Hi,I am a soft eng working in the FO of an IB but I would like to make a career switch and move into the business. To accomplish this I have been suggested the best way is to go for a specialistic master and here is the problem. Which one? I know there are many but finally I selected two of them: Cass MTF and LBS MiF. Both part-time as I can't afford to stop working right know.I know the LBS has a better name but I believe the MTF is more focused on what I would like to do afterwards. Just forgot to say, ideally I would like to become a trader. Maybe not immediately, but this is the plan.Is the reputation of LBS such a big advantage compared to other schools in London? Would this be evident when looking for a job?Any help would be really appreciated as at the moment I constantly change my mind.Thanks!

Have you considered the part time Msc in Mathematical Finance from Oxfrod? You just need to go to Oxford 4 days every 2-3 months, so works well if you are working in London. I work in technology group of an Investment Bank in London and have looked at LBS MiF and Cass MTM - my feeling is Oxford masters was better - not sure what you think or others on this forum think.

Have you considered the part time Msc in Mathematical Finance from Oxford? You just need to go to Oxford 4 days every 2-3 months, so works well if you are working in London. I work in technology group of an Investment Bank in London and have looked at LBS MiF and Cass MTM - my feeling is Oxford masters was better - not sure what you think or others on this forum think.

Thanks BetFut for letting me know about this masters. I only looked around here in London as I did not know it is possible to attend a MSc in Ox being here in London. However I believe London is still more convenient for me as I'd prefer a masters where I attend classes on a regular basis. Besides I believe the proximity to the industry helps a lot.

I'd advise you to go to Cass. Proximity, good amenities, regular workshops and networking sessions, good Masters programme are some of the reasons why you should opt for Cass rather than Oxford.

But doesn't the Oxford name make a huge difference? Cass doesn't seem to have such a good reputation, as yet.

Bascially I would say LBS name carries more clout for someone making a career switch + more likelihood of getting picked up by a good name bank - this is putting aside the normal disdain shown for many MBA traders by those who worked up from undergrad entry. However if you do the LBS MiF, you typically have min 3 years work experience in some area of finance + strong GMAT. Then, if it is full time, you typically get an associate position - of course being an associate on a trading desk does not mean you necessarily will have more responsibility quicker but the money is better than starting as an analyst. Not sure how many CASS people go in as associates as opposed to analysts - I would have thought most would aim at analyst programs. But the caveat is that this is for the full time, not sure how many part time students make the switch & at what level.

LBS waste of air. Frankly, it's a core finance curriculum which means you spend your time studying waffle about ratios and accounting. Bor-ing! Sure it's a big name, in *corporate* finance. As an IT person, think carefully, do you want to be a CFO? If so, remortgage and got to LBS. Does it fit with what you've been doing? Probably not.Suggest you focus on applied MSc.s. More likely to be useful. There is such a thing as an unemployed MBA, you know.Have you considered Imperial or Birkbeck? The Birkbeck is recommended if you pay yourself. Cheaper for individuals, cost is almost half that for institutions. Kings does something too. Might be worth a look.The real decider is how sharp your maths is. How long ago did you do what level? If your maths is really really sharp, you could make a go of Imperial or Birkbeck. maybe.that's my take.

Thanks all for the replies.Keeping in mind I would like to end up in a trading position, I think Math is important but not as much as it is for quant positions. For this reason I shortlisted only LBS and Cass. One for the brand name, the other more for the content of the course.Chromo, you are completely right, I am not interested in corporate finance as I would not reuse anything of my current background. Nevertheless, do you really think Math is so important? I have been told that Math is used a bit everywhere, but it gets complicated only for quant roles.I've been accepted also at Birkbeck, King's and Imperial (Tanaka - MSc in Risk Management as it is the only one part time), but I believe they are too mathematical, while MTF@Cass is more comprehensive and teaches just the math you need. Anyway this is only my impression as, working in IT, I don't know very well how much Math you need to be a trader.Anyway my math background is quite good I would say. 5 years of Computer Science plus a MSc in Statistics afterwards (completed 1.5 years ago).

wow, you have the pick of the bunch there. My concern about 'math' is solely as far as surviving the course. In practice few traders use much math day-to-day. You need the abstractions to understand the models and develop intuition. I'll go so far as to state in public that most of our traders then continue to trade on that intuition.I won't start my rant about trading being a socially-based activity but will recommend that you look closely at the risk management as there are fewer social filters between you and a good job. getting a good trading role depends far more on chemistry, social factors. No I'm not ranting, yet The courses you name are really a mixed bag and strictly not comparable. Birkbeck has two courses, the one will line you up for a shot (but possibly quite a long one) at a quant or certain type of trader role. The Cass may or may not support you toward becoming a trader but will help you further your IT career if you choose to stick with what you know. Risk management is a good area to be in, even in a slump and is quite well rewarded. You can get quite close to the business and get to carry a big stick (capital allocation, sometimes).LBS will get you a rep, but you'll need to do a long list of hard electives to tilt the program toward trading.So back to your core problem. What do you want to be and how much risk can you bear?

Thanks again for you advices. They are really appreciated as they shed some light into an area I only know indirectly yet.Obivously the lower the risk the better. Ideally I would like to be a trader, but not only. There are other roles out there extremely interesting and rewarding such as sales of structured products, structurer, asset liability management etc. Ideally I would like to have still a technical role (how much technical may vary), but with a deep understanding of the business.The problem I have got at the moment is that given my Computer Science education and my IT professional experience, everyone is looking at me as someone who can only work in IT. I need somehow to rebrand myself and the best option right now would be to do a finance masters.Keeping in mind all this, I think MTF is a good tradeoff between technicality and business. In particular is very focused on derivatives and teach you the math you need, or better, how to apply the math you know to derivatives. (business knowledge is where I have the biggest gap)The BBK and King's programmes (MSc in Fin Eng/MSc in Fin Math) seem very good as well and I've heard a lot of good things about them. My only concern is how easy would be to find a job afterwards compared to Cass. Cass has stronger connection with the industry and the MSc itself looks more aimed at getting a job.Here anyway I may be wrong as unfortunately I don't know anyone who attended BBK or King's who did not aim at a quant position.

Hi Amonda,Did you consider the Birbeck Fin. eng course?

Hey - first post,anyway, thanks very much, chromo!I really appreciate your opinion, really fits what i have put together in my little mind so far...I think, MTF is a good programme, to become a trader, to get some intuition about the essential maths used,to rather be on the practical than too 'academic' side, etc ppQuite some pplm I know have already said, that reputation and sth is soo much more important, quality of teaching, academic output....What do I want? - I rather take 5 electives than 2 and a research project... - research for what reason, if I try to get a good P/L ???Qual of teaching and staff get a little, not totally of course, relative, if there is quite some self-studying in an mscYes, Cass does not have the reputation, nor the status as do Imperial, King's or LBS (which I'd put at the far end of my list, when considering trading intention...),but MTF and FIMA / MFM are, subjectively, worth it.Want more maths - get imperial or birkbeck, or king's.Get some more generalist - specialist-degree, go for cassBest

do the CQF mate..... its prolly the best thing ui can do fr urself