Salaries from HEC vs LSE vs IE

Hi all,

I was recently accepted to IE Ms in Finance and LSE Masters in Finance and Private Equity. I like LSE, but I was disappointed how little people graduating from the program make (approx. 50k pounds - 56k euros). On the other hand, people from HEC Masters in international finance make significantly more. I was doing research and I saw that most people believe that LSE is more prestigious than HEC, but then why are the salaries so much lower from LSE?

Thank you.

 

Salaries highly depend on the location of where these graduates work. Did your research control for this factor? It's important to mention that most people who are doing a master at LSE are doing it right after their undergrad. So you will be paid the typical analyst salary in London which, in an M&A team at a BB, is roughly GBP 55k. Not sure if this is also true for IE.

 
Best Response

About half of the International Finance students are recruited from HEC's Grande Ecole program (the MIF can be the last year of the Grande Ecole program). HEC's Grande Ecole is basically like going to a very selective program in an Ivy League in France. If you're a French speaker graduating from HEC's Grande Ecole looking for a job in France you basically have companies coming into campus begging to recruit you. About 30% of France's CAC 40 CEOs have graduated from it - that's just crazy. Although LSE has a stronger worldwide brandname, it is nowhere as selective as HEC's Grande Ecole French admission. It's not even a top 3 school in the UK - I guess Oxford / Cambridge / LBS come first. So you'd be completely right to go to LSE because the MIF's stats must be skewed by the French students that participate in it but are from the Grande Ecole. LSE has a better international brandname.

 

You make an interesting point. However, only 8% of Master in International Finance students work in France. 55% work in the UK, so I am not sure if the French students can skew the stats... What do you think would my prospects be if I do 1 year at HEC, after 4 years of undergraduate studies in the US. I am EU citizen and plan to work in Uk or France.

 

Yeah but French students going into the MIF from HEC want to work in Finance and logically do so in London. French CVs in London are screened by French operationals at top banks (I know for sure for Goldman it is). I think your prospects would be excellent in any case, don't sweat it too much.

LSE: - In the heart of London, ideal for networking with juniors / nightlife and having fun - The program accepts a broader range of applicants than HEC - Very good brandname

HEC MIF: - Selective program (more than LSE's) - Very strong specialized alumni network - In the middle of nowhere, 1 hour 30 away from Paris - Appalling nightlife - you'll be stuck with the 19 year old bachelor student who just discovered the taste of alcohol

 

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