Columbia Master’s Programs – Worth It? (Unique Situation)
Hey everyone, looking for some advice on a unique situation. I’m currently a Master of Finance student at a target Asian university (think Tsinghua, HKU, NUS, etc.) and have the opportunity to do a dual degree at Columbia as part of my multi-year program.
The Columbia programs I can choose from are:
MFE (Financial Engineering)
MS in Operations Research
MS in Business Analytics
Originally, my plan was to recruit into HK, primarily for S&T, but I’m also open to ER and IB. However, I’m very interested in trying to break into the US (NYC, etc.) if possible, and this Columbia degree would give me three years of work authorization in the US.
A Few Key Questions:
1 - What are the recruiting prospects out of these Columbia programs?
How viable is US/NYC recruiting from these programs given my background?
Are there established pipelines for S&T / IB / ER recruiting at Columbia, or am I on my own here?
Would this give me an edge in HK recruiting if I stick with my original plan?
2 - How quantitative are these degrees really?
I’ve taken the typical stats, calculus, and data-heavy courses you get in an MSF.
I have experience with Python and R, but I wouldn’t call myself a quant by any means. Would I get absolutely destroyed in the MFE or Operations Research program, or would my background be enough?
3 - Is it worth the cost?
If I skip the Columbia option, I graduate with zero debt. If I do it, I’d get a partial scholarship but still take on $50k+ in debt due to tuition + NYC living costs. Does this make sense as an investment for a shot at US recruiting?
Would my Canadian citizenship (TN visa) help my long-term US prospects? Also have UK work authorization and a good UK uni (semi target) as my undergrad.
Would really appreciate any thoughts from people familiar with these programs or anyone who’s made a similar decision. Thanks!
50k debt is obviously not a small amount but also not massive if you expect to work in finance for several years or more. Having a TN visa should make things somewhat easier but I can imagine recruiting for NYC roles studying in Asia with a TN visa is likely still very tough. I am not personally familiar with the recruiting policies of banks but many trading firms would happily hire a good candidate on OPT and take their chances with the H1B lottery which is a less desirable visa situation than yours. Without knowing the specific reputation of this program which is also important I will generally note that living and working in HK and NYC is going to be very different and if you prefer working in US this is probably as good of a chance as you are going to get so I would be inclined to take it if working in NYC is indeed your personal preference.
Thanks. Any insight on the program(s) in particular?
Never heard of it. If you have some idea of placement of alumni from the dual degree and standard programs that may also be informative on what outcomes are common/possible. Although all three of the mentioned Asian universities are certainly good and perhaps even well regarded in the US I don't think of any them would actually be considered targets for US on campus recruiting and I would also guess very few graduates of those universities immediately land jobs in the US. Even within Asia I think most campus hiring is still regionally/nationally focused and that Singapore roles would hire more from NUS, HK roles would hire more from HKU etc.
We have hired out of Columbia MSE program before and I’ve seen other really talented people at other quant teams come from there, as well as their mathematics program.
That said it’s not a cake walk, nor is the recruiting afterwards. If you’re interested in something quant or quant adjacent it’s useful. If you’re just interested in finance it’s a bit more grey, but having a household American Ivy on your resume may still be worthwhile for 50k.
Visa wise Canada won’t be helpful unless you get Canadian citizenship and with the current politics who knows what happens in a year immigration wise.
Thanks for this - are you at a hedge fund/asset manager? I ask this as I am curious about where specifically you have seen most MSE grads land, whether they primarily go into trading desks or structuring roles at banks, buyside quant research, or something else. My main concern with undertaking something like this is understanding the typical recruiting path out of these programs, whether it is more common to apply for internships first or directly for analyst roles. It appears recruiting out of a Masters program like this is less structured than in the UK/HK, so curious to hear more about what you've seen career outcome wise.
Also, I hold Canadian citizenship so I can use the TN Visa, but I agree that the future of US Canada visa policies seems uncertain.
I work in a buyside role at a AM, so I can’t speak in detail to other recruiting pipelines. Most of my team have a PhD in Math or similar (Physics, Comp Sci) from a leading university in their respective field. MFE’s and even more so MSF’s are the minority everywhere but they can recruit if they come from programs like Columbia’s. There are so few quant roles anywhere that PhDs from top programs aren’t necessarily being hired. The PhD from a leading university who just decided to do finance because AI/ML research and a professorship didn’t pan out is your competition.
That said I also think that MFE puts you in a good position for other roles like ER. Any “high” finance role you go to after an MFE you’ll be more technically savvy then your counterparts and be able to automate. A monkey can build a LBO or a DCF, you’ll be a league above.
There isn’t in my view enough numbers in hiring to qualify an actual pipeline to say Quant Research or Trading, or Dev, or Risk, etc. people largely end up where they end up and can try to move around after they get in. Anyone in quant is on the right tail somewhere if they were able to recruit. Ultimately how confident are you you’re above the mean?
Do you have any intel on how much pain hiring a Canadian citizen on TN is? Just a few $k of lawyer fees and done, or are there major pains involved?
Doesn’t cost anything from my knowledge (excluding the $150 you pay at the border), although most successful ppl ik who moved over after graduating paid personally for some legal advice that I assume was 1-5k. They worked with the HR/Legal team with the bank/fund they were going to to make sure the JD matched the TN requirements but besides that it’s more of a status u get at the border when u cross and show them your JD. So can consult with legal professionals to ‘craft your profile’ but doesn’t necessitate ‘sponsorship’ like that of a H1B. Just my exp
my favourite thing about these threads is confirming that, 99% of the time, no, the situation is not unique.
Lmao fair, I guess I just haven’t seen anyone discuss the prospects of this specific program in consideration of the visa/recruiting situation i’m in at the moment. Just wanted to get some info from those on the other side or have went through it
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