Hi! I am thinking of applying for MS in Fin programs in the US. Currently, there are 3 "feasible" programs on my list, perceived availability of financial aid having highest weightage in deciding the feasibility as of now:1. U of Rochester (Simon)2. U of Maryland-College Park (Smith)3. Boston College (Carroll)Rankings/Placements-related info on these programs would be extremely helpful.

Hi, I think that the Bosotn Master seem to be better, but only because located in Boston where there are tons of financial instit.

I'd suggest Georgia Techwww.qcf.gatech.eduit is relatively cheap, though little support. I'd expect it is better than BC - it is comprised of 3 depts. Math, IE, and Bschool - rankings are top 20, #1 for 12 years in a row, about 30, respectively.but, being in Boston has a big advantage. much easier to obtain internship, rub shoulders with practitioners, etc.

I strongly suggest you investigate your school carefully, based upon your objectives, career path, and the B-school's courses, structure, and academic standing / reputation. For starters, check out http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/index.html. Some of the suggestions given to you are very questionable. Not to diminish Georgia Tech, but it is not a top ranked B-school; it caters to engineers who want to learn something about business. If Atlanta, Georgia, is high on your list of cities, check out Georgia State University and Emory University. Some very well known and respected US B-schools include University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (faculty include one or more Nobel winners in commodities and derivatives), Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, and the universities in New York City and Boston. Email some professors at your top-ranked B-schools and ask them questions. Learn as much as you can about the B-schools and the cities. The culture and social infrastructure in some US states and cities can be quite different from what you are comfortable with.Good luck.

Look here:http://www.cob.vt.edu/finance/faculty/d ... ogs.htmand here:http://www.iafe.org/educate/fe_schools.ihtmland here:http://interpro.engin.umich.edu/fep/links.htmlFinancial aid for Masters programs is thin on the ground and tends to be limited to loans.Bon chance - James

I am quite aware that GT does not have a top Bschool - somewhere near 35-40 in the usual rankings. However, given the nature of this site (wilmott.com), I was suggesting GT based on its MS in Quantitative and Computational Finance. GT has no MS in Finance. Given that, GT blows the pants of Emory (which I am fairly sure offers only an MBA, no MS finance, also very expensive). I would never consider going to Georgia State full-time. If you are willing to uproot yourself and move, then go to the best you can get into.If quant finance is your goal (i.e. programs like Carnegie Mellon, Chicago, NYU, etc.) and low cost, then GT is still a great option. It is not a Bschool program (I think the Bschool was included to get the program accepted by the school's board)....it is run by the math dept. (top 20) and the IE dept (#1 for a long time).Emory does have a decent MBA program. But, that's another point.....is MS Finance, MBA, or MS in Quantitative Finance the right program for you?

Thank you for your responses! My current app list has the following names:1. Master of Fin Engg - U Mich (Interdisc)2. MS in Fin - Boston College (Offered by the B-School)3. MS in Fin - George Washington Univ (Offered by the B-School)4. M Engg in OR with Fin Engg Specialization - Cornell (Interdisc)5. MS in Financial Markets - IIT (Offered by the B-School)6. MS in Finance - U of Florida Gainesville (offered by the B-School)My key doubt is about the Pros/Cons of an interdisc program at a good school v/s a B-School program with a Tier 2 school. Also, I do not know much about Fin placements in Florida, in a generic sense.Any info on the above programs/doubts would be extremely helpful. In particular, the program-related info could be about:1. Known strength of program/faculty2. Firms recruiting and positions recruited for3. Campus placements scene4. Average profile of admitted/funded studentsRegardsAnant

Do you know some good MS in Finance in California ?(apart from Stanford & Berkeley that seems to be unreachable)

milogalt,Just be aware that MS in Fin is a quite different degree than MS in Quant Fin. You'll have different job opps and a much different experience.The UMich and Cornell programs are top schools and quant finThe others are lower and reg MS FinI'd first decide which you want to do..... MS Fin or MS Quant Fin ....and then select programs.Here's alink that describes all the MS Quant fin programs in teh UShttp://www.fenews.com/fen26/education.html

Dear KOThanks for the reply! I am aware of the differences between Fin and Quant Fin programs. My core interest lies in Valuation, with a predilection towards Equities and Portfolios. I believe these areas are covered by both Fin and Quant Fin progs, though the treatment differs. I have looked at courses offered by both kinds of programs, and am comfortable with either. From a curricular sense, I have an inclination towards Fin progs. But I also noticed that the programs offered by Tier I Universities are more towards Quant Fin.RegardsAnantPS: Does anyone have an opinion on the perceived quality of Fin v/s Quant Fin progs in general? Does it change much in the context of a career in Equities/Portfolios?

OK. So, either one could be good from a practical standpoint. The caution I give is that I don't know anyone who is impressed with a MS in Finance. For that reason alone, assuming you have a quantitative bent, I'd choose MS Quant Fin.If you can take off two years to go to school and some work experience, it might be best to choose an MBA program. Regardless, the school name will matter at the beginning of your career.good luck.

taking the thread initiated by milogalt forwsrd...maybe this msg comes too late in the day (for me!) but i wd be grateful if people cd comment on my univ choices for MS in the generic field of financial engineering / finance and quantitative finance. the main criteria for me are the job prospects after the degree, formalized placements and internships ( though i believe this happens for only a few univs at the top), reputation, interaction with industry.my undergrad major was math and i have done an MBA with majors in finance and eco and work as a consultant at present and applying for the fall 2003 seesion. (one reason im not applying to many places offering the generic MS finance is that i wonder how much value it would really add in terms of learning after my Finance major during MBA). i realize the financial aid scene is quite disheartening... and am quite foxed by the compromise (if one exists) between studying at a univ which offers aid, versus one which wd have better placement prospects.i was planning to apply to about 10 univs in the US :1. Columbia - fin engg.2. NYU - math. fin3. Carnegie Mellon - comp. fin.4. Illinois Instt. of Tech. - MS fin.5. Univ of Illinois at Urbana Champaign - MS fin.6. U Chicago - math. fin.7. Cornell (M Engg. in fin engg.)8. U Mich - fin engg.9. Princeton - MS fin.10. list of maybes: Purdue (Stats with Computaitonal finance), U Maryland (MS fin), Georgia Tech, Rutger's (MS quant fin.), University of Southern California (math. fin.)in Canada:1. U Toronto for financial econ and mathematical financeand UK:1. LSE for financial economics2. maybe: Warwick for financial mathematics (have heard it's a good program).it wd be very helpful if you folks could comment on the univs and programs mentioned here - especially the ones in the "maybe" list. does my form of risk management (by applying to univs in UK and Canada) make sense? are these programs perceived well in the industry?i wdve liked to apply for the program at Haas too but can now only apply for the batch starting spring 2004. wdve liked to apply for the financial math program at Stanford - but an AGRE in math is recommended and im rather late to take that now. the MA in financial econ is a new program offered by U Toronto so im not so sure how the takeoff has been for the first batch. i havent heard a mention of the MSQF program at Rutger's too - isnt this any good?muchas gracias!

Any one is in the financial math proram at U of Chicago?

Any one has any idea of the MS Finance program in IIT Chicago. I believe IIT has 2 programs- MS Finance and MS Financial Markets. Any opinion on the former one, heard it is real cool, but donot have any concrete evidence ???Thanks

Could someone be more precise to explain the difference between MS in Fin and in Quant Fin please ?ThanksVelkro<Newbee powah>