Which Master degree in Finance in my situation?

I would say (I could be wrong) that IE and Warwick are on the same level, while LSE is slightly above.

Let me kindly ask you one more question. How would you rank CASS, Warwick, Imperial, and IE? I plan to work in either Singapore or Hong Kong (investment banking). I would appreciate your response.

Let me just say I think they are all good programs and I am not an expert on UK programs and placements. I'd probably rank IE and Imperial above Cass and Warwick.


I say this simply because I hear more good things about those two programs and more people seem to be interested in them. If someone has boots on the ground in the UK and can talk more intelligently on this I will politely defer.

thanks for your responses guys.

I managed to secure an Investment Bank Front office internship position and I am starting beginning of February, ending end of July. It's FX Sales in another BB bank. I'm so relieved and glad. I think this will really increase my chances at getting into a top program.

Thing is, I'm still going to work as hard as I can to secure a Full-time position at the end of this internship. The team asked me what I planned to do after the internship and I said that according to what happens, if I get an offer from you for a FT, I'd accept, and if I don't, I'll start a Master degree. I know that securing a FT offer, especially in IB FO, after an off-cycle internship is really tough, but I'll give 100% to do so.

Therefore I'm still going to apply to MSF programs as a backup option.

So, on a side note, how long can one hold an offer from one of these top MSF programs? I'll be starting the program in September but will probably only know whether or not I decide to accept it in July when my internship ends and I know if I'll be offered a Full-time position...

My dream has always been to study in an English speaking country but I might consider continental europe programs as well. With my profile and my time frame, which programs do you guys suggest I apply to?

Looking at my grades, I think I have literally no chance at LSE MSF and Oxbridge. Plus I'd be applying there really late so it's more competitive.

What do you guys think of the LBS MiM? I know it's management but several people have suggested me this program as it has the LBS brand name and you can actually specialize your degree quite a bit in Finance. Apparently it places very well in IBD and S&T in the City.

So taking all this into account, my grades, my 2 IB internships, 680 GMAT, my overall profile, so far, I think I can/should apply to:

-LSE Master in Accounting & Finance (I really think my back office finance internship will give me an edge)
-Warwick Master in Finance (a grade lower than LSE MSF and Oxbridge but still one of top programs in UK)
-Imperial Master in Finance (places extremely well I heard, especially in quantitative roles)
-Cass Master in Banking and International Finance/Master in Finance (I think I can get in, I got in last year without my 2 internships)
-LBS MiM

thanks again guys.

I don't know how long you can hold onto an acceptance letter. Would depend on when the program started. I would imagine that if a program started in the summer/fall you could have it as a backup.

I'd focus on the job right now. Even if you don't get a FT offer it seems as if this is some great experience. Do well, network and you'll either get an offer or be able to leverage this experience for an offer at another bank.

For sure, I'm gonna focus on the job. But I still think that applying to 3-4 good programs is a good idea, you can never be too sure.

Getting the job after my internships is my goal, absolutely no question. In Sales, I know that going from an off-cycle internship to a FT, even with a bachelor degree, is possible, but it's going to be tough. The Sales force at most IB BB divisions is not exactly expanding at the moment, rather the opposite.


So in terms of programs to apply to, I think I have a pretty good shot at these:

LSE Master A&F
LBS MiM
Warwick MSF
Imperial MSF

what do you guys think?

What do you guys think?

Also, anyone else have an opinion on Cass for MSc? I've been trying to get info on this school but as always I'm getting very mixed reviews. It goes from the "it's not worth the money and doesn't place well" to "it's very underrated compared to LSE, Oxbridge,.... but places extremely well in IB FO".

What do you guys think?

Also, anyone else have an opinion on Cass for MSc? I've been trying to get info on this school but as always I'm getting very mixed reviews. It goes from the "it's not worth the money and doesn't place well" to "it's very underrated compared to LSE, Oxbridge,.... but places extremely well in IB FO".