Review of George Washington University’s Master in Finance program

George Washington University building

This review was submitted on 3/3/2010 at 18:26:30 by Nitant Sharma who studied full-time in the program from 09/2006 – 08/2008*

Can you tell us a bit about your background?
Before I started this program, I was working as an entrepreneur in the telecommunications industry. My academic background constituted of commerce and computer science. This included some exposure to accounting, business, computer programming and architecture.

Did you get admitted to other programs?
I did apply to some other programs to diversify my application and I was selected for other programs as well, but since GWU’s MSF program raised the bar, I chose for it.

Why did you choose this program (over others, if applicable)?
There were multiple reasons that I chose this program. I liked the coursework, which was quantitative while still covering all the aspects of finance from corporate finance to financial engineering. The reviews I got about the program were also very helpful. The geographical location and GWU’s association with big corporations in the area also made more sense to me as it eases the job search process.

Tell us about the application process at this program
Just like a standard application which included GMAT, Statement of Purpose, Recommendations, Work Experience and Resume among others. I was then contacted for scholarship application. The whole process was very responsive.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you grade the accessibility of the faculty and staff?
7

Programs like Baruch MFE, UCB MFE have refresher courses for incoming students. Does this program offer such courses? How useful was it?
GWU MSF program offers refresher courses for incoming students. They are very useful and ensure that students begin the program on solid ground. They helped me prepare for the program in a still relaxed atmosphere and I got a good idea of what to expect further.

On a scale of 0-10, how would you grade the usefulness of these refresher courses?
9

Tell us about the courses selection in this program. Any special courses you like?
I enjoyed most of my courses. In particular, my favorite courses were Financial Theory, Financial Engineering and Derivative Securities, Fixed Income Security Valuation and Econometrics.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you grade the flexibility of the curriculum?
1

Tell us about the quality of teaching
The quality of teaching varies from average to remarkable. I would say on a scale of 1-10, the quality I got was definitely above 7.5 (that’s in a regular class style). However, when reached for further reference, the professors were very helpful and even more detailed oriented regarding the course bringing the scale up to 9.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you grade the quality of teaching?
8

Materials used in the program
Each class has one or more required text books such as Futures, and Other Derivatives by John Hull, Fixed Income Markets and Their Derivatives by Suresh Sundaresan, Introduction to the Economics and Mathematics of Financial Markets by Jaksa Cvitanic, Fernando Zapatero. Additionally most of the professors provide the students with their individual notes.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you grade the practicality of the curriculum?
8

Programming component of the program
Throughout the curriculum students have to use C++, Crystal Ball, SAS, and Matlab. All of these programs are taught by professors during their classes or in separate workshops offered by the program.

Projects
There were 6 big projects with 2 of them being on a competition level with incentives.

Career service
We frequently received emails regarding job opportunities from Faculty and alumni. Also, the School of Business career center is quite useful and conducts a lot of career fairs.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you grade the career service for internship and full-time job?
7

Can you comment on the social interaction between students of different ethnics, nationalities in the program?
I appreciated the opportunity to make friends from other countries and ethnicities. The interaction was both friendly and professional. The diversification of the program provides a unique experience and offers a different perspective from working professionals.

What do you like about the program?
The program helped me learn and practically apply various aspects of finance in a real world situation. This learning came in a multicultural environment, where learning from students from different countries provided more versatility to that learning.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you grade the value of the program for the price tag?
9

What DON’T you like about the program?
Professors do not always coordinate assignments and exams making the program very demanding and challenging. Being a quant driven person, I would also prefer the program a little bit more quantitative.

Suggestions for the program to make it better
The program could have more cases in M&A and private equity. Some of the refresher workshops should be part of the curriculum. There could be an optional workshop in advanced Partial Differential Equation to add to the quantitative edge.

On a scale of 1-10, how would you grade your experience in the program?
9

What are your current job status? What are you looking for?
I am working as an Associate Risk Officer at the International Finance Corporation (“The World Bank Group”). I work as part of the Quantitative Risk Analytics group. Most part of my work includes working on Credit Risk and Market Risk modeling, Capital Adequacy and risk based pricing.

On a scale of 1-10, would you recommend this program to others?
9

Other comments
Practicality of the curriculum is one of the features that I found particularly useful. The coursework, assignments and projects maintained a great balance between theory and practice. I find a fair amount of application of the knowledge I attained.

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