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MSc Finance choice: Cranfield/Durham/Strathclyde/...

Hello,


I received several offers for an MSc in Finance (and similar) from the following universities:

- Cranfield University MSc Finance and Management (£19,500)
- Durham University MSc Finance and Investment (£8,500)
- University of Strathclyde MSc Investment and Finance (£6,000)

My main goal is to get a good job in an IB in London. Please state if you consider the financial aspect or not in your aswer (I can afford £20k, however I prefer knowing if it doesn't really worth the difference).

I also sent applications for Warwick, Lancaster and Cass, but no answers yet.

Oh, and I also have offers from: Glasgow, Leeds, Bradford, Brunel, Loughbourough... But those are a lot behind the 3 I mentionned right?

Thank you very much!

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Reply 1
I'd rank Leeds slightly above Strathclyde and Bradford on the same tier with it.

If you can afford Cranfield, go for it. If your budget is a little tight, then take the Durham program instead. Of course, if you get the Warwick offer, it would then be the best choice in your list.

Is the Cranfield program cost worth it? I think so. It has a good track record in sending grads to high positions in banking and finance or the corporate world in general. But the Cranfield campus environment is bucolic, quite and a bit isolated, just like Warwick.

Did you apply to Manchester?
(edited 12 years ago)
warwick, cass, crainfield, durham in that order
Reply 3
Ok, thank you for your reply!

Basically, it looks like I have a little bit overrated Strathclyde (due to the different rankings) right?

I forget to mention, but I also get Aston and Stirling.

But I think Durham is over all of those (including Leeds & Strath) right?

I haven't applied to Manchester because there was a fee of £50 and at that time I was not thinking that I would get offers from Durham or Cranfield.

As Manchester is nearly as expensive as Cranfield, do you think it is worth applying there? or Cranfield > Manchester anyway?

Also, how do you consider/rank Lancaster regarding to Durham and Cranfield.

I will try to get a scolarship for Cranfield, if it works I will probably pick it up. Otherwise, probably Durham.

Lastly, how do you compare Cass to Cranfield and Durham?

Here is my pecking order:
1- Warwick
2- Cranfield/Cass?
3- Durham

But I still don't know about Cass and Lancaster, and maybe even Manchester?

Thank you very much
Reply 4
Original post by noodlesandsoup
warwick, cass, crainfield, durham in that order


Ok, thank you. This is what I had in mind after my researches aswell.

However, where Manchester and Lancaster would fit in your ranking?

Is Cass definitely > to Cranfield?

Thanks!
Reply 5
Cranfield and Manchester are underrated on this board. I don't know why is that so, but I noticed that there is little love for both unis on TSR. In reality, those two are prestigious and highly respected. On TSR, they are expensive and just above ordinary. lol

Again, the business schools of Manchester and Cranfield are prestigious and respected world-wide. They are expensive compared to other unis because the brand power of their degree is perceived to be more prestigious too.
Reply 6
Ok, I've just talked with Cranfield and I have asked them to consider me for the £4,000 scolarship. This would make the Cranfield's costs from 19,500 to 15,500.

How do you compare Cranfield vs Manchester? The thing is Manchester want £50 for application and I already have a Cranfield offer, so if Cranfield>Manchester, I will not bother.

Do you agree with the pecking order provided by noodleandsoup?

Thank you
Reply 7
Cranfield is slightly above Manchester in my opinion. Manchester is also well known in Europe, even more than Cranfield, but thats just because of its size. Cranfield is in most rankings one of the best universities in the UK, and if you think about the small size of the classes, you will stand out a bit with a degree from Cranfield. I got an offer from Cranfield and CASS, not too sure what offer I am going to pick, but I tend to take the Cranfield offer, though the CASS programme looks more intense..
Reply 8
Hi, yeah anyways I didn't applied for Manchester yet. I was wondering if I should be finally, I decided not to.

I am still waiting for the Warwick and Cass replies.

I got a £2,000 scorlarship from Cranfield, which is better than nothing.

Tell me when you will make your decision between Cranfield and Cass.
Reply 9
Original post by painauchocolat
Ok, I've just talked with Cranfield and I have asked them to consider me for the £4,000 scolarship. This would make the Cranfield's costs from 19,500 to 15,500.

How do you compare Cranfield vs Manchester? The thing is Manchester want £50 for application and I already have a Cranfield offer, so if Cranfield>Manchester, I will not bother.

Do you agree with the pecking order provided by noodleandsoup?

