TOP 30 MASTERS OF FINANCE PROGRAM
Introduction
A Master of Finance degree, as the name suggests, provides a comprehensive and holistic graduate training in the field of finance. The graduates can build a career in various finance sectors such as Corporate finance, Financial Analysis and Investment Management.
A Master of Finance is a huge investment for your future as it’s here that not only would you grow academically and personally but also professionally. With so many reputed Master of Finance programs out there, it’s important that you choose one that is tailored to your needs.
There can be many factors for determining which program and school is the right one for you such as expected salary, location, duration, curriculum, and accreditation etc.Assuming that you have done your research on What is Master in Finance and Masters in Finance and Jobs are now puzzling over which course to pick, we have created this list of 30 best Master of Finance Degree programs to help you choose the Masters in Finance Program that is your dream fit.
Source – Financial Times
(Note: For Employment rate, the figure in the bracket shows the percentage of the class for which the school was able to provide the data)
1 – HEC Paris
Location – Paris, France
Program Name – MSc International Finance
Average course length – 10 months
Salary today – $135,873
Employment rate – 99(93)
About The Program:
HEC’s “tailor-designed approach towards education” allows you to learn at own pace with its two tracks.
In Business track, if you are already familiar with basic financial accounting, investment theory, and corporate finance, you can start finance classes at an advanced level. It is ideal for people who are already familiar with the field but are looking for an advanced set of tools to jumpstart their career.
Alternatively, you can go for the accelerated track which allows you to cover the basics at an accelerated pace with more classes, and cover the same material by the end, an ideal choice for people who have received education in a numerate discipline such as maths, physics, engineering, econometrics, and now wish to switch their field to finance.
While the first semester is dedicated towards the core classes, from the second-semester students can choose between more than 40 electives.
The students have to choose a specialization from the first semester itself, the two specializations offered are as follows –
Corporate Finance specialization: for students interested in careers in M&A, private equity, consulting, large multinational companies, etc.
Capital Markets specialization: for students interested in careers in trading, structuring, market analysis, but also wealth and asset management.
2 – ESCP EUROPE
Location – London, Paris
Program name – Specialised Master in Finance
Average Course Length – 13 months
Salary today – $111,341
Employment rate – 100(99)
About The Program
The program is taught at the ESCP Europe Campus in Paris for 15 weeks, and at the ESCP London campus for another 15 weeks. After 8 weeks of introductory courses in finance, the students have to choose a specialization for 22 weeks as per their professional and personal goals. Thereafter, the students have to complete a four-month internship and write a professional thesis where they have to defend their subject in front of a jury. The two specializations offered are Corporate Investment Banking and Financial Markets.
3 -EDHEC Business School
Location – France
Program name – MSc in Finance
Average Course Length – 15 months
Salary today – $104,552
Employment rate – 97(90)
About The Program
The MSc in Finance follows the CFA level 1 exam curriculum and will prepare you to sit for the CFA Level 1 exam. Thus, an ideal choice for people who want to pursue an international career in Finance. The program has 12 core courses and 5 seminars, 3-6 months of internship and a master project. The fields that you can choose from are – Asset Pricing, Corporate Finance, Financial, Accounting & Analysis, Portfolio Management, Quantitative Techniques in Finance.
4- Skema Business School
Location – France
Program name – MSc Financial Markets and Investments
Average Course Length – 18 months
Salary today – $87,764
Employment rate – 100(100)
About the program
The program is accredited by Conference of Grandes Écoles, and is a 18-month program where 9 months will be spent on courses while the other 9 will be spent on internship and dissertation. The program is designed to gain expertise in fields such as fields of trading, risk management, sales, investment advisory, structuring finance. The fundamentals and five different specializations offered are spread over three campuses: “Trading, Structuring & Portfolio Management related courses in Sophia Antipolis, Asset Management & Investment Banking in Paris, Quantitative Portfolio Management & Valuation and the newly launched CFA® preparation track in Raleigh.”
5 – ESSEC Business School
Location – France
Program name – MSc Financial Markets and Investments
Average Course Length – 13 months
Salary today – $109,917
Employment rate – 97(93)
About The Program
ESSEC Master in Finance offers 21 core courses and 29 elective courses. The core courses include subjects such as Macroeconomics, Mergers and Acquisitions, Financial theory, Fixed Economics and so on, while electives such as Business Analysis and Value creation, Commodity Markets, Real-Estate Finance further let you tailor your education to fit your goals. While in the first term you will learn the fundamentals of finance through core courses and electives, in the second term you have to choose between three tracks –
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The Corporate Finance Track
Tailored for the students who want to build a career in mergers and acquisitions, transaction services, financial analysis, structured financing, firm valuation, private equity and equity and debt capital markets.
