We have made a selection of the top-ranked Master’s degrees in business-, management-, and finance-related fields to help you identify the schools which can prepare you in the best possible way for the professional path you have chosen.
The selection is based on rankings compiled by the Financial Times and French training and careers guidance provider Eduniversal SA.
Each of the Master’s programmes provided by the seven top universities included below offers high quality education and unique advantages. It’s up to you to choose.
Management
University of St. Gallen
The University of St. Gallen’s Master’s in Management (MiM) Programme topped the Financial Times’ MiM ranking for the sixth successive year in 2016. The Swiss school prevailed over 90 top universities, including France’s HEC Paris and Essec Business School, which remained second and third, respectively.
Most graduates from St. Gallen’s MA in Strategy and International Management, as the programme is officially known, choose to pursue a career within consulting, financial services, industry or entrepreneurship. The university claims that it is very common for students to have a few employment offers to choose from before graduating.
The ranking offers a peek into the remuneration packages of graduates. The average salary of St. Gallen’s alumni rose to USD 102,000 three years after graduation compared with USD 90,000 in 2015. These pay levels are only surpassed by the two Indian management academies at Ahmedabad and Bangalore, with respective salaries of USD 109,000 and USD 106,000.
About the ranking
The 2016 ranking features 90 programmes and is based on data collected from two surveys: one targeting the participating business schools and the other concerning alumni who graduated three years ago — the class of 2013. The ranking is in part based on how successful alumni have been in their careers, as reflected in the salary data.
Finance
Cambridge and HEC Paris
Each year, the Financial Times publishes two rankings dedicated to Master’s in Finance programmes around the world – a pre-experience and a post-experience ranking.
Post-experience Master’s in Finance
Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge took first place in FT’s 2016 ranking of Masters in Finance programmes for students already working in the field. Judge Business School thus ended London Business School’s five-year reign at the top of the post-experience ranking.
The business school of the University of Cambridge moved to the top mainly thanks to its strong performance in aiding career progression, according to the FT. The class of 2013 enjoyed the second highest salary three years after graduation at around USD 130,000 and offers the greatest value for money.
Check out: How I Selected the University for my Master’s Programme
Judge Business School’s Master of Finance has been designed in consultation with the banking and finance industry. The school says that the programme is one of the few in which 100% of the class has work experience in finance.
Pre-experience Master’s in Finance
In the ranking of Master’s in Finance programmes for students with little or no industry experience, HEC Paris retained its top place for the sixth straight year in 2016.
HEC Paris graduates earned USD 96,000 on average three years after graduation, still significantly below MIT’s Sloan School of Management at USD 117,000.
About the rankings
The FT ranks Masters in Finance programmes both for those with little or no background in the financial industry (the pre-experience category) and for professionals who have already worked in the sector. Using data provided by the business schools and their alumni who graduated three years ago, the rankings are based on criteria ranging from alumni salaries three years after graduation to how much seniority and international mobility graduates achieved.
Entrepreneurship
Babson College
Babson College offers the best Master’s in Entrepreneurship programme in the world, according to Eduniversal.
The Master’s in Science in Management in Entrepreneurial Leadership (MSEL) from Babson College lasts less than a year, which means that if you choose it, you have to prepare yourself for a fast-paced programme.
MSEL, which was launched in 2014, costs about USD 50,000. The programme also includes travel, which occurs for 8-12 days during winter term. Past locations of global experiences at Babson have included Chile, China, and Tanzania, among others.
About the ranking
The Eduniversal Best Master’s Ranking is an assessment of global Master’s and MBA programmes designed to help prospective students determine the best choice for their graduate studies. This is the only ranking that evaluates individual Master’s programmes worldwide in 30 fields of study. Each year, this ranking evaluates more than 12,000 postgraduate programmes. The final ranking is determined through a global survey of 5,000 international recruiters, 800,000 students and over 10,000 representatives from 1,000 academic institutions in 154 countries.
Financial Markets
Stanford
Studying at Stanford University, located between San Francisco and San Jose in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, certainly sounds appealing. It is one of the world's top universities.
If you consider applying for its MS Mathematical & Computational Finance Track programme you should demonstrate strong mathematical skills. You will get training in applied and computational mathematics, statistics, and financial applications.
The programme costs USD 15,243 per module for international students.
The MCF track is designed to prepare students to assume positions in the financial industry as data and information scientists, quantitative strategists, risk managers, regulators, financial technologists, or to continue on to their PhD in ICME, MS&E, Mathematics, Statistics, Finance and other disciplines.
About the ranking
(see The Eduniversal Best Master’s Ranking above)
E-Business
University of Warwick
If e-business is the area you want to master, head straight for Warwick. The University of Warwick’s MSc in e-Business Management is designed for those who wish to operate effectively in the e-business environment and manage either the transformation of existing business processes or the creation of new e-business activity.
The programme costs GBP 23,460 (USD 29,000) for foreign students and GBP 12,800 for EU students.
Graduates often go into IT and e-business consultancy roles, (both self-employed and in consultancy groups), e-commerce companies, or enterprises with existing or developing online business initiatives. Many graduates choose to go into media companies or take on digital marketing roles.
About the ranking
(see The Eduniversal Best Master’s Ranking)
Taxation
ESADE Law School
It may be difficult to explain to your friends why you are passionate about taxation, but ESADE Law School in Barcelona will understand you. The school’s Master’s in Tax Consultancy and Management programme offers solid training in tax planning, consulting and tax management of companies and individuals.
The programme costs EUR 16,750 (USD 18,000) for part-time students and EUR 20,250 for full-time students.
The competences that you will acquire will allow you to find work in companies, tax departments, and consultancies.
About the ranking
(see The Eduniversal Best Master’s Ranking)
Photo of Cambridge by Chris Boland: www.chrisboland.com/cambridge
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