Thank you


All major ranking league tables rank Cranfield very highly, so it is safe to assume that Cranfield is indeed a respected business school. http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/p691/About-Cranfield/Business-School-Rankings

Is Cranfield superior to Manchester? I don't know, but I'd put them in the same tier, which is a tier where Warwick, Imperial, Cass and Ashridge are.
Reply 10
Original post by Mr. Roxas
All major ranking league tables rank Cranfield very highly, so it is safe to assume that Cranfield is indeed a respected business school. http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/p691/About-Cranfield/Business-School-Rankings

Is Cranfield superior to Manchester? I don't know, but I'd put them in the same tier, which is a tier where Warwick, Imperial, Cass and Ashridge are.


mhhh no
Reply 11
In my opinion for a postgrad I would go to Glasgow or Durham... it has strogner world reputation. Cranfield 19500 wtf XDDD
Reply 12
Are you kidding : Imperial ? in the same tier as cranfield, ashridge ? lol NOPE NOPE NOPE ERROR SYSTEM SHUTDOWN

Imperial is in the tier of Oxford and Cambridge

Imperial-Oxford-Cambridge-LSE have no likes in the Uk
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 13
^

When it comes to university brand power, Oxford and Cambridge are in the tier of their own, in the UK. They're solid top 5 university names in the world, valued at over a billion dollars each. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/Journals/THE/THE/10_March_2011/attachments/Brand%20focus.pdf

Imperial is excellent for engineering and physical sciences. It's where its strengths were drawn from. But as a whole, it is not in the league of Oxbridge. In the business community and corporate world, it is not on par with LSE, and more so, LBS. At the very best, it is as good as Warwick, Cranfield and Manchester. It couldn't be any better than any of these business schools.
(edited 12 years ago)
Hi,

Finally I got refected from Warwick and accepted at Cass.

Now I am very embarassed because I don't know what to choose between Cranfield MSc Finance and Management and Cass MSc Investment Management.

Is Cass superior to Cranfield?

As I said (and as a lot of people), what I am looking for is a job in a major investment bank.

I am thinking about visiting the two campuses to help me making my decision.

Price of Cass is £21,500 and price of Cranfield is 17,500 (usually 19,5k but I got a 2k scolarship).

Thank you
Reply 15
I do not know what Mr Roxas has against Imperial...for example, Imperial Msc finance is very quantitative which is in line with what makes the school very popular....The Business school of Imperial is well-known worldwide for entrepreneurship (their Msc management is focused on entrepreneurship even if i agree with the fact that doing an Msc MANAGEMENT at Imperial is really weird) and the whole school offers only 7 masters I know a couple of guys who were rejected by Imperial Msc finance but accepted by CASS, Warwick and Cranfield (so how you explain that, As a rule of thumb, the selection is a signal of a program quality)..so no no no they are not in the same field..just visit Mckinsey/Bain/BCG and IB websites the only schools that they always target and visit are Imperial/Oxford/Cambridge/LSE...sometimes you have Wawick/Bristol/Edinburgh/UCL/Bath which appear and disappear but IOCL are always there
Just go and check by yoursef the corporate world; consulting firms are reputed by the fact that they recruit only from top-notsch universities wordwide and in the UK they consider Imperial/LSE/Oxford/Cambridge to be among those elite universities in the world
(In the corporate world (cause you like this term), the most selective companies are IB and consulting firms)
Again here you have the famous article of the FT about IB recruitments :http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/854d8a6c-da81-11dd-8c28-000077b07658.html#axzz1KpgvQTWe
The financial times, one of the most respected Newspaper in FINANCE (all Investment Bankers read it), tell us that the inner circle where all banks recruit is : Oxford/Cambridge/Imperial and that the outer circle is : LSE/Warwick/UCL....the FT knows better than you the finance world..oups the corporate world
the 2012 completeguide of universities ranks Imperial 3rd in this country (after Oxford and cambridge) for BUSINESS STUDIES (even if do not give a **** to those rankings)

PS: stop misleading ppl with claims that are false without any proof
(edited 12 years ago)
OK, thank you for all this piece of information.

But me, I don't care about Imperial because I don't get an offer from it. What I am interested in is Cass and Cranfield.
Reply 17
Painauchocolat, I guess that you are french and given this fact I would go to Cass if I were you...Cass is naturally associated to finance and it is by far better than Cranfield especially in this field.
Pour un retour en France à plus LT, Cass BS est de loin plus connu que Cranfield qui est inconnu aux bataillons...
Bottom line : go to Cass
Reply 18
I have too applied for MSc in finance to both Cranfield and Strathclyde. I am also waiting reply from imperial but I want first to decide between these 2 before that. So, after internet searching I have concluded that Cranfield may be better than Strathclyde as a business school, but I am concerned about its low reputation. I m also not very fan of the place which is more rural than I expected it....
I am willing to pay the ammount of money they request but I want to make sure that quality and the response of future employers to Cranfield will worth it.
However I am convinced that in terms of lifestyle I would prefer Strathclyde.
If anyone has any suggestion for the above please tell me...

regards:smile:
Original post by Borisvian
Painauchocolat, I guess that you are french and given this fact I would go to Cass if I were you...Cass is naturally associated to finance and it is by far better than Cranfield especially in this field.
Pour un retour en France à plus LT, Cass BS est de loin plus connu que Cranfield qui est inconnu aux bataillons...
Bottom line : go to Cass


Ok, thank you for your advice.

Yes indeed I'm French but I'm not planning on returning in France before at least 10years, and I think that after 10y of work experience, your university doesn't really matter anymore right?

J'avais l'impression que Cranfield était plus élitiste que Cass?
Le fait qu'il y est plus de 400 diplomés de finance de Cass tous les ans me fait un peu peur.
Est-ce que la différence de prix est justifiée (£4,000)?

Is the MSc Finance at Cass more prestigious than the MSc Investment Management?

Thanks

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