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The Financial Markets Track
Tailored for the students who want to build a career in sales and structuring of financial products, quantitative finance, traders, risk management as well as asset and portfolio management.
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The Asset Management Track (only offered in France)
Tailored for those who want to build a career in asset and portfolio management, insurance and risk management.
6 – University of St. Gallen
Location – Switzerland
Program name – Masters of Arts HSG in Banking and Finance
Average Course Length – 29
Salary today – $111,598
Employment rate – 100(91)
About The Program
The program takes 3 semesters and is comprised of core studies and contextual studies. The core studies include three mandatory courses, core electives which includes a research seminar and the master’s thesis. The students are given the freedom to design their own core curriculum and focus on risk management and insurance, financial markets or alternative investments, banking, and the financial economy, corporate finance, quantitative methods, and data science according to their professional goals. The Contextual Studies is a unique feature offered by St. Gallen with the intent to let student grow beyond their core subjects. Here, you can either choose programs related to finance or you can choose another area to augment your core studies. The ‘areas of concentration’ offered are History, Society, Media, Law, Responsibility, Cultures, Creativity, Technologies.
7 – MIT Management Sloan School
Location – US
Program name – Master of Finance
Average Course Length – 12 or 18 months.
Salary today – $140,888
Employment rate – 90(100)
About the program
The MFin program is offered in two formats – 12 months or 18 months with no difference in the curriculum itself.
The 12 months format is ideal for people who already have a background in finance with some relevant work experience and looking for an accelerated path while the 18 month format is ideal for people who don’t have a finance background and are looking to gain an in-depth academic knowledge as with this you can spread your course requirements over a longer period of time. You can also use the additional time to take additional courses, an internship, and complete your thesis.
The curriculum consists of fundamental and advanced subjects, restricted electives, and an action learning course. The action learning consists – PROSEMINAR IN CAPITAL MARKETS/INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, PROSEMINAR IN CORPORATE FINANCE/INVESTMENT BANKING, FINANCE RESEARCH PRACTICUM. Afterward, students may write a thesis or pursue an independent study.
8 – Bocconi University
Location – Milan, Italy
Program name – MSc Finance
Average Course Length – 27 months
Salary today – $110,316
Employment rate – 100(47)
About The Program
The MSc Finance program offered has an exhaustive curriculum that covers ‘all areas of finance’ such as derivatives and asset pricing, investment banking, quantitative finance corporate finance and advisory, risk management. In the first two semesters, the aim is to build a broad foundation covering key financial topics such as Corporate Valuation, Financial Analysis and Reporting, Investments and Portfolio Decisions, Risk Management and Capital Compliance, Derivative Pricing and so on. This strong foundation will allow graduates to work and interact with professionals from various fields with ease. The second year of the program, which can be taken at Bocconi Milan and/or abroad, offers three majors:
- Financial and Insurance Institutions Management
- Quantitative Finance and Asset Management
- Corporate Advisory and Investment Banking
The students have to choose four electives among eighteen electives offered in English and five in Italian. The electives will allow you to further augment your knowledge in your preferred fields. Internship and a thesis are mandatory.
Three study abroad programs offered are:
- Double Degrees – A choice between six universities.
- Advanced Economics Exchange Program.
- Exchange Programs
9- Imperial College Business School
Location – London, UK
Program name – MSc Finance
Average Course Length – 14 months
Salary today – $91,602
Employment rate – 95(93)
About The Program
Imperial MSc Finance is a CFA partner program and includes two optional international electives and an international experience trip to give students a ‘truly global perspective’. The program is designed to prepare its graduates to have successful careers in sectors such as asset management, investment banking and consultancy as proven by its track record of the last 20 years.
The curriculum is structured in four parts:
- Pre-Study Modules: To develop a basic knowledge of concepts that will be covered exhaustively in the program. Includes modules such as Accounting Primer, Introduction to Finance, Introduction to Maths.
- Foundation Modules: 5 modules to introduce you to modern finance tools. Includes modules such as Application in R for Finance, Financial Modelling, Business Valuation.
- Core Modules: To develop your Finance skills further. Includes modules such as Corporate Finance, Derivatives, Financial Econometrics. A two-day European Finance trip is also a part of the core module.
