It has been forever since I first wrote about the Chinese University of Hong Kong Master in Finance program so I figured it would make sense to do a brand new, full overview of the program. I have been focusing nearly exclusively on US programs for a while now and that needs to change. There are numerous great MSF programs outside the states and since many of my readers are viewing this site from overseas, it only makes sense I put more effort into featuring them.
Overview
This program can be completed full time in one year or part time in two. Learning is focused on portfolio analysis, credit analysis, risk modelling, structured finance in addition to a number of other fields, all while incorporating real world experience through their finance lab. This MSF has an advisory board (started in 2019) that helps steer the program though a combination of academic and professional committee members.
Students choose from a number of core and elective classes, allowing attendees to tailor their education to the area of finance that they ultimate want to pursue a career in. There are 15 electives to choose from and they span from behavioral finance, econometrics to Chinese market classes.
The Financial Times currently has CUKJ Masters in Finance ranked 25th in the 2024 Pre-experience programmes Rankings. Not bad at all. This is also a CFA affiliate program as it incorporates a significant amount of the CFA material in its class room teachings.
Note that this degree is taught in English and proficiency is expected
Career
This program has pretty good career information which is very helpful for any students considering the program. Some key stats as well as hiring firms:
- Over 90% of students find employment within 3 months of graduation.
- Almost 80% of graduates go into banking and finance.
- Over 40% of students find employment in Hong Kong on graduation.
| Accenture | China Merchants Bank | HSBC |
| Agricultural Bank of China | CITIC Bank | Jefferies |
| Alibaba | Citigroup | JP Morgan |
| Allianz Global Investors | Crédit Agricole ClB | KPMG |
| Bain & Company | Daiwa Institute | Lazard Asset Management |
| Bank of America | DBS Bank | Macquarie Capital |
| Bank of China | Deloitte | Morgan Stanley |
| Bank of East Asia | Deutsche Bank | Natixis |
| Barings | Ernst & Young | Nomura International |
| Bloomberg L.P. | Fidelity International | Royal Bank of Canada |
| BNP Paribas | Goldman Sachs Asia | Wells Fargo |
I trimmed this down as much as possible as there were a TON of well know financial firms hiring graduates. Every major investment bank was listed on this.
Admissions
Students should have an internationally recognized bachelors degree with a “B” average. You will need to upload the standard package to the system (transcripts, resume, etc). GMAT/GRE is not required, but depending on your stats can definitely help. For international students looking to study in Hong Kong, you will need a visa.
Tuition for the full time program is HK$430,000 and for the part time program it is HK$355,000 (as of 11/25/24). There are a number of scholarships and grants to bring this cost down as well. I checked the exchange rates and compared to US programs in USD, this is a mid-priced program.
Application Deadlines are rolling with the following dates being important:
Full Time
- 8/2/24 (Early Round)
- 3/32/25 (Final Round)
Part Time
- 4/30/25
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This is a much more comprehensive post on this program when compared to my first post ages ago. There seems to be a lot of good going on with this MSF and placements seem to echo this. Anyone considering studying in Asia should definitely check this one out.
Here is a link to the Chinese University of Hong Kong Master in Finance Program
