I wrote ages ago about the University of Maryland MSF program and realized how bare bones the information I have on this site about this great Masters in Finance offering. This post will remedy this deficiency and serve as a proper update post on this program. I will reach out to the University of Maryland and see if I can build out more content on this degree for all of you.
Class Profile
The 2019 class profile for the University of Maryland MSF program is as follows included below.
- Average GMAT – 659
- Average GRE – 314
- Average GPA – 3.5
The program is evenly split between male and female students, something I know a lot of programs are striving for and always nice to see. Historically, the class sizes for this program were on the larger side (I will try and confirm this). The average age is 23 years old with 1 year of work experience. I would consider this a fresh out of undergraduate targeted program, but if you have a couple years experience this would still be relevant.
All in all, I think this is a good class profile for a very respected university.
Admissions
As I have done with previous posts, I will use this to provide an update on anything relevant to the admission process.
- GMAT Waivers – Students finishing undergrad with a 3.2 GPA or higher with a strong quantitative background from a U.S. institution may request their GMAT/GRE scores be waived.
- Application Process – Similar to other programs – Resume, One letter of recommendation, transcripts, Essays, TOFEL for international students and GMAT/GRE (unless waived). I will include towards the end of this section the upcoming deadlines.
Upcoming Deadlines
- May 1st (Last priority deadline for international applicants)
- July 1st
Academics
Classes are held at the University of Maryland campus in College Park, MD. The program is 30 credits in length and offers two tracks: Financial Analysis and Risk Management or Asset Management. I like when tracks are offered as it allows you to specialize, which enhances your value to an employer. Students participate in the Global Equity Fund where they manage $500,000 of the university’s endowment fund. There are also hands on consulting projects in asset management and corporate finance.
The program can be completed in 2, 3 or 4 semesters, allowing students to work at their own pace. I did my degree in 1 year, but I know many other individuals have different lives and need a little more time to complete their education.
Career Information
The program includes a number of career data points and student success stories. While I did not see a comprehensive student career report, I am sure you can reach out to the career center and get this information. Among students who work with career office 89% received internships and 79% received full time job offers. The average starting salary in 2018 for MSF graduates was $77,000 and alumni say a 44% average salary increase 3 years after graduating. I like this statistic as it shows the value of the degree as time goes on. I can attest to this first hand.
Maryland includes a handful of employers who have hired MSF students. A bunch of really great companies here.
- HSBC
- PWC
- Morgan Stanley
- FreddieMac
- Citi
- Capital One
The link to the career success stories is here. Scroll down and read the first hand experience from students who’ve gone through the program.
Events
With all of going through varying states of quarantine, the University of Maryland MSF program is being very generous with a number of upcoming information sessions that anyone interested can attend. There is one on April 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th.
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I am glad I got around to updating this program as there have been a lot of changes since I last checked it out. More to follow soon, I promise.
Here is a link to the University of Maryland MSF Program
