Masters or CFA if you already have a degree in a business area

How important is a CFA/Masters qualification to a business undergraduate? I understand that it may be important for history/English grads to gain some overall understanding. But,Is there enough value there to justify taking another year in school. By value I mean in terms of career progression and exposure. One final point that may be relevant, I am referring to business grads that went to schools not considered in the top 20 worldwide, not the likes of LSE, Cambridge etc.

 

From what I have gathered you don't go to the graduate business schools strictly for the knowledge as a lot of it can be learned on the job or through self-study. You go to top schools for on campus recruiting and a strong alumni network you can tap into. If I had to choose between the CFA charter or a MsFin programme no one has ever heard of I would def go with the charter. It's usually cheaper, it has a brand and networking opportunities at CFA institute events.

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Thanks for the reply. I went to a good business school and have access to some good contacts. Although, I work with Russell group grads. I’m worried that in the future the university I went to (although strong) stops me from moving up the the firm internally. In that case, would your advice still be for the CFA route?

Array
 

That depends on what you want to do. Generally the CFA charter is most useful for asset management or equity research and maybe some hedge funds which are long/short and use fundamental analysis. The more time passes after you graduate the less your degree/school matter. I don't see how your school would stop you from advancing if you perform well at work.

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