MBA or MSc? HEC’s solution – the MBA-MSc International Finance dual degree

With rising interest in specialized masters programmes, HEC Paris has created a new MBA-MSc in International Finance dual degree – the school says this combo will help students fast-track onto senior management positions within finance and consulting 

The MSc in Management, a variation of the Masters in Management (MIM) course is rising in popularity globally. MIM courses are typically targeted at fresh graduates and don’t require substantial prior work experience for admission as most MBA courses do.     

A recent survey by Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) of more than 12,000 global candidates finds that in the past five years, those focusing exclusively on specialized master’s degrees increased from 13 percent to 20 percent, as candidates exclusively considering MBAs declined from 55 percent to 53 percent.

HEC Paris has now launched an MBA-Msc combo that aims to give students the best of both worlds – the MBA-MSc in International Finance dual degree. The course requires candidates to have a minimum of 2 years of full time professional work experience. 

HEC says that with this new program, the B-school is bringing together the strengths of two of its flagship programs, consistently ranked among the best in the world by the Financial Times.

“The financial crisis has challenged business schools to find new ways to equip their graduates with the right set of knowledge, skills and values. HEC Paris has designed the MBA-MIF dual degree for young professionals who wish to acquire not only the general management education and leadership skills from a leading MBA program, but also advanced technical knowledge in finance to differentiate themselves from their peers. This unique combination will allow dual degree students to fast-track onto senior management positions within finance and consulting,” says Jacques Olivier, Professor of Finance and Program Director.

The integrated curriculum allows students to complete both a 16-month MBA and a 10-month Master in Finance in a total of 20 months

As per a HEC, Paris note, the structure of the program has been designed:

• to optimize synergies between the two programs with an integrated curriculum that allows students to complete both a 16-month MBA and a 10-month Master in Finance in a total of 20 months
• to leverage past experience: students with experience in finance start accounting and finance classes at an advanced level
• to provide early intensive training in finance, and thereby optimize preparation for banking and consulting interviews
• to allow for a double specialization: in strategy, entrepreneurship or general management for the MBA, together with finance for the MIF
• to optimize opportunities for networking both within MBA and MIF

Dual degree students will receive both an MBA and an MSc in International Finance upon completion of the program.

On the occasion of announcing the launch of this new degree, HEC Paris is holding in London a thought-leadership roundtable on ‘Financial careers: new skills for a new industry’.

Thierry Foucault, finance professor at HEC, will introduce the debate by presenting the shifts that have affected the financial industry since the financial crisis, from regulatory change to technology breakthroughs. A panel of senior bankers will then discuss how these changes induce a new set of knowledge, skills and values within the industry.