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Actually, I would recommend Engineering or Applied Math. Get the most math that you can at undergrad level, then get the soft skills/skills that put it all together at the master's level.
But given a choice between fin and econ, I would take econ. You get a wider view of things while still getting solid quantitative training. Finance you can learn through internships, electives, study for the CFA, personal investing, or at the master's level.
My guess is...a masters of finance will eventually end up competing for jobs with MBAs
an M.A. econ degree requires more 'hard skills' in the quantitative field and thus separates itself from the pack.
lol, you have no idea what you are talking about. If you are guessing then why the hell are you posting. An M.S. in Finance and an MBA are geared for totally different types of jobs.
Go look at the Masters of Finance curriculum at Princeton, Stanford, or Columbia and tell me if a M.A. in econ requires more quant skills than that
This is an old thread, but for anyone else I'd say it depends on what you want to do. I'd say economics is the one which is applied more in international affairs from the government/intra-governmental/NGO perspective though.
lol, you have no idea what you are talking about. If you are guessing then why the hell are you posting. An M.S. in Finance and an MBA are geared for totally different types of jobs.
Go look at the Masters of Finance curriculum at Princeton, Stanford, or Columbia and tell me if a M.A. in econ requires more quant skills than that
sounds like someone attained their masters degree in finance
I looked at the cirriculum and appearently there is a lot of overlap between a general non-specialized M.S. in Finance and an MBA with a concentration in finance. While the mathematical M.S. in finance or quantitative, and macroeconomic forcasting (at Princeton) has comparable cirriculum and entry requirements with the M.A. in econ. And that's really no surprise because the top of the tier master's programs in business are heavily quantitative in nearly all fields while the everyday collge or university requires less math and is less intense compared to the average econ degree. Again, my guess is that an MA in Econ will probably open more doors (read: not exactly the same jobs) in comparison to an M.S. in finance.
sounds like someone attained their masters degree in finance
I looked at the cirriculum and appearently there is a lot of overlap between a general non-specialized M.S. in Finance and an MBA with a concentration in finance. While the mathematical M.S. in finance or quantitative, and macroeconomic forcasting (at Princeton) has comparable cirriculum and entry requirements with the M.A. in econ. And that's really no surprise because the top of the tier master's programs in business are heavily quantitative in nearly all fields while the everyday collge or university requires less math and is less intense compared to the average econ degree. Again, my guess is that an MA in Econ will probably open more doors (read: not exactly the same jobs) in comparison to an M.S. in finance.
Well that person is not me I work in the industry so I know about the quality of the students in both types of programs.
Again, I don't know why you are guessing. Perhaps if you actually did some research instead of pulling thoughts out of left field you would know that the placement rates for an M.S. in Finance at the top schools are much better than those of a M.A. in econ (even at the top schools). The entry requirements aren't even comparable. You need at least a 770 on the Math portion of the GRE and a stellar math background to even be considered for an M.S. in Finance for the top schools. Of course they will not advertise that (they want the application fees), but I have spoken to the deans of these schools and that is what they say. Princeton's program has a 4% acceptance rate for example, so of course they can be selective.
Obviously if you are getting an M.S. in Finance or an M.A. in Econ you want the degree to be as quantitative as possible. To do that you have to get an M.S. in Finance from the top schools. Soft skills? You want Soft skills? Get an MBA from a top school (Harvard, Kellogg, etc)
Well that person is not me I work in the industry so I know about the quality of the students in both types of programs.
Again, I don't know why you are guessing. Perhaps if you actually did some research instead of pulling thoughts out of left field you would know that the placement rates for an M.S. in Finance at the top schools are much better than those of a M.A. in econ (even at the top schools). The entry requirements aren't even comparable. You need at least a 770 on the Math portion of the GRE and a stellar math background to even be considered for an M.S. in Finance for the top schools. Of course they will not advertise that (they want the application fees), but I have spoken to the deans of these schools and that is what they say. Princeton's program has a 4% acceptance rate for example, so of course they can be selective.