- Electives: To tailor your skills. Includes ‘Key Electives’ such as Advanced Corporate Finance, Applied Trading Strategies, Credit risks as well as ‘Other Electives’ such as International Finance, Banks regulation and Monetary Policy, Topics in Fintech Innovation.
- Project: In the Spring and Summer Terms, you will have to choose between an Applied Project with an additional elective or a traditional Research Project.
10 – Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance at SJTU
Location – Shanghai, China
Program name – Master of Finance (MF)
Average Course Length – 22 months
Salary today – $119, 996
Employment rate – 100(95)
About The Program
SAIF’s flagship program has been ranked as no. 1 in Asia by Financial Times in 2018. The program taught completely in English, is designed to meet current financial practices in China as well as other countries. The curriculum consists of:
23 Compulsory Courses: Business communication, Object Oriented Program using C++, Finance Ethics and so on. It also includes an academic seminar, and a consulting project or an internship.
10 Restricted Electives: Financial Mathematics, Financial Risk Management, Fixed Income Securities etc.
44 Free Electives: Understanding Wall Street – Lecture Series (I & II), Portfolio Management, Innovation Finance Lab etc.
The other features of the program are:
Extended Learning and Student Activities(ELSA): ELSA aims to create a better and greater SAIF community through programs, facilities, and services such as Professional Development Series, Social Responsibility series, Coffee Hour and Volunteer Work.
Learning Through Integrated Vocational Experience(LIVE): Designed to teach students through action by involving them in real-time projects, the program currently offers three LIVE learning courses – LIVE FI, Consulting Company: MIT China Lab, and Innovation Finance Lab.
Career Development Service: The students are mentored and trained to effectively promote their professional skills and experience through four services – Skill Development, Life-long career, Advisory coach, and Exploratory.
Besides this, the program offers – International exchange for a semester, Dual Admission Programs, and free Mandarin Courses (not mandatory).
11 – IE Business School
Location – Madrid, Spain
Program name – Masters in Finance
Average Course Length – 10 months
Salary today – $93,543
Employment rate – 91(85)
About The Program
A CFA partner program, IE Masters in Finance focuses on the top sectors of finance such as Corporate Finance, Investments, Quantitative Finance, General Finance, and Macroeconomics.
The program is divided into four parts:
- Start Module: Pre-program Financial, Excel Basic, Case Method, Financial Basics etc.
- First Period: Corporate Finance, Financial Maths Programming, Quantitative Finance I, Financial Statement Analysis, Presentation skills etc.
- Second Period: Strategic Macro Economics for Investors, Advanced Corporate Finance, Asset Allocation etc.
- Third Period: The third period has three majors – Major in Corporate Finance, Major in Investments, Major in Fintech – where each major has a wide selection of Electives.
The program culminates with a final exam where you are offered to choose from options such as academic case studies or research, CFA equity research competition projects; equity research and IPO validation projects; valuation of a company owned by a private equity firm; academic research; or a Microfinance Project in Ghana, with a field trip to that African country.
Additional activities offered are Financiers Without Borders, various Social Impact Projects, Center of Islamic Finance, IE Titans of Finance Conferences and Economic Updates, optional field trips to London and New York, CFA Preparation Course, Trading room, Employability in Finance Sessions, IE Business School Finance Research Center, Appealing Final Exam Options, Fintech.
The IE also offers a dual degree – Masters in Management plus Masters in Finance (MIM + MIF)
12 – University of Oxford: Saïd
Location – Oxford, UK
Program name – MSc in Financial Economics (MFE)
Average Course Length – 9 months
Salary today – $109,403
Employment rate – 81(93)
About The Program:
University of Oxford’s MSc in Financial Economics focuses on the link between theoretical financial economics and the practical financial activities where the topics from the economics courses are chosen by their relevance to finance. The program is run by the Saïd Business School’s finance faculty and the University’s Department of Economics jointly.
The curriculum is structured as
- Pre-course training: to familiarize students with key concepts as well as techniques.
- Four core courses: To develop a sound financial understanding in Asset Pricing, Corporate Finance, Economics, and Financial Econometrics.
- Five Elective Courses: To allow students to develop skills and specializations.
The assessment is based on a combination of examinations, assignments and individual projects.
The program also offers “three days of training in financial markets and institutions, which may take place in Oxford/London and/or Hong Kong, and the opportunity to participate in the Oxford Saïd Finance Lab, a series of practical workshops on financial modeling involving real-world case studies.” There’s also the added advantage of Careers development center and Alumni Relations Team.
