The Master in Finance (MiF) is the second most popular graduate business degree after the MBA, accounting for nearly a quarter of all business school applications.
While many of the best masters in finance programs can be found at European business schools—with top programs at HEC Paris, ESCP Business School, and Essec Business School—MiF programs are increasingly found in Asia and the United States.
Like other business school degrees, a Master in Finance doesn’t come cheap. European programs like the Master of International Finance at HEC Paris come in at around $35k in tuition, while US MiF programs like that at MIT Sloan cost in excess of $87k.
So, is a Master's in Finance degree worth it?
MiF jobs | Working for top financial institutions
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Many of the first MiF programs in France, such as HEC Paris and ESCP Business School, were set up by French chambers of commerce in order to create the next generation of leaders in the financial industry.
“MiF degrees are very focused on the theoretical aspects of all things finance. With such a focused approach, candidates end up with very strong fundamentals in finance-related fields,” explains Piyush Ranjan, founder of admissions consultancy Management Masters.
As a path into top jobs at the world’s leading financial institutions, a Master in Finance is still second to none. At HEC Paris, the world’s best Master in Finance program according to the Financial Times, companies like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and BlackRock rank among the top employers of MiF graduates.
The same goes for top-ranked programs like MIT Sloan in the US and Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance in China, which act as stepping stones to financial hubs like Wall Street or the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Clement Dumur, a Master in Finance graduate from HKUST Business School, landed an investment management job at Credit Suisse after graduation. He often leans on the expertise he gained from the program.
“Many of my clients don’t know much about finance, and I have to explain a lot of concepts,” he notes. “The way I do this has been influenced by my teachers at HKUST, who made things very accessible.”
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