Top 10 MBA programmes for a career in finance

The recently released QS MBA by Career Specialisation Rankings 2023 provide insight into the world’s best MBA programmes in seven different areas of specialisation. In this article, the top business schools offering the best MBA programmes in finance are covered in the QS MBA by Career Specialisation Rankings 2023: Finance. 

Schools are ranked with the help of three distinctive indicators: employer reputation, research strength, as well as the number of career placements MBA graduates from the school have achieved in the field. Each of these three indicators is assigned a score out of 100. You can find out more about the methodology used to produce the rankings here. 

Read on to find out more about the top 10 MBA programmes that excel in MBA programmes specialised for a career in finance worldwide.  
 

10) Michigan Ross School of Business 

Climbing up four spots from the 2021 rankings and securing a spot in the world’s top 10 finance MBA programmes is Michigan Ross School of Business. The highest score achieved is for the research strength indicator.  

The fast track in finance specialisation offered by the Michigan Ross School of Business’s full-time MBA prepares students to succeed in careers requiring analytical thinking and financial acumen. This programme allows students the flexibility to commence their finance electives as soon as the programme begins while taking advantage of the general management core curriculum. 

The average class profile constitutes of 43 percent female students, and 43 percent international students representing 39 countries. Students enrolling for this programme have an average of 5.8 years of professional work experience.  

The total tuition fee for the full-time MBA is US$70,392 for Michigan residents and US$75,392 for non-Michigan residents. 

9) Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University 

Ranked ninth in the list this year is the full-time MBA offered by the Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business. The highest score achieved is for the career placements indicator, for which it’s ranked eighth globally.  

This full-time residential MBA has a total duration of two years including four semesters and a summer internship. The programme lays a strong foundation by covering topics including strategy, leadership, marketing management, financial accounting, and data analytics during the first semester.  

To build further on the core concepts, students have the option to specialise in finance by selecting electives around a chosen area of focus during the second year. Some of the finance related areas of focus offered by the university are: 

• Asset management/investment research 

• Corporate finance 

• Investment banking 

• Private equity & venture capital 

The full-time MBA will be conducted in Ithaca, New York and the total tuition fee for the current academic year is US$107,211. Additionally, the current class profile included 43 percent female students and 42 percent international students from over 39 countries.  

8. The Kellogg School of Management

Making its way into the top 10 list and securing eighth spot this year is the Kellogg School of Management. The finance major of the institution’s MBA programmes has managed to secure the highest score for the employer reputation indicator.  

 All MBA programmes offered by the Kellogg School of Management offer the finance major along with seven other majors for students to select from. By taking on the finance major of this full-time MBA, students have the option to either specialise in the investment side of finance from asset management to corporate finance or the consulting side of finance. 

The current class profile for full-time MBAs at the institution includes 48 percent female students and 39 percent international students. The tuition fees for the one-year MBA are US$112,336 and for the two-year MBA are US$81,015, excluding all other expenses such as housing and travel.  

7. Saïd Business School

The one-year full time MBA of Saïd Business School has a perfect score for the employer reputation indicator again this year, securing joint first place in the world.  

The programme offers finance-focused core courses as well as electives for students who wish to specialise in the finance stream. Additionally, students also can select the fintech: present and future elective based in London as an international elective. 

The Oxford Saïd Finance Lab helps students break into investment banking, private equity and asset management industries through online and in-class finance and valuation modelling programmes, case studies presented by leading banks and firms, and participation in challenges. 

Saïd’s full-time MBA class profile comprises 51 percent female students and 97 percent international students of 63 different nationalities. Students have an average of six years of work experience prior to enrolling for the programme. The total tuition fee for the one-year full time MBA is US$78,510, although scholarships and funding support are available if you’re eligible. 

6. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Ranked sixth in the world this year for the finance concentration of their MBA is the Booth School of Business. Students enrolled in the full-time MBA, evening MBA, and weekend MBA programmes have the option to select concentrations to specialise on, and a few of the finance related options are: 

• Accounting  

• Analytic finance 

• Finance 

The full-time MBA is comprised of three foundation areas, eight functions and 10 electives to select from. Students interested in a career in finance can select financial accounting as the foundation area followed by finance-related functional courses and electives. The finance-related course offerings range from areas of corporate finance and investment management to private equity and impact investing. 

This 21-month MBA programme currently has a class profile which includes 42 percent female students and 36 percent international students from over 54 different countries. Students have an average of five years of work experience prior to enrolling for the MBA. The tuition fee excluding additional expenses for the 21-month programme will be US$80,961 and US$117,534 for the accelerated MBA in 2025. 