13- Warwick Business School
Location – UK
Program name – MSc Finance
Average Course Length – 14 months
Salary today – $86,200
Employment rate – 95(93)
About The Program
WBS MSc Finance has been ranked third in the UK by the Financial Times. The program has been designed to give conceptual as well as quantitative knowledge as the curriculum has been augmented further following consultation with the Bank of England, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and their other successful alumni.
The course is structured as:
- 5 Compulsory Modules: Quantitative Methods for Finance, Corporate Finance, Investment Management, Asset Pricing, Empirical Finance.
- 3 Optional Modules (out of 14 options): Behavioral Finance, Alternative Investments, Practice of investments management and so on.
The program is taught through a collaboration of classes, lectures, and computer lab sessions. The students are assessed through coursework and exams which culminates in an 8000-word thesis at the end of the program.
The other advantages offered are -WBS CareersPlus Service, Events such as Trading in the Foreign Exchange Markets, and Success in the City, Workshops and guidance, MyAdvantage: the university’s graduate job site.
14 – ESADE Business School
Location – Spain
Program name – MSc in Finance
Average Course Length – 12 months
Salary today – $90,570
Employment rate – 96(93)
About The Program
A CFA Institute and Bloomberg partnership program, designed as a career launch-pad for graduates, the program will allow you to gain a broad overview of global capital markets and then you can choose to do a specialization to gain a comprehensive knowledge according to your preference and career goals.
The program is structured as:
- Pre-Program in Finance – PPF is specifically designed to prepare students for entering MSc in Finance.
- First Term – 5 Core Courses – Business in Society, Corporate Valuation, Financial Analysis & reporting, Financial Modelling, Investments.
- Study Tours and Skills Seminar – An intensive one-week international study tour where you’ll stay abroad at one of the leading universities.
Skills seminar includes options such as 3D Printing, Graphic Design for entrepreneurs, Empowering Excel etc.
- Second Term – 4 Specialised Courses and an optional track – Corporate Finance, Derivatives, Finance Project, Fixed Income, a choice between two tracks – Corporate Financial Management, Asset Management, and Banking.
- Third Term – Electives – a choice between 15 Finance Electives and 40 Free Electives such as Social Entrepreneurship – CEMS, Smart Cities and other interesting options.
- Master Project – A choice between three formats – Master Thesis, Business Plan, In-Company Project
To graduate you will have to defend your Master Project.
Other Options offered by the program are CEMS, Double Degrees, optional worldwide 3-6 months internship, and optional language learning classes in German, Spanish and French.
15 – Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management
Location – China
Program name – Masters of Finance (MoF)
Average Course Length – 25 months
Salary today – $124,770
Employment rate – 100(100)
About The Program
The aim of the program is to create financial professionals with comprehensive knowledge of Economics and Finance and to link academia with practical knowledge as indicated by their mentor program where each student gets an academic advisor and an industry instructor to address their concerns as well as mentor them for internship and Employment. To create professionals with authoritative academic and practical knowledge in their respective fields, there are four concentration offered in two different campuses:
- Finance Global, Beijing Campus
- Financial Engineering, Shenzen Campus
- Entrepreneurship and Corporate Finance, Shenzen Campus
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Insurance and Big Data Finance, Shenzen Campus
The core curriculum is structured as – Investment, Corporate Finance, Microeconomics, and Financial Analysis, Financial derivatives, Quantitative Investment Analysis, Quantitative Investment Analysis, Venture Capital and Private Equity, McKinsey Course: Global Leadership.
To graduate, students need to have required credits, complete a mandatory internship, and successfully defend their master thesis.
The other advantages offered are:
Dual Degree with prestigious institutes such as HEC Paris; Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, Columbia University.
International Exchange with 109 universities spread over 24 countries. Every year, there are 400 slots for the SEM students.
16 – Grenoble Ecole de Management
Location – France
Program name – Master of Science in Finance (MSc in Finance)
Average Course Length – 20 months
Salary today – $80,628
Employment rate – 82(64)
About The Program
The program encourages students to develop a holistic financial knowledge as it is taught in English by expert academics and professionals, and encourages group participation. One year of the program focuses on completion of coursework while the second year focuses exclusively on the Final Management Project.
