Ready to advance your prospects in finance? Here are 8 reasons the Cambridge Master of Finance is for you

If you’re a few years into your finance career, embarking on a post-experience Masters of Finance degree isn’t just about adding another qualification to your CV.

In fact, it can mean an immediate new network of like-minded peers, access to senior bankers and finance professionals offering expert advice across a broad range of topics and, potentially, a big pay increase and new career opportunities.

Cambridge Judge Business School’s Masters of Finance (MFin) programme is first in the latest global FT rankings for post-experience MFin degrees. If you’re thinking of using a degree to enhance your prospects, these are the top eight reasons to choose Cambridge.

1. You have a ready-made network

Before Masters of Finance students start at Cambridge, they’re invited to the university during the summer to meet others on the course. Networking is a key part of developing any finance career and, with an average industry experience level of five years at Cambridge, expect to make some valuable new connections.

“It’s a ready-made network,” says Marwa Hammam, executive director of the Masters of Finance programme at Cambridge and a former Citi banker. “Students are constantly widening the network of contacts they have – not only from the MFin course, but also students of the MBA, Executive MBA, the Entrepreneurship Diploma and other degrees at Cambridge.”

2. You get access to senior figures in finance

Cambridge alumni are wide, varied and prestigious, and many of them go into work in the City of London. This, coupled with the reputation of Cambridge University, means broad range of guest speakers offering expert views to students. Cambridge’s City Speaker Series has recently featured a diverse range of people – from Perry Boyle, a managing director at hedge fund Point72 Asset Management to Tirad Mahmoud, CEO of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank.

Why is this important? Not only does it mean a combination of classes from Cambridge’s faculty and industry experts, but it also offers the chance to meet influential financiers face to face: students can sign up to a networking dinner with speakers, which can open doors to financial institutions.

“When I was a student at Cambridge, I signed up to a dinner with a senior risk manager at Citi, because this was my background,” says Hammam. “When the time came to apply for a job, there was someone in the organisation who knew me and could put in a good word for me.”

3. You can impress investment banks, wealth management firms, private equities and more with your expertise

Getting an internship in a financial services organisation is key to securing a full-time job, but students at Cambridge – who already have industry experience – are drafted into banks and other financial organisations in the City of London and around the world to show them what a difference they can make.

Through its Group Consulting Projects, small groups of students are recruited into investment banks, wealth management firms, private equities and more to tackle a real life issue they’re facing over the course of four weeks. Students come armed with new skills on the bleeding edge of financial education, providing some fresh perspective to operational issues financial services organisations are facing.

4. You could get a big pay rise

A lot of students use the Cambridge MFin to gain a broader knowledge of the financial sector and enhance their career prospects. One of the key factors in topping the FT rankings was the fact that salaries increased by an average of 68% among Cambridge graduates who responded to the survey. This was a mean salary of $130.2k. The degree gives you the tools to get from A to B in your career.

5. You are part of Cambridge University student life

If Cambridge conjures images of punting and rickety cycle rides along cobbled streets, there’s a much bigger advantage to being part of university. For a start, all students are assigned to one of Cambridge’s 31 colleges and become part of the traditions they represent. This means a broader network of connections and friends.

“Students get to meet engineers, historians and entrepreneurs,” says Hammam. “It really helps to broaden their horizons.”

6. You are part of an entrepreneurial city

Cambridge is only 45 minutes away from London, and MFin has close connections with City firms. But this doesn’t mean a traditional finance career is the only option. Cambridge is also an entrepreneurial hub – as Google’s decision to target UK start-up talent there demonstrates – and some MFin graduates have gone it alone.

2014 Cambridge graduate Tiara Letourneau, for example, switched out of a role at Royal Bank of Canada to start her own consulting business, which aims to use finance to make the world a better place, while Andrew Bertolina started a fintech company based on the West Cost of America.

The Cambridge University Entrepreneurial Society allows students to network with like-minded peers on what it takes to start their own business.

7. You are at the cutting edge of research

Again, Cambridge is not just teaching about finance concepts, but is arming students with skills that can be used in the real world. Reflective of this is its range of research centres all available to students who want to increase their knowledge and skills in particular areas.

Examples include the Centre for Alternative Finance, which focuses on financial channels outside of the mainstream and the Newton Centre for Endowment Asset Management, which focuses on understanding long-term investing. The Centre for Financial Analysis & Policy focuses on empirical study of financial markets and how this affects economic performance.

The MFin faculty all feed into these centres, and help mentor students to get the most out of them.

8. You are only taking one year out

Experienced finance professionals can think of the Cambridge MFin as a sabbatical that really helps their career. 89% of the class of 2015 were employed within three months of graduating from Cambridge. Most Masters in Finance programmes are two years, and this could potentially mean students lose touch with current trends in the markets.

“If you’re out of the industry for a year, you’re still current,” says Hammam. “We keep our students connected to the industry and the skills they learn throughout their time here makes them an attractive prospect to employers.”

Cambridge MFin admissions for 2017/18 year open on 26 September 2016.