The Santa Clara University Masters in Finance and Analytics has been around for a while, but recently augmented the program to include more analytics which is incredibly useful in todays data driven environment. With this important program change I figured it was time to refresh all the materials I had for Santa Clara as my goal is to always provide all of you with relevant and up to date information.
Overview
This is a full time or part time program, lasting between 9 and 16 months. Students follow a cohort style with electives available to customize the degree to your liking and interests. Classes are in the evening as well as on Saturday, offering plenty of flexibility for working students as well as those who are busy during the day. This is also STEM designated so international students can get the extended OPT from this as well.
Tuition is roughly $47,000. That was derived from the current per credit hour cost $1,318 (2021-2022) x 36 credit hours. I am sure there are some additional costs, but this should be directionally correct. There are also merit scholarships available to help bring down costs. See below from the schools website:
“Awards are based on professional accomplishments and outstanding scholarship as demonstrated in collegiate transcripts, GMAT or GRE score and recent coursework. The Graduate Business Office does not award need-based scholarships.”
Please reach out to admissions to inquire further.
Curriculum
Students enrolling in the MSFA program have two full-time options; an intensive 9-month or a 16-month program or a flexible, part-time one. You will need to take 20 core classes and 16 electives. All student are require to finish three online courses (or equivalent) prior to the start of the program: linear algebra, introduction to R, and introduction to Python.
- Linear Algebra course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/linear-algebra-machine-learning
- R course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/r-programming
- Python course: https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-python
Upcoming Events
The Santa Clara University Masters in Finance and Analytics program has a number of upcoming online question and answer events coming up. You can find a full list of the events here. You can also schedule a one on one appointment with an admissions counselor, something I would highly encourage if you have interest in this program.
Admissions
The admissions process for Santa Clara is pretty standard. Resume, application, three (3) essays, GMAT or GRE (no preference), TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo Scores (for international applicants) and two (2) letters of reference. Work experience for the MS program is no required.
- Fall Deadline: April 1st (for scholarship priority), May 1st final deadline
The website does mention a GMAT/GRE waiver. Below are the requirements. Make sure to talk with admissions as this policy might change.
- Candidates must have 4 or more years of full-time work experience and one or more of the following:
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited school with a cumulative GPA above a 3.4 (STEM majors), or 3.6 (Non STEM majors)
- A master’s doctorate, or professional degree (JD,MD) with a cumulative GPA above a 3.3 from an accredited university, or professional certification, e.g. CPA, CFA. Note: Certificate programs do not count.
- Conferred degree that is quantitative in nature, e.g. math, engineering, or hard sciences (undergraduate or graduate)
- Have five or more years of military enlistment
- Completed all pre-program prerequisites
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All in all, I am very excited about how this program is structured. The west coast doesn’t have a ton of MSF programs and the combination of MSF and Analytics is something I have not seen before. The different timelines that you can choose to complete this degree is helpful, as well as the part time and full time nature. I am working with the school to get more information so make sure to keep checking back.
Here is a link to the Santa Clara University Masters in Finance and Analytics
