offer. Had a great time as well, Georgetown is a fun town Really requires you to hustle, but if you play your cards right you can make it work.
Genuine question, why is IU Kelley only in C tier? Why not B tier or arguably even in A tier with Goergetown? What value do you see in IU's MSF program? (Just regional placement?) Also do you think IU's is worth it?
tbh the difference between B and C tier is marginal and can be interchangeable. For me UT and IU are very similar, both have great B-school reputations and will likely place you in the regional banks, Chicago and Houston/Dallas respectively. I would not put IU on the same level as Georgetown just because its career outcomes are cracked. In my opinion, IU is a great option if you want to work in Chicago and has a massive alumni network that you can leverage when networking. But I would go with U Chicago, Vanderbilt, and Georgetown over IU if you can get in.
How would you rank IU Kelley, Emory, and SMU? SMU and Emory both publish employment reports, although Emory is ~67% internationals versus ~15% international at SMU. Which would you recommend of the three and in which order?
Considering the current job market, all of them would probably fall under the same bucket when it comes to placements. I will say that IU Kelley will be the best if you are trying to work in Chicago or NY as opposed to Emory (Southeast) and SMU (Houston/Dallas).
IU Kelley will have more resources just due to the size of the school and the wide spanning alumni base. But SMU and Emory tighter alumni would be more likely help you in your networking efforts.
My recommendation would be to know which city/region you want to work in and which school you think will be best for alumni networking. All the schools that you mentioned won't hold your hand through the recruiting process and it will be on you to do the legwork. The difference between these schools is marginal so just go to the school that will give you the most financial aid and focus on networking.
Thank you for the informative response, means a lot!
N/A
Just another quick question, how would you rank Notre Dame’s MSF program compared to IU Kelley’s MSF?
uchicago seems sketchy. 80% international, and the fact their results come out in march means its pretty late to start networking for summer analyst roles, and their career center would need to be great otherwise to help students with placement and networking but on linkedin majority of (international) students have not listed any summer plans. and their lack of marketing really confuses me.
id rather take georgetown and maybe even usc over uchicago either since the expectations are more clear when recruiting for summer analyst roles. the other ones are all 2 semester programs so it wont matter.
Was interested in this also, but I guess to give some credit they are a brand new program. But with the backing of Asness surely they want it to be a top tier program? Obviously we won’t know placements historically but should be generous with scholarships maybe ?
i know they're brand new but it's just a bit sketchy to have only 20 domestic students and like 95 international students gives off like serious cash cow program vibes given how international hiring is very low. they could've just had a smaller class and only enrolled fewer international students.
also idk how much asness & liew's backing will help their career center.
somebody on another post said the uchicago career center paired up with chicago banks but i dont know if thats sufficient to hire all the students. and they might just be middle market or boutiques, which isn't bad ofc, but you'd expect a higher ceiling from uchicago.
they maybe generous with scholarships but idk how much. georgetown's 2 year program costs less, and i feel like it will have better networking just cuz u dont need to wait till march to know if you're admitted or not. and many other programs could also match scholarship amounts.
why USC is in C tier? just because it doesn't place on the east as much as it does on the west or there are other reasons?
Mainly being on the west coast and fairly high cost of attendance for a mediocre program.
I understand, thank your for your reply. Can you explain why you consider it to be mediocre? I'm asking because I was seriously considering it, not only because of how supposedly good it places on the west, but also because I heard that the teaching and the overall quality of the program was strong.
any thoughts on Bentley MSF vs UIUC MSF vs Johns Hopkins MSF vs Stony Brook MSF. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
Atque modi sit tempora impedit quasi aspernatur itaque voluptatem. Officia sapiente ut qui sapiente. Ut deserunt voluptates quasi ad itaque porro repellendus.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Debitis voluptatibus sed qui ipsam repellat. In nam eum autem. Veritatis non iste culpa incidunt corporis est quibusdam praesentium. Reiciendis enim dolores porro. Et totam praesentium eius eligendi.
Enim corrupti possimus similique tempora. Facilis quo eum quis.
Repellat culpa iste aut eligendi nihil tempore excepturi nihil. Dolores dolore hic temporibus itaque quo. Similique minima asperiores numquam.
Excepturi dicta eos aut consequatur earum fuga. Commodi enim quia expedita voluptatum. Eum laborum libero porro eos. Aperiam officiis voluptas delectus magni.
Velit occaecati ut vel sed nisi culpa. Cumque cupiditate soluta ipsa est quis. Dolore molestiae eos dicta eum praesentium. Officiis voluptatem voluptatem id. Neque tenetur dolores voluptate modi placeat sed ea ipsa.
Suscipit quam nam dolorem. Sequi ut impedit autem consequatur itaque perspiciatis. Dolorem cumque sit officia est praesentium soluta. Voluptatem quo ipsum nam ut molestias.
Ut culpa quae quam aut qui nemo quia. Illo iste quis neque consectetur dolorem. Odio quisquam debitis nihil animi quisquam eum praesentium. Dolores ducimus nulla quaerat iusto. Maxime sit excepturi ipsa. Tempore voluptatem suscipit sed sed.
Odit nemo est voluptas. Esse necessitatibus ea aut iste ut quia voluptate. Saepe quia exercitationem id sapiente cum voluptatem. Consequatur praesentium et est ut.
Eum aspernatur perferendis sit rerum. Dolore voluptatibus eos enim quis. Dolor facere quidem ad esse.
Accusantium omnis sed dignissimos modi quis ut. Consequatur veritatis ullam magnam blanditiis ut expedita rerum. Et perferendis nesciunt est ut eos et repellendus.