The University of California Irvine Master of Finance program is another new entrant to this space and I believe the fourth program in the California state school system. I am happy to see another California program start up since Claremont McKenna stopped offering the degree a couple years ago. This should provide more choice and options for those looking to study and work on the West Coast post graduation.
Overview
The program requires 6 core classes and 7 electives, taken over a 12 month time period. Electives can be picked from MSF or MBA classes, allowing students to tailor their studies towards what their ultimate career goals might be.
The cost of the program is $55,000, the same for both residents and non-residents. This is slightly on the higher side for program costs, but UCI offers merit based scholarships for qualified students. It is cheaper than the MSF recently started by UC San Diego, which is a perfect comparison program.
Applications
The Fall 2017 deadlines for the University of California Irvine program as follows:
- February 1, 2017
- May 1, 2017 (Deadline for International Students)
- July 1, 2017
Decisions are made on a rolling basis so applicants can apply and find out without having to wait. Really nice for those looking to put in a last minute application.
Admissions
Since this is a new program, there isn’t a class profile to go off of. The FAQ says they are looking for a minimum 3.0/GPA and their only guidance for GMAT is that it should be “competitive”. From my experience I would say you should be targeting a 650 or better GMAT, but if you have a higher GPA this might offset a lower GMAT. I will reach out and see if I can get a better indication for everyone.
Students with a quantitative background are encourages to apply. UCI is looking for individuals familiar with C++, as well as with statistical, econometric, and mathematical applications such as SAS, STATA, R, S-Plus, MATLAB, or Mathematica.
Check back soon as I hope to have additional information for everyone interested in learning more about this program. Until then, check out there website (which I will link to below) for any updated from the program itself.
Here is a link to the University of California Irvine Master of Finance Program