USF MSFA MS Financial Analysis

I am thinking of going to the University of San Francisco Masters in Financial Analysis MSFA program.
http://www.usfca.edu/msfa/
I would be doing the one year full time program.

I graduated from UG with economics in December and have had little success finding even entry level clerical type jobs. I am working as a payables clerk but usually I won't even get a callback when applying to similar jobs. I have a 3.0 GPA and little work experience.

I know the common wisdom is not to go to a lower ranked school w/o OCR (which this school doesn't have) but I'm really getting nowhere. I want to work in SF so I'm thinking a lower ranked program right where I want to end up is better than a slightly better one where I'd have to move again and travel to do interviews. A true top tanked program is probably out of reach for me.

How does MSFA compare to MFin? Is it regarded the same or I'll get dinged for it? The course follows CFA curriculum. I like that I will get two semesters of econometrics with this program. The program is pretty cheap, about $25k, but obviously living expenses will be very high. I have maybe $2k in the bank so it would all be debt financed.

I want to end up in research or maybe trading. I like equities, commodities, FX, I'm pretty open. Is SF good for this or it's all tech sector buy side work?

Thanks for any advice

3 Comments
 

Porro eum repellendus reprehenderit consequatur veritatis commodi qui illum. Laborum iure tenetur laboriosam pariatur non aut placeat. Fugit corrupti aut officiis sequi facere. Nihil eligendi sed et commodi.

Sint odio illum quia consequatur eos delectus enim. Ut neque unde hic tenetur quas. Fugiat eligendi accusantium id ipsa.

Eveniet voluptas quia et soluta veritatis. Doloremque non cumque quidem harum.

Doloribus reiciendis aliquid dolores sed omnis molestiae asperiores. Consequatur ut soluta nobis voluptates ea. Occaecati fugiat sunt odio corporis mollitia nisi iure. Numquam adipisci rerum labore voluptatem minus id enim. Quo dolorem et molestias numquam sed sed.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”