The program is structured as:
YEAR I
- Introduction Session (E-Learning Modules) – Online Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance, Online Fundamentals of Excel and Statistics
- Stage One – The Fundamentals Of Finance
- Stage Two – Mastering Financial Management
- Stage Three – Advanced Finance
- Stage Four – Capstone Course
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Stage Five– Specializations – Quantitative Finance (Grenoble), Investment Banking (Grenoble or Singapore), Financial Management (Grenoble)
YEAR II
This year is exclusively focused on the 15,000 words in length Final Management Project under the guidance of a tutor. This can be done while pursuing a full-employment or an approved internship.
The other offered advantages are – a recommended foreign language learning program, career Personal development within the MSc program, and CNCP recognition (an agency of the French Ministry of Labor.
17 – Kozminski University
Location – Poland
Program name – Master in Finance and Accounting
Average Course Length – 24 months
Salary today – $89,673
Employment rate – 94(89)
About the program
A CFA recognized program, Konzminski’s Master in Finance and Accounting is the only program ranked from Central and Eastern Europe. The program is specially shaped to stand the test of real-world finance as it designed in “close cooperation with practitioners”. Further, it is supported by industry strategic partners such as Citibank Europe PLC, Accenture Services Ltd, and KPMG which ensures that the program meets the practical requirements of finance and accounting of the current business market.
Another noteworthy advantage is that the graduates of this program are exempted from most of the papers on the fundamental level ACCA qualification.
5 Core Courses: Advanced Corporate Finance, Corporate Financial Reporting, Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, Communication and Negotiation skills, Application of Statistic and Econometrics in Finance and Accounting
18 Major Courses: Big data Analysis, Advanced Macroeconomics, Business Analysis, Advanced Management Accounting, Advanced SQL etc.
Dissertation Seminar, Elective Courses
The three specialization courses offered are:
1- Corporate Finance – CFA Track
2- Corporate Reporting and Accounting – ACCA Track
3- International Banking – Anti-Money Laundering Track
The program also offers double degree Master in Finance and Accounting with the University of Porto or the University of Rome Tor Vergata.
18- Stockholm School of Economics
Location – Sweden
Program name – Master in Finance
Average Course Length – 24 months
Salary today – $90,665
Employment rate – 98(87)
About the program:
The research-based program aims to equip students with practical skills to have successful careers in fields such as investment banking, corporate finance, investment management, consulting, private equity and other non-finance positions.
The students have to choose between two specializations by the culmination of the first semester of the program:
Investment Management- Ideal for students who want to pursue a career in fields such as security analysis, fund management, sales and trading, quantitative investment strategies, portfolio analysis
Corporate Finance – Ideal for students who want to pursue a career in corporate finance within non-financial firms in private equity and venture capital, investment or commercial banking or in management consulting.
The program is structured as:
Year I – In the first semester, a finance foundation is built with three mandatory courses – Portfolio Choice and Asset Pricing, Fixed Income and Derivatives Markets, Corporate Finance. Students with limited accounting knowledge, the course Accounting, and Financial Statement Analysis is compulsory.
In the second semester, the students have to choose a specialization. The students have to choose three core electives according to their specialization, and five courses according to their preference.
Year II – The second year is more focused on dissertation writing. The students also have to either take elective courses or go on a student exchange.
For the thesis writing, the students are supervised by a faculty member. The thesis can be a research paper, a case study or a report.
The other advantages offered are – Executive trainee module, Exchange program, CEMS Masters in Management.
For the CEMS MiM, the students have to apply during their first semester. Upon completion, the students will receive SSE MSc degree as well as the CEMS MiM degree.
19 – Peking University: Guanghua
Location – Beijing, China
Program name – Master of Finance
Average Course Length – 24 months
Salary today – $121, 076
Employment rate – 100 (100)
About the program:
This program is available at HSBC Business School for students who want to have “specialist training” in finance and focuses on financial theory and applications. Further, if you are looking to break into the Chinese financial market, this program is for you with subjects such “Introduction to Chinese Economy”, ‘Business Chinese” etc. The courses are taught in English, and you’ll study alongside other Chinese students.
The students are expected to have strong mathematical skills as the program is highly quantitative focused and therefore it is recommended for the students to have an undergraduate degree in related fields such as finance, mathematics, engineering, and economics, etc.
The program is divided into:
9 required core courses: Financial Markets, Financial Economics, Applied Econometrics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Introduction to Chinese Economy, Business Chinese, Independent Study of China, Business Ethics and Research Methodology.
3 Required courses (No credits): Mathematics, Graduate Thesis Seminar, Writing requirement
6 Elective courses: You can choose from over 38 elective options. Some options are – Public Finance, Bayesian Statistics, Game Theory and so on.
