Hello Duncan. As u had suggested me about the MSc in Finance option, I am getting lots of feedback from my frnds colleagues and mentors as to look for MBA or management course instead of Finance specific as I don't hav a commerce background. So I would not be able to Crack the exams at UCD or Limerick which will be surely tough and I will land in soup. Any suggestions on this.? And I also want to ask you about Masters in Mgmt any sorts of Programmes like the masters in Finance and how successful they are and how good they are and how good are the placements and how much are the salaries to those guys. Is there any FT ranking or list like the pre-experience one. What do you suggest? Should I go for Masters in Finance or take up an MBA or Masters in Mgmt Programe so that will come to know about the finance difficulty also. Now I am actually starting to doubt myself after hearing so many things abt Finance stream. I am completely confused. I am thinking of NZ also now for MBA as I have a low GMAT score and UCD needs 650+ mandatory I guess. So looking for NZ also in AUT or Auckland Business or Victoria or Lincoln. But I want to stay with Ireland and Dublin and UCD. I have actually started loving that University.
So please suggest something to get out of this confusion. ?and is Finance really that difficult to understand.? And Ya post Masters in Mgmt can I work in Finance stream for investment banking which I am actually interested for to spend my whole life in.

[Edited by nrj on Mar 11, 2018]

Focus on your goals. MBA is great for general commerce. MiF is for finance. Don't you want to work in finance?

Yes I do want to work in Finance but it's jus that I Dnt have any prior background of Finance and as so many people are advising me of not getting into it as I might land up in debt and no proper job too of Finance. But just for second thought is Masters in Management good like MBA or MiF? Is there a pre or post experience FT rankings List for it too? Can I get into Finance post MiM.?

Look, I can't help you with your doubts. I think you have all the information you need. The top business schools are very good at selecting students who are able to make the most of their education. If you are not able to complete a MiF degree, then you will not be selected for one. But the financial content in a MiF is not any harder than the financial content in an MBA or an MiM. It's just the case that a MiF has *more* financial content because a MBA or MiM is a general management degree.

The statistics on MiF degrees are very clear: they generally have a higher employment rate than MiM and MBA degrees at the same schools.

Use the FT rankings. They show you pre-experience MiF degrees (which are designed for people like you, with no prior work experience in finance); MiM degrees (all of which are pre-experience, including the 'freshers' MBAs which are so common in India); and global MBA degrees (the mainstream, post-experience, MBAs we have in the developed world). ANy programme which will admit you is very likely to be able to place you. However, if you want to work in finance then a MiF degree will obviosuly be better.

Thank you for suggestions Duncan. And really sorry for so many doubts and questions and eating ur head so much. It's just that I have not had anybody to guide me before and being more cautious while investing a big amount for course. That's why so much thinking. Will update you. Thanks a lot for all suggestions.

The good news is that any masters at an accredited business school will take you forward. None of these choices are likely to be harmful. :)

Oh ok. The only difference would be education and the salary post course.

Yes and no. They will all take you forward, and some will take you further forward than others. The rankings show you that the outcomes differ greatly between the schools. That is partly about the education and the salary, but also about the alumni network, the other students in your cohort, the brand equity and so on....

Yes the alumni network and the brand equity are also two important points. Talking about the other students, in Masters usually there are students of the age range 24-25, I am like 29, won't there be a lot of age diff or there are students of 28+ age also. Usually MBA has that but Masters I doubt it. I was thinking about the age factor also , a little awkward. Classmates huge age diff.

Yes, the MBA students will be closer in age to you however other things being equal you'll find it easier to get into a MiF at a good school than into an MBA at the same school. Furthermore, many MBAs have very limited electives in finance, especially one year MBAs. So, yes, an MBA will have students closer to your age but most one year MBAs won't have enough finance content to allow you to be taken seriously as a potential employee. Look at this list: http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/top-mbas-for-finance-2017 Getting into a top 50 MBA for finance is really hard: the bottom of the list still have excellent schools like Rotman and Warwick. Getting into a top 50 MiF is much easier.

the list you provided is of mba finance and do they have work exp in finance because the salary is 200K+. it is very huge. i mean UCD does not even have that much for normal MBA. neither for MiF. thats pretty huge sal figure. FT has all the rankings list. MBA,MiF, MiM?

You will need work experience for any accredited MBA so, yes, the finance MBAs too.

I checked the FT Rankings List of Masters in Management 2017. I saw the UCD stating Masters in International Management program in top 20. So is it like the MSc in International Management programme is the only one having that rank and that much written salary and not for other program like the MSc in Management. I remember u saying about any Masters program from an accredited University will take me forward and not be harmful but I am jus asking considering the ranking part and salary part given on FT. As if needed to choose MSc in Management

[Edited by nrj on Mar 14, 2018]

Their Masters in International Management will have better outcomes than the average of their other MSc degrees for obvious reasons. It's longer. It's a dual degree programme.It's more selective, requiring a top grade degree and recommendation letters. So, the regular MSc in management will not be so good.

Maybe it's an overstatement that *any* masters at an accredited business school will take you forward. Most will. You want to move into finance so, for example, an MSc in arts management might take your further way. The more finance content your degree has, the easier it will be for you to move into finance.

Hello Duncan, currently I have got an offer letter from University of Limerick for MA in Business Management course, they rejected the MSc in Financial Services courses as I am not from Finance background. And UCD has put me in waitlist because of my career Consultant mistake of checking the online interview mail very late. So I need to know two things :
1) what are the chances of waitlist of UCD
2) How is Limerick University and the above said course in regards to job prospects in Ireland and what is the difference between MA and MSc course.

I don't know the stats for their waitlist. In terms of prospects, I guess you read the detailed course outlines and placement report on their website? The MA is a general management course, that MSc is about financial services.

PS If not, it's at http://www3.ul.ie/careers/careers/stugrad/FDR%202016%20KBS.pdf

[Edited by Duncan on Apr 21, 2018]

Yes I have been through the website and courses. But i am looking for some real and recent stats. And I wanted the difference between MA - Master of Arts and MSc - Masters of Science. As the course for gen.mgmt is MA and Fin.Services is MSc. Is their General Management course a good one like the Fin.services.

Did you read the placement report?

Ya I read 2% for the Business and Management field. And highest for the teaching field. And the salary also around € 25900 average salary for business management . Is it same for international students also. ? I am thinking of waiting for the UCD result. But is it right decision waiting for the UCD result.(both MiF and MiM) ? The result will come till May end and Limerick has deadline 1st week of May. Confused.. UCD has great corporates tied up but that too is of 2016.

International students can probably expect a 20% discount. Looking at the data for the different masters programmes, I would be tempted to see which have the highest average and try to get into a better programme