Obviously if you are getting an M.S. in Finance or an M.A. in Econ you want the degree to be as quantitative as possible. To do that you have to get an M.S. in Finance from the top schools. Soft skills? You want Soft skills? Get an MBA from a top school (Harvard, Kellogg, etc)
If you could put a coherent thought together on the matter then perhaps you wouldn't get so tangled up in heresay. FIRST, I clearly stated that people with an M.S. in Finance probably end up competing with MBAs (e.g. MBAs with a concentration in Finance) which doesn't sound TOO far fetched. If you're saying that those two programs specifically do NOT have any overlap in competing for similar jobs then I stand corrected. Second for an Econ MA, at the TOP schools you are usually expected to score an 800 on the GRE--ask around. Hell, even for the middle of the pack Econ programs (U.S. News top 30-50) the expectations are pretty much the same. Anything less is considered slacking. Lastly, putting quantitative in perspective, the math portion of the Econ MA is more demanding and requires a higher entrance level and completion level. Again this is true for the average Econ and MS in Finance programs. The TOP programs are pretty consistent between the two.
Using Princeton is a poor example anyway, being that Princeton's acceptance rate for basically any field is less than 10%. Check out the entry requirements for the Econ MA and the M.S. in FInance from average schools and the requirements are signficantly different from one another. Also if you want to get a degree in either of the two then obviously being as strong as possible in mathematics at the best schools is the way to go. If it's at a top college, it's even better.
FIRST, I clearly stated that people with an M.S. in Finance probably end up competing with MBAs (e.g. MBAs with a concentration in Finance) which doesn't sound TOO far fetched. If you're saying that those two programs specifically do NOT have any overlap in competing for similar jobs then I stand corrected.
Wrong. People with an M.S. in Finance are shooting for jobs as quant analysts and quant / algo traders. People with MBA's are shooting for jobs in Investment Banking, Corporate Finance, Equity Research, etc. One set of jobs is client facing and one is not. You are making assumptions, when you do not even work in the industry. You have probably read my past posts and it is quite clear that I work in the industry, and I know what type of candidates are competitive for certain types of jobs and what types of candidates are competitive for others.
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Second for an Econ MA, at the TOP schools you are usually expected to score an 800 on the GRE--ask around. Hell, even for the middle of the pack Econ programs (U.S. News top 30-50) the expectations are pretty much the same. Anything less is considered slacking.
Really? What are the TOP schools for an Econ MA? Harvard? PhD only. Princeton? PhD only. MIT? PhD only. Chicago? PhD only. Stanford? PhD only. Berkeley? PhD only. Yale? PhD only. Northwestern? PhD only. UPenn? PhD only. The highest ranked school that offers an econ MA is NYU, and according to their website:
What are the criteria for admission? Admission to the MA program in economics is limited to students of outstanding promise. In general, we aim to admit the B+ student and above. More specifically, the type of student we are seeking to attract will meet the following minimum requirements:
GRE Quantitative and Analytical scores > 75th percentile (@720 for quantitative)
Not sure where you're pulling the 800 from - again pulling thoughts out of left field instead of actually taking time and doing some research. B+ students? Are you kidding me?
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Lastly, putting quantitative in perspective, the math portion of the Econ MA is more demanding and requires a higher entrance level and completion level. Again this is true for the average Econ and MS in Finance programs. The TOP programs are pretty consistent between the two.
Wrong again. NYU, 720 minimum, striving to accept B+ students? Princeton's MS in finance has a 790 Math GRE average. Carnegie Mellon's MS in Comp Finance = 792 average. Stanford = 94th percentile, which translates to a 790+, and the average undergraduate gpa's are 3.8, a far cry from B+. There you go again, pulling bs out of left field.
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Using Princeton is a poor example anyway, being that Princeton's acceptance rate for basically any field is less than 10%. Check out the entry requirements for the Econ MA and the M.S. in FInance from average schools and the requirements are signficantly different from one another. Also if you want to get a degree in either of the two then obviously being as strong as possible in mathematics at the best schools is the way to go. If it's at a top college, it's even better.
Average school? Yeah go ahead and get your degree from an average school. Don't cry to me when you find yourself in the unemployment line because your average school failed to post it's (dismal) career placement rates. People study finance to make a ton of cash, and no one is going to pay some average joe six-figures when there are hundreds of Princeton, Stanford, etc students graduating every year.
Last edited by NYCAnalyst; 04-25-2010 at 02:11 AM..
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