Other than this, in the first year, you have modules such as Global Communication, English Writing, and Chinese Language (Level 1 and 2). The program will culminate with a graduate thesis seminar and defense.
20 – City University: Cass
Location – London, UK
Program name – MSc in Finance
Average Course Length – 12 months
Salary today – $79, 110
Employment rate – 79(89)
About the Program:
Accredited by CIMA, CFA Institute, ACCA, the most unique feature of this program is its flexibility. The program starts with foundational courses to cement your understanding of finance, accounting, and econometrics. Once your foundation is built, you’ll have the opportunity to tailor your course as per your needs. Either you can choose to specialize in Finance or Corporate Finance, or choose to have a broader post-graduate qualification in Finance.
The program is structured is as follows:
Term 1:
5 Core Modules – Corporate Finance and Valuation, Financial Reporting, Research Methods for Finance Professionals, Statistics in Finance, Theory of Finance.
Term 2:
2 Core Modules – Asset Management, Derivatives and Risk Management
2 Elective Modules – Advanced Corporate Finance, Fixed Income, International Finance
Term 3 (One Option):
-Research project and one specialist elective module.
-Two core modules and three elective modules
– Applied research project and three specialist elective modules.
The program also offers 3 optional overseas electives in locations such as Singapore, New York, and Dubai. On completion of this program, the students would also be exempted from the exams of CIMA and ACCA.
21 – Nova School of Business and Economics
Location – Lisbon, Portugal
Program name – International Masters in Finance, Masters in Finance
Average Course Length – 18/12 months
Salary today – $69, 767
Employment rate – 100(83)
About the Program:
The International Masters in Finance is awarded to the students who not only complete the academic requirements of the degree but are also proficient in three languages (mother tongue, English, a second foreign language and have mobility experience which means either a 10 week internship experience abroad or a semester of studies abroad or an International Undergraduate degree.
Similarly to other pre-experience Masters in Finance programs, the program would first focus on building a financial problem-solving and analytical base along with the foundational Finance knowledge, after which you can choose to focus on a specialized area of study with a wide range of electives. The program promises to “provide an initial direction for the global finance career” that you would choose to pursue after graduation.
The program offers a host of international tracks which includes Exchange Programs, Double degree, and CEMS MiM.
Alternatively, students who don’t want to choose this more internationally oriented program can opt for the offered standard Masters in Finance track which has the same curriculum.
22 – Eada Business School Barcelona
Location – Barcelona, Spain
Program name – Master in Finance
Average Course Length – 10 months
Salary today – $82,212
Employment rate – 97(97)
About the Program:
The program is tailored to prepare graduates from diverse backgrounds for an international career in Finance and is accredited by CFA Institute.
During this program, you’ll learn how to assess investment opportunities and undertake financial analysis while gaining proficiency with various financial tools, understand the process of M&A, learn about portfolio and risk management. The students would also learn about the latest professional practices as well as a tool to succeed in the current business environment. During the last trimester, the students would have the opportunity to specialize either in Corporate Finance or Investment Banking.
An additional and unique feature is the executive professional development program at the Residential Training Campus which would foster the necessary critical-thinking skills as well as leadership abilities in its participants.
23 – Católica-Lisbon School of Business and Economics
Location – Lisbon, Portugal
Program name – Master of Science in Finance
Average Course Length – 18 or 24 months
Salary today – $63,694
Employment rate – 88 (100)
About the Program:
The MSc in Finance is a comprehensive program which aims at developing an in-depth knowledge of financial investments and corporate finance theoretically as well as with a hands-on approach.
The program structure is as follows:
Foundation Courses – Business Ethics & Social Responsibility, Accounting, Finance, Managerial Economics, Language Course.
6 Course Finance Courses – Advanced Corporate Finance, Financial Derivatives, Empirical Finance, Financial Investments, Firm Valuation, Risk Management.
Free Electives – A wide range of electives to choose from as per your interest.
Thesis Project – You are supposed to work full-time on your dissertation for 3-4 months.
Leadership Lab – Career and employment workshops, Personal development workshops.
International experience (Optional) – Double degree, Exchange Programs
Internship (optional) – Students are encouraged to complete a summer internship before or during the program.
Additionally, as you complete your dissertation, the Career Development Office is available to you for your career planning and job search. Until the time of completion, you have to show proficiency in two foreign languages other than your native language which can be fulfilled by taking an offered language course.
The students also have the opportunity to prepare for the internationally recognized CFA Level 1 exam during the degree itself.
