HSG MBF + CEMS MIM vs HEC Paris MiF
Hello together,
If you had to choose between a double degree at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland with a Master in Banking & Finance and CEMS Master's in International Management (with one term abroad at Tsinghua SEM) and the Master in International Finance at the HEC Paris in France, which one would you choose?
I think that the combination of Finance and Management in St. Gallen is very interesting from an educational point of view, but it also takes at least 1 year more to complete (2-2.5 years for double-degree at HSG vs 1 year for MIF at HEC). The MIF at the HEC Paris is the #1 program in Finance (at least in Europe) and the MBF in St. Gallen "only" #6, at least according to the FT ranking. The fact that I already did my Bachelor's in St. Gallen also speaks more for the HEC Paris (Bachelor's and Master's at the same university with St. Gallen is perhaps a bit "boring" on the CV).
What do you think? I would be very happy to hear your insights and opinions on the topic. Maybe there is another Finance Master program that you find even more interesting/better than the two alternatives suggested. US would maybe also be an option for me.
Concerning where I want to work, I planned to start my career in Zurich or Geneva as I'm swiss, although I would also be very interested to live and work in Singapore, but I realize that comes with certain challenges as a foreigner.
Best,
programmer456
Since you’re Swiss and want to work in Switzerland, St Gallen seems like the best option for you. St Gallen > HEC in the Germanic world, while the reverse is true in France. No meaningful difference in prestige outside of their main countries. And I don’t think it’s an issue that you did your undergrad at St Gallen. HEC could expand your network but not in the region you’re looking to be working in, so St Gallen seems like an easy choice to me
I think outside of Europe the HEC brand is a little bit more known and it could help to have two "brands" on my CV, but otherwise, I agree. What also makes HSG interesting for me, is that I could do an exchange semester with CEMS MIM at another top business school almost wherever I want.
HSG for Zürich would be the best.
You're probably right with this. On-campus recruiting from Zurich with MBF and CEMS MIM is really strong at HSG and there are also a lot of cool networking events.
I would pick Hec MIF over St. Gallen MBF, especially if you think that your bachelor from St. Gallen will be enough to get your desired job in Switzerland even after a master in France. Hec's brand is indeed stronger and it can be beneficial if you decide to work in London or Paris.
In case you are 100% sure you want to stay in Switzerland and so you stay at St. Gallen, Cems mim is a cool experience (exchange + internship abroad) but I don't think it's going to open more doors for investment banking. Is it worth the extra year? Not in my opinion, unless you're open to other careers in consulting, marketing etc, etc, etc.
That's also another aspect I'm considering which makes the decision really difficult. My Bachelor from St. Gallen already opens a lot of doors in Switzerland and in combination with the MIF at HEC Paris, I would probably be able to get my desired jobs in Switzerland and in addition to that I would open up opportunities in Paris and also slightly increase my chances for London.
My current plan would be to start my career in Zurich (or Geneva) and transfer to Singapore after 3-5 years if possible. For IB the additional year/degree in Management would probably not really be worth it, as I should be able to get the same jobs in IB after the 1-year program at HEC, but I would also be interested in Consulting, for which the CEMS MIM might be a plus. The term abroad with the CEMS MIM from HSG also seems really exciting to me.
Another thing, which normally should not play a role, but somehow still does, is that after my Bachelor in St. Gallen I know a lot of people there now who will do the same programs and from this point of view I would probably have a "better" time in St. Gallen and foster better friendships, but also better networks for Zurich as many will go on to work in Zurich. On the other hand with HEC Paris, I get access to a great network in France, although 82% of students (60% at HSG MBF) in the MIF at HEC Paris are international students and many will leave France after their degrees.
All correct! I believe that St. Gallen is much less "London focused" and more "DACH focused as opposed to Hec.
I don't know if you are already proficient in French, but studying in France might also help language wise for a future career in Geneva.
Yes, that's true. Only about 18% of HSG MBF graduates go on to work in London, as opposed to over 40% of HEC MIF graduates, but I believe that's also due to the fact that many HSG MBF students choose to rather work in Zurich (swiss students) as entry salaries there are higher than London or to go to Frankfurt (german students). I saw already during the Bachelor that recruiting opportunities for London at HSG are good, but HEC MIF might still have an edge in this regard. In my case, for the moment I'd also rather start my career in Zurich, but things can change I guess.
Concerning language, I'm bilingual in german and french, so this would not play much of a role for me. From this point of view I could also work in Paris where I would have great opportunities after HEC Paris and few opportunities after HSG, as they all mainly recruit from the french "Grande Ecole" in France, but I don't know whether I even would want to work and live in Paris. Thanks for your insights.
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