Wednesday 25 March 2015

MET: MBA in Finance

Whenever you think about a business there are three main functions that come to mind. Marketing, HR and Finance are the three main pillars of traditional business. While marketing and HR are integral to the product and human component of the business, it is finance that greases the wheels of modern commerce and ensures that all other components of the business spectrum are running cohesively. For an MBA in finance an individual must obviously be good at crunching numbers, but skill such as reading trends, predicting rallies (in stock markets) and interpreting policy decisions in monetary terms can all be acquired along the way and a niche as more than just ‘the finance guy’ can be carved for an individual.

What does an MBA in Finance mean?

As stated earlier, an MBA in Finance programme takes the number crunching abilities of a candidate and further polishes it. Students often choose a specialization during the second half of these 2-year programs. In two semesters therefore, a student is exposed to the industry standard of financial accounting, planning, budgeting, preparing balance sheets and other important financial functions. During the phase of specialisation, a student will often get to intern with leading firms, in their respective finance departments, therefore getting to apply the knowledge they’ve acquired over the course of their programme.

What does the curriculum of an MBA in Finance revolve around?

An MBA in Finance hopes to churn out a well rounded business thought leader in the realm of finance. So while the first few months will focus on the basics of business training, an institution that offers a solid MBA in Finance will plunge a student into the world of corporate finance with little delay. A good programme may also allow students to choose a specific focus in their financial education, such as commercial, investment or real estate studies. Topics commonly taught through a finance MBA program include:
Stock market analysis
Foundations in finance
Global economy
Financial instruments
Futures and options
Market trading and volatility
Risk management
Bankruptcy
Corporate finance
Investment banking





Learning on the job:

Finance as a specialisation isn’t every candidate’s cup of tea, and even though it is a mighty sought after course, learning on the job or at an internship is of vital significance, because it is of the essence to test the knowledge acquired in school, vis-a-vis real world situations.

Potential Growth:

In terms of salaries, in a survey done in March 2014, high payscales were reported for MBA-holders in a variety of financial professions.

Finance analysis managers earned a median annual income of $81,250,
A CFO chief financial officer's median annual wages stood at $117,415.
Entry level MBA saw a take home salary of $58,000 a year
MBA’s  with 5 or more years’ experience looked at a take home of anywhere between $85,000 and $95,000 a year

All figures are for Fortune 500 companies, as of April 2014, on PayScale.com

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