5. NYU Stern School of Business

Located in Manhattan, a stone’s throw away from Wall Street, NYU Stern is near the beating heart of finance in the US. The full-time MBA scores excellently across all three indicators while being ranked fifth in the world overall and for the career placements indicator. 

The Stern MBA is comprised of a core curriculum with two mandatory modules in financial accounting and statistics and a selection of menu core modules to select five from. The second year of the programme allows students to select an area of specialisation which includes a range of finance focused areas.  

• Accounting 

• Banking 

• Corporate finance 

• Finance 

• Financial instruments and markets 

• Financial systems and analytics 

• FinTech 

• Quantitative finance 

Stern’s finance faculty have won numerous awards for teaching and research, including Professor Robert Engle who received the 2003 Nobel Prize in Economics. Students have the opportunity to work with field leaders and participate in real-world learning programmes like the Michal Price Student Investment Fund during their study. 

The 2025 class profile of this MBA includes 43 percent female representation and 48 percent international students representing over 46 countries. The tuition fee of this full-time MBA programme is US$84,180 excluding additional expenses.  

4. Columbia Business School

Situated in New York City, CBS is one of the oldest business schools in the world, having been founded in 1911. The full-time MBA programme has achieved a near-perfect score for the career placements indicator, for which it’s ranked second in the world. 

The core curriculum of the MBA programme includes finance-focused modules in areas like corporate finance and financial accounting. Following the core modules, some finance-based electives are also offered at Columbia for students to specialise in. 

And if you want to add even more financial practice to your skillset, some CBS clubs will help with that, including: 

• Columbia student investment management association 

• Columbia wealth management club 

• Community career and money skills 

• Equity research club 

• Investment banking club 

The current class profile is comprised of 44 percent female students and 47 percent international students and the tuition fee is US$84,496 excluding other additional expenses.  

3. Stanford Graduate School of Business

Scoring excellently across all three indicators and achieving a perfect score for the employer reputation indicator is the finance-focused MBA offered at Stanford Graduate School of Business.  

The two-year full-time MBA programme offers students a range of finance-focused subjects to strengthen their knowledge in the first year through the core curriculum. A few of the core finance modules included in the first year are: 

• Finance 

• Financial accounting 

• Managerial accounting 

Following this, an extensive selection of finance electives is made available to choose from in the second year of the full-time MBA. 

The Stanford MBA class of 2025 features 46 percent female students and 36 percent international students from over 55 different countries. Average work experience of students enrolling for the programme is five years with majority of them coming from industries like investment management, private equity and venture capital.  

The current tuition fee for the programme amounts to US$79,860 excluding additional expenses such as housing and travel. For students requiring financial support, the university also awards several scholarships and aids.  

2. Harvard Business School

Situated in Boston, and founded in 1908, Harvard Business School is one of the most recognisable business schools in the world and ranks at or near the top of almost every MBA specialisation.  

The full-time MBA at Harvard Business School has achieved a perfect score for employer reputation and near-perfect scores for career placements and research strength securing ranks within the top five for each indicator. 

The two-year programme offers a core curriculum comprising of modules including two finance focused modules; finance, and financial reporting and control. Some of the financial electives awarded for students during the second year include corporate financial operations, creating value through corporate restructuring, real estate investing, entrepreneurial finance, and investing in emerging markets. 

The current class profile includes 46 percent female students and 38 percent international students from over 65 different countries. Tuition fees for the full-time MBA excluding additional expenses such as housing and travel amount to US$74,910. For students requiring financial assistance, Harvard Business School also offers several financial aids and scholarships. 

1. The Wharton School

Table-topper Wharton has long been a powerhouse in finance, and in this year’s specialisation it’s no exception. 

The full-time MBA at the Wharton School has achieved a perfect score for the research strength indicator and near-perfect scores for employer reputation and career placements. 

Students wishing to major in finance are required to take the two core requirements (FNCE 6110, corporate finance and FNCE 6130, macroeconomics and the global economic environment) and four upper-level elective finance credit units. The school has also established the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance, which aims to stimulate cutting-edge teaching and research in finance.  

The tuition fee for the first year of this MBA programme is US$87,370 and for the second year it’s US$85,370 excluding additional expenses such as housing and travel. Wharton School’s full-time MBA class profile in the 2025 academic year includes a representation of 50 percent female students and 31 percent international students from over 70 different countries.