Degree Overview: Master’s Degree Programs for Stock Market Professionals
Majors Overview June 6, 2015This article talks about master’s degree programs for stock market professionals and their education requirements, coursework, career choices, and job and wage outlook.
Master’s Programs for Stock Market Professionals
Earning a master’s degree in finance can help stock market professionals advance their careers. Many schools across the country offer the Master of Science in Finance (M.S.F.) Degree. Program coursework is devised to impart a strong grasp of economics, financial accounting, finance theories and mathematics. Schools flesh out core topics from a financial perspective, and make students adept at analyzing, making critical decisions, and learning to operate the software employed by contemporary financial institutions.
Schools offering this degree usually offer a degree concentration in capital markets that can help graduates gain occupations in capital-seeking corporations engaged in stock market investment. A master’s degree can also give graduates a competitive edge in the job market (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Education Requirements
Admission criteria typically require incoming students to hold a bachelor’s degree, which need not be in business; bachelor’s degrees in computer science or mathematics can prove useful ahead of the MSF. Schools typically require students to meet the undergraduate GPA standard and submit educational transcripts, a personal statement essay, and a resume.
Coursework
Coursework includes financial topics such as risk management, trading, and construction of portfolios. In some schools that have trading rooms, students get to watch actual financial market activity in the classroom. Core coursework may cover topic areas such as:
•Fixed income strategies
•Corporate finance
•Financial statements
•Accounting
•Economic environment of firms
•Statistics
•Mergers and acquisitions
•Risk management
•Equity trading
•Equity valuation
Career Choices
Program graduates may seek employment in institutions such as:
•Major banks
•Securities firms
•Financial holdings
•Industrial companies
•Auditing firms
•Consulting firms
•Stock market companies
Tasks such as selling and trading, front office duty in trading rooms, analysis of finances, management of portfolios, and evaluation of acquisitions may be in their list of duties. Program graduates may choose to become financial analysts.
Job and Wage Outlook
Over the 2012 – 2022 decade, a job growth rate of 16% has been predicted for financial analysts (BLS). During this time, employers are expected to prefer candidates with master’s degrees and professional certifications. In 2012, these professionals brought in an average annual wage of $76,950 (BLS).
