The most recent Cambridge Master of Finance (MFin) graduates report strong levels of post-graduation employment, with 93 per cent employed three months after completing the programme, for a second year running.
Despite increasingly competitive finance job markets, MFin students succeeded in securing a wide range of roles across a variety of finance sectors and geographies.
Two significant features from the recent survey show that the MFin was key in facilitating career mobility and transitions, with 60 per cent changing finance sector and 42 per cent changing the country they are working in post-MFin. These findings underline the breadth of opportunities for career change provided by the Cambridge MFin.
The annual survey of MFin graduates found that 60 per cent secured a role with a new employer, 26 per cent returned to their previous employer, 7 per cent started their own company and 7 per cent began an internship. The highest numbers of jobs were secured in the UK, highlighting the strong links between the MFin and the finance industry in London.
Cambridge’s MFin is one of only a few Master of Finance programmes in which 100% of the class has existing work experience in finance. In this way the programme is unique – most Masters in Management programmes recruit graduates with 0-3 years work experience and that is one of key ways in which they differ from an MBA degree. An MBA requires students to have 3+ years of work experience and the class to average 5+ years of work experience at most global B-Schools.
On a sector basis, analysis of the 2013/14 class revealed that the largest numbers of graduates took up roles in investment banking (21 per cent), followed by asset management (17 per cent) and financial consulting (14 per cent), with significant numbers also employed in public sector finance and in financial roles in non-financial organisations.
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The nature of the roles chosen by Cambridge MFin graduates across the various sub-sectors of finance were equally varied, led by advisory (12 per cent), followed by capital markets (10 per cent) and consulting and equity research (each attracting 7 per cent of our graduates).
The profile of the class surveyed featured 45 students of 26 nationalities, with an average of five years’ professional experience in finance before they started the programme (it is a requirement that students have at least two years’ experience in the sector).
Cambridge’s MFin is one of only a few Master of Finance programmes in which 100% of the class has existing work experience in finance. In this way the programme is unique – most Masters in Management (alternatively called Masters in Business Management) programmes recruit graduates with 0-3 years work experience and that is one of key ways in which they differ from an Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree. An MBA requires students to have 3+ years of work experience and the class to average 5+ years of work experience at most global B-Schools.
Also Read: IIM A’s MBA (PGPX) Ranked No. 26 in Financial Times MBA Ranking 2015
Cambridge’s course is part of a new breed of Masters in Management courses that has evolved which recruits students with substantial work experience – these courses are intensive and aim to help mid-level managers become specialists in one field, as opposed to the general management knowledge an MBA imparts.
One other specialized MIM course in USA for instance is the One Year Masters in Supply Chain Management at the Ross School of Business – candidates pursuing the course typically have 7 years of work experience.
Dr Simon Taylor, Academic Director of the Cambridge MFin, said the employment results showed that employers around the globe hold the highest regard for the seven-year-old programme. We’re delighted that the results show the value of the Cambridge MFin in securing employment rapidly, but also how the Cambridge MFin allows graduates to change their career focus and country of employment if they so choose.
Members of the 2013/14 Cambridge MFin class were employed in virtually every region of the world within three months of graduation, including North and South America, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Australia.
In 2014, the MFin was ranked number two globally in the FT post-experience Masters in Finance rankings. The ranking, much like the category is still nascent though – only five schools are currently a part of the ranking.
| Overview figures | |
|---|---|
| Size of class | 37 |
| Nationalities | 21 |
| Average work experience | 5 years |
| Range in work experience | 2 – 21 years |
| Average age | 28 |
| Female/male split | 35%/65% |
| Finance Industry Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Financial Role in Non-Financial Company | 22% |
| Public Sector Finance | 14% |
| Financial Consulting | 14% |
| Investment Banking | 11% |
| Asset Management | 8% |
| Commercial/Retail Banking | 8% |
| Wealth Management / Private Banking | 8% |
| Hedge Funds | 5% |
| Financial Accounting/Law | 5% |
| Venture Capital/Private Equity | 5% |
| Nationalities | |
|---|---|
| East Asia | 24% |
| Europe (inc. UK) | 16% |
| South Asia | 14% |
| Central Asia | 11% |
| South East Asia | 11% |
| Africa | 5% |
| North America/Canada | 5% |
| South America | 5% |
| Australia/New Zealand | 5% |
| Middle East | 3% |
| Current Location | |
|---|---|
| East Asia | 22% |
| South Asia | 16% |
| South East Asia | 16% |
| Europe (inc. UK) | 14% |
| Central Asia | 11% |
| North America/Canada | 8% |
| Australia/New Zealand | 5% |
| Africa | 3% |
| Middle East | 3% |
| South America | 3% |