Hi All,i'm planning to pursue a MSc in Finance/Quantitative Finance in the UK. I'm wondering which BS to apply. I'm considering as usual LBS and LSE but also CASS, Imperial and Queen Mary College. Any Advise of which course/BS is better or well known within the FI of the City?My background: 2nd year Analyst at top foreign IB (actually I'm based in Italy) within SF field. Undergraduated in Economics (major: Quantitative Economics) at top Italian University. I'm keen in subjects as Econometrics, Maths and Statistics. No problem with recommendations (one academic and one professional).Any advise will be very glad and useful.CristianSec

CristianSec,They're PLENTY of debates/arguments on this topic and these schools. Troll through the forum and have a look.

You should also consider Lancaster and Warwick.

come to Edinburgh, pretty cheap, and the pay is almost the same at the end!!an the faculty are VERY good

What is good about Lancaster?

Anyone knows how good the MPhil in Cambridge is ??

anyone knows how good the Mphil at cambridge is ??

QuoteOriginally posted by: shyamshankaranyone knows how good the Mphil at cambridge is ??Very good.

To answer the question about Lancaster....The first good thing about Lancaster is that their MSc is taught by some of the best Finance researchers in the UK.Only 3 business schools were rated 5* in the last research assessment exercise: Lancaster, London Business School & Warwick. Of these, only Lancaster & LBS were also top-rated in the previous exercise, which entitles them to say they are 6*.The best teaching staff for Finance MSc courses are, arguably, at (in no particular order) Lancaster, LBS, Warwick, LSE, Oxford.Other good things about Lancaster are a well-established programme, a campus environment (no dirty London air) and proximity to the Lake District.

QuoteOriginally posted by: SvetlanaTo answer the question about Lancaster....The first good thing about Lancaster is that their MSc is taught by some of the best Finance researchers in the UK.Only 3 business schools were rated 5* in the last research assessment exercise: Lancaster, London Business School & Warwick. Of these, only Lancaster & LBS were also top-rated in the previous exercise, which entitles them to say they are 6*.The best teaching staff for Finance MSc courses are, arguably, at (in no particular order) Lancaster, LBS, Warwick, LSE, Oxford.Other good things about Lancaster are a well-established programme, a campus environment (no dirty London air) and proximity to the Lake District.Thanks for the advice. But another little question: how is the job placement after the MSc in London? How the 1st Tier IBs consider a graduate who studied at Lancaster in respect of one who study in the London area (LBS, LSE, CASS)?Many thanks for any answer.CristianSec

I have done my master studies in finance at Lancaster. I strongly recommend you applying there. First of all the Management School of Lancaster is one of the top 3 in the UK according to the Financial Times 2005 research and it is the only school except LBS that has 6* for reseach. The courses of the MSc in finance are very mathematically demanding. If you choose the mathematical stream you will have courses on derivative pricing and mathematical finance. It is especially good in financial econometrics as the tutor (S.Taylor) is one of the best in the field in the UK. Last but (of course) not least the this degree is strong in the market. That means a lot of interviews with Investment Banks and/or Fund Managers. The only negative point (in terms of reputation) is that Lancaster as a university is not as good as LSE or Oxford (though better than CITY). That means that excluding the Management School and a few other departments (Statistics and Operational research,Physics etc.) there is no remarkable academic/research performance. A further disadvantage is that is far from London. That means that it would be more difficult for you to attend your interviews. Moreover not a lot of banks visit the uni (not really essential). For me LBS is the best choice. However consider seriously Lancaster and Warwick. Cass is very expensive and not as good. Imperial is very good for maths and engineering but the management school doesn't have very good reputation.

What course are we guys referring here at LBS?

QuoteOriginally posted by: DimitrisLancsI have done my master studies in finance at Lancaster. I strongly recommend you applying there. First of all the Management School of Lancaster is one of the top 3 in the UK according to the Financial Times 2005 research and it is the only school except LBS that has 6* for reseach. The courses of the MSc in finance are very mathematically demanding. If you choose the mathematical stream you will have courses on derivative pricing and mathematical finance. It is especially good in financial econometrics as the tutor (S.Taylor) is one of the best in the field in the UK. Last but (of course) not least the this degree is strong in the market. That means a lot of interviews with Investment Banks and/or Fund Managers. The only negative point (in terms of reputation) is that Lancaster as a university is not as good as LSE or Oxford (though better than CITY). That means that excluding the Management School and a few other departments (Statistics and Operational research,Physics etc.) there is no remarkable academic/research performance. A further disadvantage is that is far from London. That means that it would be more difficult for you to attend your interviews. Moreover not a lot of banks visit the uni (not really essential). For me LBS is the best choice. However consider seriously Lancaster and Warwick. Cass is very expensive and not as good. Imperial is very good for maths and engineering but the management school doesn't have very good reputation.Reagrding LBS I'm referring to the Master in Finance. It seems there's a lot of struggle to getting in, however I think to try and play my chaces to be admitted. Any advise to make an application for LBS stronger?CristianSec

I think the Xfi school at Exeter is also very good! You should consider it.

I've studied at both Lancaster and Warwick - and Warwick has a far stronger reputation in the marketplace. The Lancaster business school is decent, but then so is the one in Warwick, plus Warwick has a much stronger Maths department, possibly second only to Cambridge in the UK. I can't remember any IBanks visiting Lancaster when I was there.Whatever the strengths of Lancaster, perception is all important, and you've have a much better shot in the job market with Warwick on your CV instead of Lancaster (I suspect there may also be some bias against a freezing cold Northern Uni with three nuclear power stations within a 30 mile radius - no prizes for guessing where a lot of students find work to finance their studies!)