Wendy wrote:
When you look at any kind of finance education, you need to consider all of the benefits in assessing whether the program is worth your time. You might think about it like this:
Value of Program = (Value of Learning) + (Value of Credential) + (Value of Recruiting Opportunities) + (Value of Industry Contacts Made)
Regardless of whether you do a Harvard fulltime MBA, or the CFA program, or a Universtiy of Phoenix online Masters in Finance, you’re going to learn approximately the same stuff. The difference in the value of the various programs is in the other components.
With the Harvard degree, the Value of the Credential, the Value of the Recruiting Opportunities, and the Value of Industry Contacts Made, are all substantial. All-in, a Harvard Fulltime MBA is probably worth a couple million dollars.
With the CFA, you get the learning and a prestigious credential, but no special recruiting opportunities, and you don’t make an industry contacts.
With the Universtiy of Phoenix online degree, you get the learning, but the credential is nearly worthless, the recruiting opportunities are probably worth nothing, and you don’t make any industry contacts.
If you’re working on a MSc Finance from a school where prestigious financial institutions recruit many students for desirable positions, and where you are building a network of lasting relationships with other students that will go on to build successful careers in finance, then the MSc Finance is probably well worth what you are paying for it.