Hi Neb,
Creighton does not publish the cost of their online masters in finance so I can't tell you that. There appears to be no data on that on their one site and we don't profile this degree on our site so we have no solid cost data on them.
You know that you do NOT need a master's in finance to take the CFA Exam.
SEE CFA site:
www.cfainstitute.org/pages/index.aspx
You only need to meet these requirements:
Have a bachelor's (or equivalent) degree
or be in the final year of your bachelor's degree program at the time of registration*
or have four years of professional work experience (does not have to be investment related)
or have a combination of professional work and college experience that totals at least four years. Part-time positions do not qualify, and the four-year total must be accrued prior to enrollment.
AND Understand the professional conduct requirements (you will be asked to sign the Professional Conduct
HOWEVER since you don't work in finance now you will need some educational prep. for that CFA exam.
You could take the prep courses directly from the CFA OR take a master's degree that integrates exam prep as do the 2 online finance masters you are looking at now.
Also, given your career goals, which are blue chip and related to big business you'd WANT a masters from an AACSB program to compete.
Vicky
nebuchadnezzar54831 wrote:
Vicky, thanks for the info! I really appreciate it. Do you know how much the Creighton program is?
Both these program follow a core standard for the CFA designation, which I assume you will want? Both prep you equally for a career understanding corporate finance and personal financial management.-->I do like the CFA designation, but the cost of getting a MS in Finance is substantial. I am in an awkward situtation of graduating with a PharmD in May, but I have to bachelor's degree.
Consulting is a big world. Do you aim to consult at the corporate level -- as in venture capital, funding corporate activities, investment banking? If so either of these are standard degrees.--> I want to head to McKinsey, Bain, or Boston Consulting first before going into investment banking.
Accounting would be different. Most accountants prep to be CPAs and study accounting in depth and then add a grad level program in a specialty areas like tax accounting or forensic accounting. They help with corp finance BUT are more geared toward maintaining business structures and understanding tax laws and loopholes.
Do you want to be a CPA or a CFA? The two types of online master's degrees would take you into 2 different certification tracks and career positions.-->I think the CFA designation is much more useful in the long run. Does the CFA require a certain number of classroom hours before you can seat for the test?
Thank you for the help.
