Judge Business School – University of Cambridge - Masters of Finance

Cambridge Masters of Finance Program Structure

The University of Cambridge Master of Finance (MFin) program is a full-time program designed in consultation with the banking and finance industry to provide first-class training for finance professionals who wish to strengthen their existing knowledge of finance.

The program runs over the course of three terms. The program consists of core courses, elective courses, projects, an optional summer activity and a weekly speaker seminar.

The Cambridge Master of Finance program at Judge Business School is a CFA Program partner. This means that students will be exposed to a majority of the CFA Level 1 curriculum. Students who attend the MFin program at Cambridge also have an opportunity to receive a scholarship from the CFA Program to cover the costs of registering with the CFA Institute and to enter the CFA level 1 Exam.

Curriculum

About 90 percent of the core curriculum is focused on finance-related material. Core courses that are finance-related are Intro to Derivatives, Intro to Econometrics, Economic Foundations of Finance, Financial Institutions and Markets, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Fundamentals of Credit and Principles of Finance.
The other core courses are focused on non-finance topics that are important to those working in the field of finance. These courses include a Management Lecture Series, Management Practice and Financial Modeling Workshops.

Students are required to take at least seven elective courses. These courses are designed to help tailor each individual’s educational experience. Elective courses may change on a year-to-year basis but generally cover topics ranging from Asian Markets to Real Estate Finance and Investments.

Students follow a three-term structure for courses:

• Term One: Core Courses 1-7
• Term Two: Electives 1-3, Core Courses 6 and 7 continued, Core Courses 8-10
• Term Three: Electives 4-7, Core Course 7 continued

There is an optional summer activity for students. The summer activity includes a choice of an independent project, additional elective courses, an internship or work placement, an end of year report, or a summer program in China.

There are also two mandatory projects that students must complete. The first project is an Equity Research Project. This begins during the first term and ends at the beginning of the second term. The second project is a Group Consulting Project. This begins in the middle of the second term and ends in the beginning of the third term.

Class Profile

The most recent Cambridge Master of Finance Class consisted of 73 students that represented 30 nationalities. Thirty-three percent of students identified as female. The average work experience was four years and the average age of the class was 28.

Tuition, Scholarships, and Financial Aid

The current tuition costs for domestic and international students in the Cambridge Masters of Finance program is £47,125. Scholarships from the university as well as external funding are available for qualifying students. Employer sponsorship is also accepted for students.

Forty percent of students finance their education at Judge Business School through family savings, 28 percent through personal savings, 7 percent through scholarships, 16 percent through employer sponsorship, and 9 percent through loans.

Admissions

There are four stages to the admissions process at Judge Business School. Stage one is the application review. Once the admissions office has received a completed application, it will be reviewed and a decision to move the applicant on to the interview process will be made within three weeks of the date of completing the application.

A completed application includes the application and all necessary supporting documents. Documents include academic transcripts, language test certificate (if English is not the applicant’s first language) and three references. References include one professional, one academic and one peer reference. A GMAT/GRE score is not required for the application but it may help in the decision making process.

Stage Two is the interview. If an individual is selected to move on to the interview, an interview date will be assigned. Interviews are conducted on the Cambridge campus but in certain circumstances, interviews may be conducted over the phone or in a video conference.

Stage Three is the Conditional Offer. The applicant typically finds out within a couple of days of the interview whether or not they have been accepted. Once the conditional offer is made the individual will have to fulfill certain conditions before they can be fully admitted to the university. These conditions are: receipt of the first installment of fees, which is 10 percent of the tuition fee, receipt of completed financial guarantee forms, award of a college place and satisfaction of any relevant verification or reference checks. The first installment of fees must be received within a month of the initial offer.

The final stage of the admissions process is the Unconditional Offer. Applicants will receive a letter confirming their admission to the school. A second payment installment of 20 percent is due at this time. Documentation for those who need student visas will be issued at this stage.

GMAT/GRE scores are not explicitly required but will be accepted as part of one’s application. Two years of prior work experience is required, preferably in finance. Applicants with only one year of experience in finance but two or more years of experience may be accepted into the program.

In addition to an online application, future students must provide three professional references: one supervisor; one academic; and one peer reference. Non-native English speaking applicants that have not received a secondary education degree from a predominantly English speaking academic institution may have to provide TOEFL, IELTS, CPE, or CAE test scores in order to prove English-speaking proficiency. Other requirements with the Cambridge Judge application to the MFin program can be seen here.

Cambridge Judge recommends potential students to apply early, especially for those looking for scholarship funding or proper visa requirements.

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