The Georgia State University MSF program has been working hard to get me updated information on the program, something I truly appreciate. One thing that I know all of you appreciate is updated student reviews so I asked the program for help with this. In short order they helped me connect with a recent graduate of the program who kindly took time out of their schedule to write this review for all of you. This person just graduated so this information reflects all the recent updates and changes that the program has implemented. Hope it helps and keep a look out for more information in the near future.
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1) Why an MSF in general? Why the Georgia State University MSF specifically?
I decided to pursue an MSF mainly to get more exposure to banking and capital markets. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration, I possessed a wide skillset in general business practices. However, even though I knew I would be versatile in different business environments, I built a very strong interest in finance especially during my senior year, when I majored in International Finance. After a successful internship during my senior year at one of the largest telecom providers in the world in the operational finance department, I was certain I wanted to expand my knowledge and earn an MSF.
Georgia State University gave me the opportunity to explore the field of finance in a booming market that is the South-East of the US. Besides a strong curriculum that develops skills that are widely applicable in different fields of finance, such as investment banking, valuation services, corporate finance, wealth management, and many more, the MSF program has one of the most knowledgeable professors I personally came across with both from a theoretical perspective, but also from practical perspective on how to break into those fields. The MSF program at Georgia State University has certainly sharpened my finance skillset and provided me with a very personalized career prospective.
2) Who would you recommend an MSF to?
I strongly recommend the Georgia State University MSF program to anyone who is trying to break into any finance job, such as investment banking, wealth management, asset management, or any indirect finance job that requires a general understanding of finance. Furthermore, apart from an internship and a few finance classes I took during my undergraduate studies, I did not have a typical finance background. I believe the Georgia State University MSF program is ideal for individuals such as myself, who do not have (or a minimum amount of) relevant work experience or for those who are changing careers relatively early on.
3) Pros/Cons (if any)?
Pros: Tuition is relatively affordable, especially compared to MSF programs at other universities; a great opportunity to break into finance/make a career switch; STEM certification, which allows for an even broader skill set and provides an opportunity to break into the world of FinTech.
Cons: The program is hard, so unless you are fully dedicated, this program should not even be considered. This definitely makes working on the side (either full-time or as an intern) tough but very rewarding in terms of experience.
4) Anything else you’d like to talk about. You can discuss Atlanta, recruiting, alumni help, etc. Whatever you think would be helpful to students trying to decide whether or not to attend.
I believe the Georgia State University MSF program really fills that educational gap that currently exists in FinTech, as it was one of the pioneers to provide courses related to the subject. Also, by being located centrally in the South-East, you have access to several growing markets in the region, including a booming market in Atlanta. If you are planning to attend this program, it is essential to know what you are trying to accomplish, so that you can specialize and steer in a certain direction early in the program.
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Here is a link to the Georgia State University MSF Program