24 – Rennes School of Business
Location – Rennes, France
Program name – MSc in International Business
Average Course Length – 13 months
Salary today – $66,805
Employment rate – 84(81)
This program is for the graduates who want to be managers and entrepreneurs with expertise in the field of finance to take an efficient financial decision in an increasingly complicated global business environment.
The structure of the program is as follows:
Semester I
8 Compulsory Modules – Applied Economics, Financial Economics, Research Methods in Accounting and Finance, Advanced Corporate Finance, Coding and Data Science for Accounting and Finance, Quantitative Finance, Empirical Methods in Finance 1, Exchange Markets
Semester 2
5 Compulsory Modules – International Strategic Management or International Management and Strategy: ‘‘Winter session’’ abroad or course at Rennes School of
Business, Financial Engineering & Trading, Short Term and Long Term Financing, Advanced Financial Analysis, Empirical Methods in Finance 2
Elective Modules (Choose 1) – Islamic Finance, International and EU Business law.
The program is part of the Conférence des Grandes écoles (CGE) association and allows the opportunity to take the Bloomberg Markets Concepts (BMC) certificate with no extra charged.
25 – Neoma Business School
Location – France
Program name – MSc. Finance
Average Course Length – 18 0r 24 months
Salary today – $65,216
Employment rate – 93(94)
About the Program:
Neoma’s Business School’s MSc Finance is a two-track programme accredited by Conférence des Grandes écoles (CGE) and focuses on Finance and asset management. It also offers preparation for the CFA Certifications Level I & II. In fact, the offered two tracks are built in accordance with that.
CFA Level II track: This 16-month track is for the students who have already passed their CFA level I examination and are working towards the II track. In the beginning, you’ll be introduced to 360-degree approach to financing and the holistic characteristics and aspects of Finance with subjects such as Fin Tech, Basics in Programming, and Leadership Seminar etc. Then, you’ll learn the foundations of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills while you’ll be preparing for the CFA level II exam. This will be followed by a period of revision and mock exams. The last term will focus on hands-on experience with an internship or a job. The program will end with a final dissertation.
CFA Level I + II track: This 24 month track is for the students who are yet to give their CFA level I exam and starts with the preparation of the level I exam with modules such as Corporate Finance and Equity, Fixed Income I, Mock training l etc which is then followed by the same structure as the CFA level II track.
This program is ideal for the students who are working towards a CFA certification and want to work in the investment management profession.
26 – Vlerick Business School
Location – Belgium
Program name – Masters in Financial Management (MFM)
Average Course Length – 10 months
Salary today – $70, 732
Employment rate – 98(93)
About the Program:
This fast-track is the only program in Belgium to be accredited by the CFA Institute. The program follows a two-fold education with Action Learning and Personal Development. The program starts with the Financial Management Essentials and Management skills before moving to Financial Management Fundamentals. Their approach ensures that the students from diverse backgrounds can master the basic concepts and then build on that. Throughout the different modules, you will be put in through “action-learning challenges” such as New Venture Lab, Business Simulation, etc and “personal development exercises” such as Career Builder, Management Skills Seminar, etc.
The second part of the program would allow you to tailor your curriculum through the “boot camp” where you can choose among the following electives – Strategy Consulting, Big Data & Finance, Financial Markets & Instruments, BPM Consulting, Code Camp: Programming for Business, Global Supply Chain Strategy, Digital Transformation, Digital Marketing, Strategic Innovation. You would also work on a Consultancy Project through an In-Company Project and ‘Global Social Project’. You would also get the opportunity to participate in an International Study Trip to London and visit the big investments banks and institutions.
27 – ISCTE Business School
Location – Lisbon, Portugal
Program name – MSc in Finance
Average Course Length – 12 months
Salary today – $47, 212
Employment rate – 90(69)
About the Program:
A one-year full-time program that provides an advanced qualification in the Financial field with one year for research and writing a dissertation.With half of the courses offered as electives, the program allows the students to focus on a specialization and tailor it to their own professional goals.
The structure of the program is as follows:
Term 0 – Introduction modules (Optional): Fundamentals of Computational Finance.
1st Academic year – Corporate Finance, Financial Options, Investments, Quantitative methods for Finance, Corporate Valuation, and Futures, Forwards and Swaps, 2 electives in Finance area, 2 free Options.
2nd Academic year – Master Project in Finance or Master Dissertation in Finance, Finance Seminars.
