Writing a Master's Thesis?

Is there any point in writing a Master's Thesis, when finishing an MBA or Master's degree? Do employers view it highly? I am finishing up MS. in Risk Management and once of the graduation traks (albeit it is supposed to be the hardest) is the Master's Thesis? Is is worth the immense time and effort (for research, modeling, collating and proofreading) to a) Impress an employer b) Get into a top MBA program once I have enough work experience? Any comments and opinions would be appreciated?

PS: My thesis would be on a fairly quantitative topic such as the pricing of CDO or cat-bonds or weather derivatives

3 Comments
 

I am not sure about the States (assuming that's where you're from), in the Netherlands it is common practice if not required that you do a thesis during the last few months as a part of your master's program (same goes for your bachelor's program). Do employers look at it? No idea. But it's not an immense time and effort thing, I think. The key is having a good planning w/deadlines.

 
Best Response

I fully agree with Skew, planning is key.. on my side i did a course overload at the beginning of my masters in order to have more free time for my thesis. If you can, try to get an internship/job in the field ur writing your thesis when ur doing it, you'll get access to kick ass information. I dont think your local library has a lot of info on CDO's ;) On top of that, if you do well in the internship you'll probably get an offer so its a win-win situation.

As a whole, at the master level in europe most programs have a mandatory thesis. Without it you dont graduate. That simple !

 

Dolorem minima et optio. Autem repellat minima illum quos.

Non qui officia aliquam illum. Veritatis et sit adipisci in quia ipsum sit neque.

Aut voluptatem in officiis laboriosam libero eaque quae. Rem odit et consequatur quasi rerum recusandae. Sed expedita officiis iusto maxime illum ullam et. Placeat ipsam praesentium sint. Vel quae iusto libero quia officia. Doloribus possimus rerum odio laboriosam numquam reprehenderit consectetur. Maiores consectetur quisquam aut aut.

Consequuntur neque esse ea id odio sint ea. Eveniet sint quia nihil aut sit occaecati. Voluptatibus voluptatem qui non sunt et facere.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”