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New Master of Science in Finance program begins
A professor once told Cassie Wanek that success comes when preparation meets opportunity. That's why, Wanek said, she decided to stay at Florida State University another year and earn a Master of Science in Finance degree. "This program will not only increase my marketability as a prospective employee, but it will also provide me with the skills necessary to excel in the business world," Wanek said. Wanek is one of 23 students in the College of Business' new MSF program starting this summer. It's an elite group of students with an average GMAT score of 602 and an average grade-point average of 3.6. They will spend the next 10 months boosting their quantitative and analytical skills through hands-on application and exposure to the best faculty and speakers the finance department has to offer. Gary Benesh, director of the new program, said he's confident the MSF program will be "highly successful right from the start. "We are bringing in a group of intelligent, personable, and highly motivated students who will be taught and guided by several highly competent faculty dedicated to making this an excellent program," Benesh said. The college plans to keep future MSF classes at about 30 students. Having an MSF degree has been a high priority for the Department of Finance, said William Christiansen, chairman. Finance faculty members see the program as a fifth year of FSU study for the brightest undergraduates, similar to the Master of Accounting program, he said. "We thought it was a missing piece," Christiansen said. "We felt like we needed it to be competitive as a department and to give an opportunity to students to move up another notch." They believe students will leave with a refined skill set – including an enhanced ability to model financial problems and interpret statistical evidence – that will give them an edge whether they choose a career on Wall Street or decide to pursue a Ph.D. "Within five years, I would like to see our MSF program generally ranked (viewed) as one of the very best MSF programs available in the Southeastern United States," Benesh said. MSF's inaugural class of students is banking on it. "The finance department has a deep pool of intellectual capital, ranging from high-profile academics to 'real-world' financial professionals, and some of the best of these will be teaching the MSF courses," said Travis Engebretsen, incoming MSF student. Staying at FSU for a graduate degree beats the alternative, said Pierre Allard, incoming MSF student. "It is a really hard job market out there right now, especially for finance," Allard said. "I believe that the best way to get hired is to become as knowledgeable as possible about our current situation … I want to broaden my view in terms of finance, think outside the box, basically just have a better and deeper understanding of everything in the finance realm." Read more about the new MSF degree on the program's Web site. See a listing of MSF faculty. |
