MPhil Land Economy at Cambridge or MSc Management at Imperial College for IB/Finance?

Hi,

If you hypothetically had a non-STEM business background at a good university in your undergraduate studies, which of these options would you prefer as your masters if you were aiming for investment / corporate banking or other roles in the financial industry:

MPhil Land Economy in Cambridge at a good college, or MSc Management from the Imperial Business School (Imperial College London).

Please give reasons for your preference.

Some informations about each of the programmes:

http://www.landecon.cam.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/land-economy-research/mphil-in-land-economy-research

http://wwwf.imperial.ac.uk/business-school/programmes/msc-management/entry-requirements/

Why would you go for either of them, any Masters? Why not go straight for a job?

Because I feel like I need additional qualification to my non-STEM business undergraduate studies, even in the UK. Would you say this is not the case?

And then again, it is Cambridge and ICL.

Also, outside of the UK in countries such as France or Denmark, everyone has the masters and this is pretty much 'expected' of you.

I'd try getting a job first, rather than taking a punt on another year's delay and a massive bill. Neither of those degrees are mainstream enough to realign your academic background.

You need to focus on getting facts about your hiring chances in specific roles, in specific sectors - much more specifically than 'IB/Finance', because if you stand no chance now, you'll still stand very little chance after either of those courses.

Btw, there's no such thing as 'at a good College' at Cambridge. The Colleges have no bearing on your academic merit, deserts, award, level etc especially at PG level. It's only tourists that have a ranking, mostly based on long dead fellows and architecture.

I would do the MSc at Imperial as it's more valuable as a business graduate and you could bring in the transferable skills and knowledge you gained from your Bsc. Imperial and Cambridge are equally great Universities and are both known and prestigious anywhere in the World. So I would pick the modules that interest me between the two. It's up to you OP, as no matter what advice anyone gives you, at the end of the day, you will be the one to do the degree.
Do your research and check the employability of both courses/ your interests in both before applying.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I actually hold offers for both. In terms of research - Land Economy has one of the best employment prospects among all Cambridge courses (!) at an undergraduate level, according to Cambridge University itself. I am unsure whether this is also the case for MPhils in the department. For ICL, I think the MSc Management does boost employment opportunities - the question is whether it can do so more than Cambridge LandEcon MPhil. It is more demanding to get into Cambridge for their MPhil, and LandEcon ranks somewhere in the middle between courses like History or Management on the one hand and Architecture or Economics on the other. What do you think?

Well, so what you are saying is that masters are not worth doing [at least at this point]? What would you do and what master level qualification would you take and when.

If I couldn't find any opportunities to apply for now, I'd spend a year doing something basic and professional - not a retail role, but a junior management role more or less anywhere, manufacturing, retail banking, just keep busy 9-5 and get some income and experience. Meanwhile, research, make contacts, use LinkedIn, network etc and be as certain as you can be what chances you have of getting in with your current degree and soft skills. These sectors are not all about specific degree courses, other than in a few very specific areas, and you have already missed that boat.

I'd get on with working for now and consider a Masters after 2-3 years (one job), or an MBA in 4-6 years (after 2 jobs)

Hi,

If you hypothetically had a non-STEM business background at a good university in your undergraduate studies, which of these options would you prefer as your masters if you were aiming for investment / corporate banking or other roles in the financial industry:

MPhil Land Economy in Cambridge at a good college, or MSc Management from the Imperial Business School (Imperial College London).

Please give reasons for your preference.

Some informations about each of the programmes:

http://www.landecon.cam.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/land-economy-research/mphil-in-land-economy-research

http://wwwf.imperial.ac.uk/business-school/programmes/msc-management/entry-requirements/

OP already has places in those Universities, so it is counterproductive he decides not to go to any of the two taking into consideration that all his hard work in sending into applications, interviews, preparation etc.

If he has the money to fund the degree now and some money to live on after the degree, then I see no value in him waiting some years to work, apply again, and go through the application process again.

Post graduate study is all about financial capability and sending in a good application to be honest. And almost everyone has a bachelors in this country, that Bsc has lost it's credibility, going further in education whilst you have the financial resources to will be beneficial in the long term.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Hi,

If you hypothetically had a non-STEM business background at a good university in your undergraduate studies, which of these options would you prefer as your masters if you were aiming for investment / corporate banking or other roles in the financial industry:

MPhil Land Economy in Cambridge at a good college, or MSc Management from the Imperial Business School (Imperial College London).

Please give reasons for your preference.

Some informations about each of the programmes:

http://www.landecon.cam.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/land-economy-research/mphil-in-land-economy-research

http://wwwf.imperial.ac.uk/business-school/programmes/msc-management/entry-requirements/

Well done on the offers. . It's a tough one. In that case, I would do the one that interests me the most. I can't tell you what to do OP, as I don't want to give the wrong advice and I won't be the one doing the degree.

I have a feeling you are leaning towards the Cambridge one though, and with the excellent employment opportunities, as you said, it might be more suitable for you. I wish you all the best in whatever degree you decide on.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Yep, you need to rtfq! The OP was asking which would help them get into Finance/IB. Assuming by Finance they meant something in the IB genre, not estate management or working for Knight Frank etc, then neither course will help more than applying for jobs in the sector will.

It doesn't matter a fig that Cam Land Ec has great employability stats if none of the jobs were gained in IB, and chances are they weren't. They will probably be with large estate and property management companies and organisations like the UN etc. I'm sure for enjoyment and general job opportunities Land Ec would be brilliant, but I don't think it's going to help the OP break into IB, and if that's their aim, there are almost certainly cheaper and more time effective routes.

The one you want to study, they're both target schools. I'm fairly sure the management course is way more expensive, so if you don't have the cash on hand then the Cambridge course makes more sense.

That's pretty much the answer, neither course will drastically teach you anything that valuable for getting into IB.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Thank you so much for your replies, but please be critical. Does it matter, and how much does it matter, that the Cambridge course is research masters and the Imperial one is taught? This question is especially aimed at CV helper threeportdrift who has the expertise.

Is research masters a help or hindrance when applying to, say, marketing or consulting job in comparison to taught masters. It makes no difference in countries like Denmark, but I have heard that it does in the UK, is it true?

Is research masters a help or hindrance when applying to, say, marketing or consulting job in comparison to taught masters. It makes no difference in countries like Denmark, but I have heard that it does in the UK, is it true?

Doesn't matter for most jobs, the uni brand name and how well you do in the masters are more important.

It won't matter. We have no fixed naming conventions in the UK, so no-one can tell without asking anyway. Plus the amount of 'research' varies. in the areas you are looking it it is a detail too far to worry about.

Thank you. Last question: the duration time. The MSc at Imperial is 12 months and the MPhil at Cambridge 10 months - should I worry about that?

Thank you. Last question: the duration time. The MSc at Imperial is 12 months and the MPhil at Cambridge 10 months - should I worry about that?