Top Master of Finance (MSc) schools?

I'm having difficulties finding a good ranking list of the top programs for masters in finance. USNews has their list cut off super short unless you subscribe. Would anyone have a good top list?

I'm getting a little worried that I might not be able to land a good job after I graduate. Junior financial economics major with a 3.5 and decent internships but I go to a non target, although respectable school. Would a one year MSc Finance be a good idea? Where would somewhere like Vanderbilt land you?

If everything goes right I'd get a good job after graduation and then MBA after a few years. But I'm just trying to gather all my possibilities. I'm talking about US schools also.

48 Comments
 

The Search tool is your friend here. There are so many threads on this site discussing this very topic, I'd advise looking through them. Check out Vanderbilt's placements on their MSF site to get a sense of what companies are hiring their grads. Honestly though, all of this information is readily available, you need to do some research.

Some of the top schools for MSF are MIT, Princeton (not really an MSF), CMC, Vandy, WUSTL, UVA (MComm), Nova, UTA...

 

princeton is a quant program. It's actually an MFE. Accepts only STEM and super smart business undergrads. MIT's is a more generalist finance degree

 

http://www.owen.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/ms-finance-admissions/class-p…

Is this the wrong class? It says 679 here. And 3.45 average gpa.

Should I treat this masters in finance program as a last resort? If I can't land a decent job after undergrad? Because I'd like to get my MBA eventually, so it almost seems redundant unless I just can't get a solid gig after graduation.

I'll have ~$35-40k in debt after I graduate undergrad. Another $45k seems intense even if I were to get an ibanking analyst role. It says they give scholarships, but I wouldn't bank on much?

 

I think Kiosliop's ranking is pretty spot on. There's some degree of variation in the tier 2 programs but, overall, I think he lays it out pretty well.

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RSM is very cheap. Bocconi gives out a "lot" of €€€ so think about that also. I would not consider HSG without speaking german... SSE is very strong and cost efficient also (I think). If you want to work in london and you get into a LSE/Oxford/Cambridge the "small" debt is not going to kill you I think. Its not like 200k for an mba. Without internship experience you need the biggest brand-name you can get! (my opinion)

 
above_and_beyond

Without relevant internship experience, I would stay away of 1y programs. Try getting into a two year program such as SSE, Bocconi.

I agree. Consider 2 year programs as it gives you more breathing space and makes you eligible to apply to more banks (for summer internships). Perhaps also consider HEC....I think it feeds a lot of people into banking at postgrad level.

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Why would it not be? The Grand Ecole is two years, plus it encourages students to take a gap year to get a bunch of different internships. It's actually perfect for people without experience, and it seems like people in France don't necessarily get internships until their masters (given the amount that take the gap year), which means you're not at some disadvantage.

 

Pre-experience, St. Gallen / LBS / LSE / HEC.

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The Financial Times is the only publication currently ranking programs. For European/UK programs I think the rankings are largely decent. For US programs they have no real bearing.

 
Best Response

Most MSF programs are still in their infancy, so at the moment their ranking is mostly regional. It all comes down to where you want to work post-MSF.

There are a few programs that do not start in the fall, and would conflict with your potential employment.

Here is a ranking I have compiled:

Some might be off a bit, so I would wait for ANT to step in and clean it up a bit.

Top 5:

MIT Princeton Vanderbilt Claremont McKenna UT-Austin (Starts in summer)

East Coast

MIT Princeton Villanova Rochester BC Brandeis George Washington American UF (99% UF UGs in program) Syracuse

Midwest

OSU Illinois

Southwest/South

Vanderbilt UT-Austin Tulane SMU UT-Dallas (will be at UT-Austin level in 2-5 years) UHouston U North Texas UT-Arlington (quantitative finance)

West

Claremont Mckenna Pepperdine USanFran Pacific Lutheran Utah

"Come at me, bro"- José de Palafox y Melci
 

Oh man, a ranking thread.

What is your GMAT? If you have below a 700 you can probably leave Claremont off your list.

UF is a great program and they will love the fact that you have an internship going on. They stress how prepared you are for the program and your prospects for placement. I think George Washington is good, but other programs outweigh it. It is also expensive and DC focused.

Supposing your UG is decent and your stats are fine (I am assuming this since you landed a SA gig) you probably don't need the Duke brand. Not a knock, just saying if you have this SA you might be better off with a focused masters and leave the management stuff for B school.

Now supposing you don't get the internship, Villanova would be back in play. Without the internship my advice would revert back to what I always say. Where do you want to work, what are your stats, which program feels most comfortable. If you think they are all the same you aren't doing your home work.

Example. If you have a bunch of internships and you just need another year to interview and want a masters, your options will be more flexible. If your resume is weaker you might look at Villanova with more weight than say Vanderbilt. I say this because getting an internship during the school year might be easier in Philadelphia than in Nashville. Also, being able to go to NYC for $20 bucks round trip is easier in Philly than down south.

But if your education and internship experience is southern focus and you wanted to have a more flexible MSF, Vanderbilt would be a better fit.

Same thing if you are more interested West Coast. Villanova isn't going to help you much getting a job in California.

And if you were in love with DC (god knows I am) George Washington might be in play.

So in summary, it all depends. You really cannot rank these programs yet because their brands do not carry like a Wharton or Harvard does.

 

Yeah, Las has a decent list.

It really comes down to comfort and stats. Get your stats and I can tell you where you will be most competitive. Also, one thing to remember, about all the schools listed can help you get where you want to go. You need to decide the kind of student you are. Do you want OCR primarily or are you ok with networking to get other opportunities? Are you flexible in where you work or are you an East Coast kind of person. You want a lock step cohort or do you want to pick and choose classes and sit with MBA students? How is your resume and the strength of your UG stats?

Stuff like this narrows the list down.

 

While I know that Princeton is an MFin program, it should really be lumped more in the MFE category. One only has to look at the resume of current students to see that many, if not most have work experience, quantitative undergrads and other masters degrees. Very different profile from the MIT MSF as well as other MSF programs.

Placements also tend to be in more quantitative areas of work.

 

My stats are 670 gmat (I'm going to try to improve,but lets figure it out based on this) 3.6gpa double major in finance and accounting, internships at BB pwm, and internship at elite boutique in M&A (lack of offer was not my doing). Currently completing my masters in accounting because of the 5 year track offered by my school. I'm from the Northeast and want to work in the Northeast - NYC. I have offers from Big 4 firms, but this is not where my passion lies. Plus it seems that the move from assurance to IB or better is not very plausible.

 

LSE is the best in Europe. MIT the best in the States. Simple.

The US programmes you have mentioned are essentially a math programme, and not MSF.

 

I thought the OP was asking about the broad range of mfin/mfe programs. For pure MFin, MIT is the best one in the states. Princeton's program is officially a MFin, but it's so mathematically rigorous that one can't lump it in the same category as MIT, LSE, or LBS.

 

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