The MSF is recognized where it matters. Wall street and money management firms for the most part want to train you and just want you to be smart and analytical so they use the MBA as a great screen and way to ensure you are educated and have experience.
However MSF is recognized by those who need people to do modeling, pricing derivatives or products, risk analysis, forecasting, and more detailed analysis (portfolio management). I had classmates with no work experience graduating from the program and getting jobs at risk management desks because the degree taught them everything they needed to know. The MBA is fine if you are going into the corporate world or even if you are doing market analysis or studying corporate financials but if you are doing true finance the MSF is better and has a reputation, you just need to talk to the right people.
And for those who do not know about the MSF, they usually find out pretty quickly how much you know (assuming you did not fail out). I remember having a conversation with an MBA grad from Wharton who is running a mutual fund and he never learned options or futures or any derivatives really or how to do modeling. That alone spoke volumes.
So the difference between the MBA and MSF is important because they both serve different purposes. YOu need to investigate both and compare to make sure you go for the right degree. From my experience, and I have a lot of experience in comparing the two academically and professionally, if you are interested in pure finance, the MSF is the way to go. You do not go to learn trading tips or how to devise an automated trading system (obviously people here do that already without a degree lol).
But if you want to learn the way products are priced, how to devise models, how different securities work and about every aspect of the financial market (stocks, bonds, derivatives, real estate, financial theory, financial modeling, financial statements, tax, econometrics, global finance, foreign exchanve), the MSF is perfect. Look at class offerings to get a better idea.
Quote from rzepe93:
optionquote,
Thanks for this reply i've heard this before but had very liitle insight into what the differences are.
I'm not so much interested in the management side but I understand that an MBA is trying to prepare you more for management positions. How marketable is the MSF? Is it equivalent to an MBA or do major institutions still value an MBA more? It's a shame that there is so much emphasis put on an MBA considering it's not as concentrated an MSF. Any info would be much appreciated, Im in the process of taking GMAT within a month and don't want to take the extras that an MBA offers.
Thanks again.
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