Hello,
I want to advance my career in Finance with an (affordable) online, part-time degree or certificate (MSc, Master, MBA or CFA) and would like to hear your opinions (budget max. 30k USD, less is better).
My profile: mid 20s, BSc in Engineering, few years of work experience in banking, located in Europe.
Career goal: To get into my first leadership position within 2-4 years. The degree should allow me to either further strengthen my position at my current employer, or to strengthen my CV to open doors for interviews with other companies. A manager position within Corporate Development, Strategy or Product Development in a bank would be the most obvious path with my current experiences, however, I am open to a quantitative specialist role (not manager) in other adjacent areas as well (e.g. portfolio management).
I currently see the following options:
Boston University Online MBA via edX (24k USD):
++ an MBA might be the most straightforward degree to get into a management position, the title itself is very prestigious
+ is rigorous, but at the same time from what I can read online not too time-consuming (<10 hrs per week / ~84 ECTS equiv.)
- prestigious university name - however, probably less well known in Europe
- smaller alumni network in Europe
- no finance/banking focus
HEC Paris MSc in Innovation & Entrepreneurship via Coursera (23k EUR):
++ very prestigious name, business school with great rankings (#1 QS Management Masters / #1 QS Finance Masters / #5 QS MBA)
+ European business school, larger alumni network in Europe
+ networking: higher possibility to meet other students in person (Paris is geographically much closer)
+ courses in leadership, strategy, innovation, and "soft skills" - in line with career goal
- several courses focus on entrepreneurship and start-ups (interesting, but only partly useful for a corporate career)
- more time-consuming (20 hrs per week, 120 ECTS)
- not an MBA
- no finance/banking focus
Harvard University Extension School ALM, Field: Finance (~25k USD via MITx MicroMasters):
+ Harvard brand is the most prestigious of the three universities
+ focus on finance
+ opportunity to network in person due to on-campus requirement (3 weeks total)
+ offers the most possibilities for individualization
- academically very rigorous = more time-consuming (?)
- stigma about "not the real Harvard" (mixed experiences online, some people point out that nobody looks down on them in any way when you are transparent about the degree)
- the name of the degree is a bit misleading: Master of Liberal Arts in Extension School, Field: Finance
- admission criteria weaker than other degrees
- not an MBA
- smaller alumni network in Europe
CFA Level I-III (~5k EUR):
+ very prestigious certificate in the industry
+ focus on finance, demonstrates extensive knowledge in the field
+ Most affordable
- no management focus; more suited for specialists (portfolio managers)
- certificate, not a degree (does that have any impact?)
- no networking opportunities (other options allow at least for online group work etc.)
UIUC Gies College iMSM and iMBA via Coursera (iMSM: 12k / iMBA: 24k USD):
+ Master in Management within 12 months possible
+ possibility to add ~12 months and graduate with an MSM as well as an MBA (double degree)
+ probably the most flexible programme (five start dates per year etc.)
+ established online programme from a respected university
- does not participate in rankings
- less known in Europe (probably less than Boston University?)
My opinion so far:
* I slightly prefer the HEC MSc over the Boston MBA due to the more prestigious HEC Paris brand (especially here in Europe).
* However, I fear that I might make a mistake by not pursuing an MBA right away, on the one hand.
* On the other hand, as I am still relatively young, I would have the option to pursue a part-time Executive MBA (on-campus) in 10-15 years, which could boost my career even more in the long run and allow me to network.
* The Harvard ALM is very tempting due to the Harvard brand - however, I fear that whole stigma thing around the degree is something that could backfire + it does not directly support my career goal
* CFA might be worthwhile after the HEC MSc to strengthen my finance knowledge - but it is not my first choice as it is not completely in line with my career goal
Which one would you suggest? Do you see other options?
Thanks
I want to advance my career in Finance with an (affordable) online, part-time degree or certificate (MSc, Master, MBA or CFA) and would like to hear your opinions (budget max. 30k USD, less is better).
My profile: mid 20s, BSc in Engineering, few years of work experience in banking, located in Europe.
Career goal: To get into my first leadership position within 2-4 years. The degree should allow me to either further strengthen my position at my current employer, or to strengthen my CV to open doors for interviews with other companies. A manager position within Corporate Development, Strategy or Product Development in a bank would be the most obvious path with my current experiences, however, I am open to a quantitative specialist role (not manager) in other adjacent areas as well (e.g. portfolio management).
I currently see the following options:
Boston University Online MBA via edX (24k USD):
++ an MBA might be the most straightforward degree to get into a management position, the title itself is very prestigious
+ is rigorous, but at the same time from what I can read online not too time-consuming (<10 hrs per week / ~84 ECTS equiv.)
- prestigious university name - however, probably less well known in Europe
- smaller alumni network in Europe
- no finance/banking focus
HEC Paris MSc in Innovation & Entrepreneurship via Coursera (23k EUR):
++ very prestigious name, business school with great rankings (#1 QS Management Masters / #1 QS Finance Masters / #5 QS MBA)
+ European business school, larger alumni network in Europe
+ networking: higher possibility to meet other students in person (Paris is geographically much closer)
+ courses in leadership, strategy, innovation, and "soft skills" - in line with career goal
- several courses focus on entrepreneurship and start-ups (interesting, but only partly useful for a corporate career)
- more time-consuming (20 hrs per week, 120 ECTS)
- not an MBA
- no finance/banking focus
Harvard University Extension School ALM, Field: Finance (~25k USD via MITx MicroMasters):
+ Harvard brand is the most prestigious of the three universities
+ focus on finance
+ opportunity to network in person due to on-campus requirement (3 weeks total)
+ offers the most possibilities for individualization
- academically very rigorous = more time-consuming (?)
- stigma about "not the real Harvard" (mixed experiences online, some people point out that nobody looks down on them in any way when you are transparent about the degree)
- the name of the degree is a bit misleading: Master of Liberal Arts in Extension School, Field: Finance
- admission criteria weaker than other degrees
- not an MBA
- smaller alumni network in Europe
CFA Level I-III (~5k EUR):
+ very prestigious certificate in the industry
+ focus on finance, demonstrates extensive knowledge in the field
+ Most affordable
- no management focus; more suited for specialists (portfolio managers)
- certificate, not a degree (does that have any impact?)
- no networking opportunities (other options allow at least for online group work etc.)
UIUC Gies College iMSM and iMBA via Coursera (iMSM: 12k / iMBA: 24k USD):
+ Master in Management within 12 months possible
+ possibility to add ~12 months and graduate with an MSM as well as an MBA (double degree)
+ probably the most flexible programme (five start dates per year etc.)
+ established online programme from a respected university
- does not participate in rankings
- less known in Europe (probably less than Boston University?)
My opinion so far:
* I slightly prefer the HEC MSc over the Boston MBA due to the more prestigious HEC Paris brand (especially here in Europe).
* However, I fear that I might make a mistake by not pursuing an MBA right away, on the one hand.
* On the other hand, as I am still relatively young, I would have the option to pursue a part-time Executive MBA (on-campus) in 10-15 years, which could boost my career even more in the long run and allow me to network.
* The Harvard ALM is very tempting due to the Harvard brand - however, I fear that whole stigma thing around the degree is something that could backfire + it does not directly support my career goal
* CFA might be worthwhile after the HEC MSc to strengthen my finance knowledge - but it is not my first choice as it is not completely in line with my career goal
Which one would you suggest? Do you see other options?
Thanks
