Doing a MSc in Finance/Economics/Banking after unrelated undergrad

Hello fellow TSR members, I have been a long time lurker around here, but finally decided to post my question :P.

Anyways, Im finishing a Bsc in Hospitality and Tourism, and even though I do like it, during the past years I have dfeveloped a passions for Finance and Economics, as well as Investment, which has led me to the idea of ultimately getting a MSc in a realted topic to allow me to apply to jobs in the industry.

The problem is I cant apply to the MSc programs with the Bsc im studying atm, so I was wondering, can i enter a MSc in one of the topics mentioned if I first complete a diploma in one of the topics ?

If so, which diplomas would you recommend I get (from which uni) ?

Some details from me (in case it helps):

GPA Bsc: 89/100 (Most universities i check require a 2:1 from the UK, most of them covert that to 80/100 or some 85/100, so I think my grades are good enough).
Internships: Currently completing a 240 hours internship at the Corporate Development department of a travel related company (yes, unrelated to finance :biggrin:

)

I hope my question is clear, had to kinda rush as im tight on time.

Thanks in advance for your answers !

(edited 11 years ago)

Anyone

Hi, I would recommend doing an undergraduate degree in Economics or Finance before attempting to apply for a masters course, the maths and theories can be quite difficult and I don't think your Hospitality diploma will have prepared you for it. I would suggest looking at the most recent university league tables for economics:

http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=Economics

It is questionable how reliable these are, the guardian and the Times also post rankings. But if you can get into any of the top 10-20 Universities that's great. I would personally call up a university you're thinking of applying to and talking to a lecturer/ member of facility about your decision and see what they think is best for you. But you do need a good background in maths to study finance/investment. When applying for investment jobs they also find it preferable to have a degree in Mathematics/ Economics/ Finance. Also ask if it's needed to have an undergraduate to do a Masters as that question may save you 3 years of your life.

Hope this is helpful

Reply 3

CheeseMunchies

From what I've seen from looking at masters most Unis what a related degree. I'm looking in the same area as you, as i'm an economic student.
However it may just be the Uni i've looked at. I do know from other people that having a related degree doesn't always matter, so there a change you can do what you want, whether this is for subject area or depending on uin i'm not sure.

Can you not ask someone at your uni to help? like your employment adviser or summet?

sorry I can help that much

good look my friend

Reply 4

sj27

For economics, there are graduate diploma routes available - an intense year apparently, which if you do well enough on you can get accepted onto the masters at that or other unis. Birkbeck does one which you can do full time or part time. Cambridge does one too, and I'm sure there are other unis.

Apparently the two-year MPhil at Oxford takes people who have not done economics at undergrad, but I suspect they may require a quantitative undergrad degree to do this.

Some MSc finance programmes are open to any undergrad, but again if you've done a completely unrelated undergrad you may need to do a two-year course rather than a one-year one.

Your best bet is to spend some time surfing the various uni websites and seeing which ones look amenable to people with unrelated undergrad degrees, though I suspect your options will be fairly limited.

Reply 5

fdZ

Thanks for all you answers !

Yeah, I know most universities require an undergrad in a related topic, but ive also seen that Universities like Nottingham offer a diploma in economics, and I was just wondering if that is enough to then go on to do a Masters in the fields I mentioned.

Ill visit the different university websites and then see what they offer, but I guess I may end up doin an MSc in something else rather than finance/economy as it would be easier for someone without quantitative background.

Thanks for your help guys, I truly apreciate it !

Reply 6

Zenomorph

Yes it is but the one year diploma is intense with everything crammed into a year. Be careful of that and the course may not be fairly structured as they cater to lot of UG econ failure guys who got only 2.2's.

Effectively you're up against people who already have 3 full years of econ under their belt while you will have nada. By their very nature as failures they will be spiteful takers in the course and will tend to sponge off your knowledge if they think you have any and in return contribute nothing to your well being.

I am in one of these PGdips currently and dip is the right metaphor. I spend my time avoiding these repeater types.