Imperial MSc Finance and Accounting vs Warwick MSc Finance
Hi everyone, I recently received offers for the MSc Accounting and Finance at Imperial and the MSc Finance at Warwick. The Imperial program seems like a no brainer, but because the Finance and Accounting programme is considered to be a step down from the Finance programme, will this have an effect on IB recruiting? Is it a better option to pick Warwick, as the MSc Finance is the top programme at Warwick (although this does mean I will not be in London)? Does the programme or the University count for more? Would appreciate any opinions on this, thanks!
Imperial still. Even though the Business School isn't as strong as the College, it's still a proper target and is only really behind LBS, Said and Judge. Warwick is more a semi-target at the MSc level and the drop-off in recruiting compared to the undergraduate level is more pronounced at Warwick than it is at Imperial.
That difference (plus as you said, being in London) is worth the slight trade-off in course name. Also worth considering that outside of STEM and maybe finance, Warwick is basically unknown internationally (unfairly so, but even in the UK it isn't really discussed much). Imperial's Business School benefits massively from being associated with the College and has much better recognition both in the UK and internationally.
Thank you for this! Would you put IBS above LSE and UCL?
I excluded LSE from the list above as it doesn't have a Business School proper, so to speak. But LSE for finance/economics/management related subjects > Imperial, ceteris paribus. For STEM subjects / the College, Imperial actually has marginally better placement in finance than LSE across the university. But the Business School is still pretty fresh and LSE has a longstanding reputation within that sphere (albeit without a formal school) for being top notch.
UCL is well behind both at the postgrad level, and most would say behind Warwick too. Their Business School has struggled to really get off the ground and is a much more pronounced drop in quality compared to the wider university versus Imperial - for undergrad, the differences between UCL and LSE/Imperial are slim.
A fun fact here is that LBS was originally a joint LSE-Imperial plan for a multi-institution Business School, but in the end just got sponsored by the institutions when setting up. LSE has continued to resist the temptation of building one, while Imperial eventually gave into the lure of the cash. That said, LSE basically has Business School programmes across the university, but with the absence of a "normal" MBA.
Thanks for the in-depth answer on this. So all things considered, with London schools for postgrad its LSE>Imperial>UCL right?
For finance/economics/management subjects, yes. UCL is probably behind Warwick at the PG level too.
Just curious. When did you apply for both programs?
First week of January.
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