Is Columbia Master of Science in Financial Economics worth it?

It's 2 years program and is too long for an MS, I know. But I want the best of the both worlds ie I would like to take some PhD classes along with MBA classes and use it as my terminal degree. But how is it viewed in the corporate world? Is the Columbia brand huge? Also, I'm an international student, so there are no loans available without cosigner. So do you know about any sources like ProdigyFinance that provided non cosigner loans(not only MBA!)? Thank you.

14 Comments
 

The program is small and relatively new. The 2 year concept is odd, but I'd look at is as a PhD lite type program. Columbia is a great brand so I think that will help.

Personally, I'd do the program if you have aspirations other than simply breaking into IB. You'll have too much education and time spent for a non MBA to really have that as your end game. Do it if you want to be in research or maybe teach. Something along those lines. I'd also see if you could do well in the program and maybe roll into a PhD program if you were so inclined.

 

Thank TNA. I certainly don't want to end up in the academia! I'd like to break into hedge funds or PE or quant-ish finance. My stats are not good enough to get into good PhD program but they are good enough to get into the MSFE. And I see that they have 100% employment rate. And I'm not going to get PhD after that because it's a terminal degree.

 

It's insanely selective (acceptance rate of around 2%), although I heard that it's expanding this year, so I guess the acceptance rate will go up a bit. As TNA said it's only a few years old so not enough career placement data to rely on. But it is Columbia after all, so it's a great brand, especially in NYC.

If you want quant or trading role at a bank or prop shop, it will help you get there. MAYBE IBD but definitely not PE or fundamental research at a hedge fund.

 

Hey I'm still a sophomore and want to apply for Columbia Ms Financial Economics also. If you guys don't mind please post your stat so I will know what to expect.

 

If you want a quant role I would do a MFin or something like that. Maybe do the MFin and then add higher level math and research classes. I don't think this degree would set you up for a quant role.

 

Et ratione sed itaque quis et asperiores sint. Laboriosam qui nihil ab sapiente id. Quidem quia cupiditate qui deserunt. Omnis et quo dolores itaque et commodi.

Illo non nostrum molestiae possimus asperiores. Et quibusdam quis alias harum consequatur sint nostrum. Vero qui praesentium aliquam nihil ad nostrum eos. Numquam enim ut et ratione dolor excepturi. Aliquid illum dignissimos necessitatibus vel. Vel error est quae voluptatibus aut hic. Repudiandae sed non consectetur rerum pariatur consequuntur. Consequatur non molestias mollitia eaque aut.

Atque et voluptas et. Itaque cupiditate omnis dolor neque impedit. Reprehenderit autem ea eum nobis ad. Ex ut placeat et rem quidem voluptas. Architecto incidunt saepe delectus impedit reprehenderit. Ullam magni architecto laudantium itaque.

Possimus libero aliquam quia consequatur dolorem velit enim consequatur. Sunt cum ut autem quam corrupti illum et iste. Veritatis enim dolorem modi dicta est velit voluptatem et.

"The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets."

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 13 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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”