The electives offered are – Financial Corporate Strategy, Real Options, International Finance, Portfolio Management, Risk Management, Forecasting Methods, Elective Courses from other Masters.
For a hands-on experience, you’ll have several seminars and a midweek International Program which gives a midweek residential stay in a destination abroad and have direct contact with the companies and institutions in the local financial industry.
Additionally, IBS also boasts one of the most comprehensive business labs among European schools.It has been accepted into the CFA Institute University Recognition Program.
28 – HEC Lausanne
Location – Switzerland
Program name – Master in Finance (MScF)
Average Course Length – 24 months
Salary today – $79,603
Employment rate – 75(40)
About The Program:
The program is certified by CFA, CAIA, and GARP, and therefore, the course covers a large part of the curriculum required to prepare for these certification exams.
The diploma awarded on graduation would reflect the orientation (specialization) chosen by the students. The three offered orientations are:
Asset and risk management – The focus here would be on your quantitative and technical skills as you would be taught empirical methods in finance, risk management I and II and quantitative asset along with banking and alternative investments.
Corporate Finance – This orientation starts with a solid understanding of valuation and financial analysis of a firm and advances to courses such as private equity, venture capital and how to restructure firms.
Financial entrepreneurship and data science – The orientation is apt for students who either want to be entrepreneurs or leaders of Finance-It directed projects for the industry. The students would gain a solid background in Finance, an introduction to information technology, and data science as related to finance. You would also gain knowledge on tools to deal with fintech/ crowdfunding, robo-advising, chat-bots, distributed ledgers. You would also gain insight into machine learning such as deep learning, natural language processing and, classification algorithms, etc.
The first three modules focus entirely on compulsory and elective courses. For the third semester, the students can choose to participate in an exchange program in another university while the fourth semester is entirely dedicated to the Master thesis.
29 – Lancaster University Management School
Location – UK
Program name – MSc Finance
Average Course Length – 12 months
Salary today – $67,900
Employment rate -84(25)
About the Program:
The program is ideal for recent graduates with quantitative backgrounds who want to pursue the field of finance.
The program is divided into three terms and is structured as follows:
TERM 1 – 4 Introductory modules, 4 Assessed modules, 1 non-assessed two-week module one Financial database.
Modules – Introduction to Quantitative Methods, Introduction to Finance, Introduction to Accounting, Introduction to Financial Markets, Quantitative Methods for Finance, Foundation of Finance, Principles of Financial Reporting, Financial Markets.
TERM 2 – 4 Assessed modules.
Modules – Advanced Corporate Finance, Advanced Investment Management, Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Econometrics, Fixed Income Markets, Financial Reporting for Complex Entities, Derivatives Pricing, Advanced Management Accounting, Risk Management in Commercial Banking, Financial Data Platforms, Professional Ethics, Behavioural Finance.
TERM 3 – Masters dissertation.
Additionally, the course is an ACCA Academic Partnership Programme and also offers an ACCA pathway to the eligible candidates. The pathway has the same module choice as the other Finance MSc students, except in the second term, the students have to take the selected modules – Advanced Corporate Finance, Financial Reporting for Complex Entities. The program provides “a recognized level of tuition for two of the ACCA’s Professional-level papers: P2 (Strategic Business Reporting) and P4 (Advanced Financial Management)”.
Further, as a CFA affiliated university, the program also contributes to CFA study.
30 – University of Maryland: Smith
Location – US
Program name – Master in Finance (MFIN)
Average Course Length – months
Salary today – $85,547
Employment rate – 71(86)
About the Program:
During the program, you would gain comprehensive knowledge in the fields such as corporate finance, asset management, risk management, and valuation as well as master the latest tools in the mentioned areas.
The curriculum has general core courses which would build a strong financial foundation while the electives would allow the students to specialize in their chosen area of interest. The modules are as such:
Core Courses: Financial Management, Capital Markets, Valuation in Corporate Finance, Financial Econometrics, Derivative Securities.
Elective Courses: With around 30 subjects, students can choose to specialize in key areas such as Corporate Finance, Asset Management, Risk Management, General Finance.
Additionally, the students can take advantage of experiential learning projects such as faculty-led projects, case competitions, World Bank Project and student-run funds where they would get the opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge into real-world applications and grow.
Conclusion
After going through the list, you’ve probably shortlisted some schools whether you are looking for a program with a specialization or one that offers you more flexibility.
From here on, you can go to the school’s official website and student blogs to shortlist your list further in terms of top recruiters, alumni network, and so on.