The Pepperdine University Masters in Applied Finance is a program I briefly posted about ages ago and when I did it was brand new with limited information. Just checking back in on the program now and it looks to be nicely humming along. I’ll use this post as a comprehensive overview of the degree for anyone interested in studying in sunny California!
Overview
This is a 41 credit hour, STEM designated specialized masters that students can complete in 12-15 months. You can also apply credits earned in this program to an MBA is you stay in the area post graduation. Students take 33 credit hours in core classes with the remaining being electives. There is a no credit career seminar that is required as students have an option of taking a no credit internship practicum. You can specialize your learning in either financial management or investments as well.
Admissions
Standard stuff. Resume, online application, and transcripts. No GMAT or GRE necessary. The deadlines for fall term admission are listed below. Still plenty of time to get your application in.
- Feb 15th – Regular Deadline
- May 28th – Final Deadline (International Students Only)
- July 14th – Final Deadline (Domestic Students Only)
- Aug 25th – Classes Start
The MSAF doesn’t have it’s own class profile, but the university does provide some color on accepted MS students. Helpful all the same.
- Average Age – 23
- GPA – 3.18
- Male / Female – 57% | 43%
- International – 44%
Tuition – now this is slightly confusing, but I will lay it out as I see it. Please contact the school for exact amounts. This is also as of January 2025 so check in to see if this has changed when you apply yourself.
- Per Unit Cost – $2,245 x 41 credit hours = $92,045
The program talks about the average scholarship being $19,000 which helps bring this down to $73,000. This is lower than USC which would be at least a geographic comparative. Not cheap though.
Careers
Nothing special for the MSAF program, but the university does include a list of employers for the undergraduate and graduate business schools. With the majority of students in this program coming directly from undergrad I would expect placements to be more in line with younger students than the MBA cohort.
Amazon | PennyMac |
Avalon Bay | Procter & Gamble (P&G) |
Canvas Worldwide | Saatchi & Saatchi |
Disney | Target |
E. & J. Gallo Winery | Warner Music Group |
Westel Financial | |
20th Century Fox | Goldman Sachs |
AEG | Kimley-Horn & Associates |
Albertsons Companies | Marcus & Millichap |
For the grad school you can add Boeing, Northrup Grumman, Disney, Bank of America, Oracle, AT&T, Kaiser Permanente, Wells Fargo, Southern California Edison, and AMGEN. With the campus in Malibu, CA the logical place you will find employment will be in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. Not a bad metro when it comes to major employers and firms.
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That is the update for now. Anyone interested should check out the site. Lots of upcoming information sessions for students in January if you are interested in learning more. I’ll check back more frequently on this one and make sure everyone is updated.
Here is a link to the Pepperdine University Masters in Applied Finance