CFA or Master of Finance
With the economy on the recovery and finance sector hiring again, a significant group of students and professionals are exploring the various options to upgrade their education for career advancement or career switch into the highly rewarding financial and banking sectors. Most are stuck between attempting the CFA or the Master of Finance program. In general, CFA program is highly focused on portfolio management and financial analysis, while Master of Finance typically covers a wider aspect of finance including financial modeling, Mergers & Acquisitions, Restructuring. Credit Derivatives and real options strategies, another distinction is that most M.Fin courses focus on hands-on training in advanced techniques such as financial modeling whilst the focus of CFA program is towards examination.
Due to the in-depth technicality of both the MSc Finance and the CFA programs, only very few Business School Singapore offers both Master of Finance and CFA courses along with other Executive MBA Programs. The most popular institutions offering both qualifications in Singapore are Kaplan and Aventis School of Management which collaborates with City University of New York to offer its Executive Master of Finance program.
CFA Vs Master of Finance
The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation is frequently compared to a Master's in Finance, and in fact, several universities have embedded a significant percentage of the CFA Program "Candidate Body of Knowledge" into their degree programs.
The choice between a CFA and MSc finance, however, would depend upon the career objective of and professional goals. This is of paramount importance to for their career progression. If your interest is to acquire managerial decision knowledge, you should consider Master of Finance since it offers a wider selection of topics and disciplines which are focused on managerial decision making rather than pure academic pursuit. Students who are highly motivated to advance their careers as investment analysts are highly recommended to take the CFA program since it is more academically rigors and the CFA qualification is widely recognized in the investment communities.
Whilst many consider the CFA as auxiliary to the Master degree in Finance, it is not necessarily true that a CFA is of lower importance or recognition than a MSc Finance but rather that CFA deals more in the investment than other aspects of Finance.
Other school of thoughts believed that the 2 qualifications is not an apple and apple comparison and is incorrect to compare Master of Finance degree and CFA since the objective and outcome are completely different. A Masters Degree in Finance aims to help students gain advanced business knowledge and in most cases aid in their pursuit of CFA which are embedded "Candidate Body of Knowledge" into their degree programs. Many Master Programs Singapore offer the Master of Finance course as a partnership programs for aspiring CFAs in collaboration with CFA, allowing students to have the best of both worlds. Students considering MBA with Finance specialization for MBA in Singapore may also opt for a specialized Master of Finance to acquire in depth knowledge in the discipline of Finance. Some of the most recognized Master of Finance program in the world are offered by New York University, City University of New York and London Business School which are ranked and listed on FT Time 2010 ranking.
CFA and Master of Finance Program with Aventis
Aventis School of Management has internationally recognized and accredited courses for students aspiring to be MSc finance or CFA holders. Aventis is widely regarded as a leading professional graduate school offering MBA in Singapore. Aventis Graduate Diploma In Finance & Investment program is designed to prepare the students for the CFA examination. This course can also prove useful to professionals like bankers, investment managers, stockbrokers and relationship managers, who are already dealing with finance management. Alternatively students can choose to embark on the MSc finance program awarded by the City University of New York in collaboration with Aventis which is accredited by both AACSB and AAFM. http://www.aventis.edu.sg/
Aventis School of Management is a leading graduate school base in Singapore dedicated to the success of working professionals across Asia. Through its collaboration with internationally renowned universities including City University of New York, Arcadia University and Louisville University, Aventis offers a suite of Executive MBA Programs, Master of Science; Graduate diploma and Executive Education programs tailor specifically for working professionals to sharpen their business acumen and knowledge.
