When the FT’s masters in finance ranking began, in 2011, Donald Trump was still presenting The Apprentice and coronaviruses were a niche interest among microbiologists. Much has changed since then — but the number-one spot in the ranking has not. This year, as in 2011, HEC Paris tops the table.
More precisely, the French business school ranks first among providers of pre-experience masters in finance (MiF) courses — that is, for students with little or no relevant professional experience. The tables set out information on the best programmes worldwide in this area, as well as on the top three courses for people who have already worked in the finance sector. It is based on surveys of schools and of alumni who completed their masters in 2017.
HEC Paris has come top every year apart from 2017, when Edhec edged it aside, and 2019, when the ranking did not run. Its success is explained by the financial uplift that its alumni enjoy: the highest weighted average salary, at $149,750 this year, and the highest salary percentage increase three years after graduation. The school is also the best for career progress.