The Vanderbilt University MSF program is continually one of the best programs when it comes to employment outcomes (among other things as well). Because of this, the annual placement report is always eagerly anticipated by anyone considering applying to the program. Well the 2019 report was just released and as expected, the results are amazing. I will include a link to download the report below as well as links to the Vanderbilt press release and report on their site for anyone who wants to look at it in greater depth than the summary I will include below.
Highlights from this years employment outcomes report include:
- Celebrating another year at 100%: The MSF program reached 100% employment for the third time in five years, with all seeking students in the Class of 2019 accepting an offer for a full-time job within 90 days of graduation. Although the MBA CSEA standards for specialty masters reports outcomes at six months post-graduation, we are excited to report our students reached that milestone within three months of graduation.
- Record salary outcomes: The Class of 2019 set a program record with an average salary of $78,343, a 10% increase from the Class of 2018. Part of this unprecedented average salary can be attributed to another program record: 29 students (53% of the class) entered investment banking upon graduation. In addition to investment banking, graduates accepted positions in a variety of functions including investment management, real estate, consulting, and private equity.
- Excellent outcomes in diverse paths and geographies: MSFs from the Class of 2019 are spread across the U.S., with this class boasting one of the largest percentages of students ever to land in New York (33%).
Salary Data and Employment Outcomes by Industry
Vanderbilt University does a really good job of providing a lot of compensation information for both domestic and international students. This year is actually surprising in the fact international students had slightly higher overall salary and bonus data. I consider this to be great news for any of the foreign students considering studying in the US.
Base Salary (Domestic)
- Avg. – $77,013 (High – $100K / Low – $55K)
Base Salary (International)
- Avg. – $83,182 (High – $150K / Low – $25K)
This doesn’t factor in signing bonuses which can increase this number a lot. I think the average figures when it comes to signing bonuses are tough as investment banking analyst bonuses tend to be pretty similar. Commercial Banking and F500 have much lower bonuses. Also, this doesn’t include end of year bonuses which can be significant in the financial community. I think the key take away is that you will make a very good salary and have various bonuses coming from this program.
Here are a few other data points that I found interesting:
Top Metros:
- New York – 18 placements
- Nashville – 7 placements
- Charlotte – 6 placements
- Atlanta – 5 placements
- Chicago – 5 placements
Couple take aways from this info. First, while Vanderbilt is a southern program, the New York placements are significant and prominent. I tell people all the time, school location does not necessarily dictate where you end up. Spending effectively a year in Nashville and then going to NYC for your career is pretty enticing. Second, you have strong southern metro placements, including Nashville. This should tell you how much people enjoy their time in that city. I also found Chicago to be surprising. As a current Chicagoan, this is a great city and strong financial hub. These stats should tell you that a Vanderbilt University MSF can help you find a job anywhere you want.
Top Hiring Companies:
- Houlihan Lokey – 4
- Jefferies – 3
- Bank of America – 2
- Raymond James – 2
- UBS – 2
My thoughts on this is that any time you see a firm hiring multiple students you should see this as a good sign. This tells you that a program is truly imbedded in a company and they trust the quality of students coming from that school. You have a mix of larger banks and well respected middle market firms. Now this is just a small sample of where graduates go to work, but seeing this is a great sign. And this is repeated over past years.
Conclusion
One, sorry guys for the delay in this post. I should have had this out to all of you a week ago. I will work harder in the new year to be more timely. Second, wow, Vanderbilt is really establishing themselves as the premier MSF program out there with these employment outcomes. I’ve been saying it for years that the career services at Vanderbilt are best in class and every year they reaffirm that statement. You can find all the placement reports, including this one HERE.
I have another Vanderbilt article I am working on so check back soon. Until then, I hope this helps any of you considering the program.
Here is a link to the Vanderbilt University Masters in Finance Program
