Which degree should i choose?

I did my BSc in Physics and now I need to choose between two degrees. One is a master's in physics, and one is in financial mathematics. Ultimately I want to end up in quantitative finance, so the latter would be more tailored to that, but it is in a city with a very high cost of living. The university for the physics master's is in my hometown, so the cost of living is minimal. Here I would also have the opportunity to additionally listen to 'Financial Mathematics in Continuous Time', 'Numerical Methods in Finance' and 'Modern Methods of Data Analysis'. Both universities are among the top 5 in Germany, but I think the financial mathematics one has a bit more international recognition.

I now have to decide if it is worth taking out a loan to cover my living expenses and moving to do the degree in Financial Mathematics, or if I save the money and do a Master's degree in Physics with the additional lectures mentioned above.

I am also considering doing a Phd afterwards.

Any advice would be welcome.

 

I would recommend moving to Frankfurt, if you can. My sister did the same back when she studied and it was worth the effort/money/loan. Her career was significantly better than elsewhere. She is in a different field (medicine), but GU is clearly the better school and will command a little bit more respect in the market.
Even if both are in the top 5, the location alone would make it easier to land internships, to network, etc. While Germany does not have the "league tables" like in other education markets, there is still some difference in quality and brand name.

What is the goal here, career-wise? If you absolutely set on the PhD, you may be able to do the hometown school now and then move to Frankfurt later for that?

 

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