What can I do with a master in finance?
I'm a sophomore in a semi target school(Notre Dame), majoring in Applied Math and Econ, and wish to find a career in IBD. But I somehow realize it's such a competitive and risky path. So what I'm going to do is to have a back-up plan. I've been looking at some top Master in Finance/Financial Engineering programs(Princeton/MIT/Columbia) and they also get pretty good placement on the street. But is it true that mostly MFin/MFE graduates go on to be quant and do back-office/middle-office jobs? (Someone told me it's nearly impossible for a master graduate to land a BB front-office job, which is mostly reserved for undergraduates from target schools. ) Is it true? If so, what can I do to land a front-office job? Please give me some advice. Thank you very much.
Landing a front office job at a BB is extremely difficult for anyone who didn't intern there.
Basically, an MSF is like any other similar 1-year master's: it just makes you a bit more competitive for an entry level job. YMMV. If you already have some options there's no benefit. If you need to show more competency in finance (e.g. you're a math major who wanted to change course late in your degree program) it can help.
And yeah. It probably won't get you a front office position on its own, but it CAN help you get other finance roles (including lower tier IBs) that make it very doable to lateral to IB at a name brand firm.
Can't do shit with a master in fiance- might have better luck with a master in finance
1) ND is a target 2) You are a sophomore 3) BB IBD is highly competitive. Tons of MM and boutique shops you can target 4) If this fails, you have TAS, credit analyst, corporate banking, F500 rotational programs.
Save the MSF thoughts for 2nd semester, senior year.
With a master in finance, you can bang NONTARGET SLUTS from the back office!