Master of Science in Finance
Vienna, Austria
DURATION
10 Months
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request the earliest start date
TUITION FEES
EUR 15,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* payable in one or two installments, non-refundable initial tuition fee installment (€500 EUR) is paid to confirm your acceptance of our offer of admission and is credited towards the 1st tuition fee installment in year 1
Introduction
The MS in Finance is a professional program designed and taught with industry, continuously updated to deliver cutting-edge skills.
Choose electives from any thematic module – Investments & Banking, Financial Management, Innovation & Fintech, Data Tools & Analytics.
The Master of Science (MS) in Finance program is a 30 CEU credit (60 ECTS credit) program conferring a U.S. Master of Science degree and an Austrian Master of Science degree.
The length of study for the MS in Finance program is 10 months. The program is available on both a full-time and a part-time basis. Full-time students must complete their taught courses within 10 months. Part-time students may request to extend their length of study to 22 months.
The Academic Year is partitioned into three terms: Fall term, Winter term, and Spring term. For key dates please refer to the Academic Calendar.
Depending on their previous studies, incoming students are required to complete the Pre-session for Finance: Mathematics & Data before they are permitted to register for taught courses.
Students take taught core, elective and remedial courses during their studies. Students must mandatorily take all core courses. Students must also complete the mandatory Capstone Project as part of their studies.
Please refer to the MS in Finance Hub on CEULearning (Moodle) for key documents including course lists, summaries and schedules, and up-to-date regulations and policies.
Finance at the Cutting Edge Guided by Industry
The MS in Finance Advisory Committee is a working group of senior executives from global institutions offering professional guidance.
Firms competing for international talent include BCG, BlackRock, Citi, GE, McKinsey, Morgan Stanley, and MSCI.
Partner Schools on Four Continents
Studies may be extended free of tuition with an exchange trip, for a week or an entire semester. Partner schools include EBS in Germany, Emory in the U.S., ESSEC in France and Singapore, and Shanghai Jiao Tong in China.
Since this is a 1-year master’s program, ideally candidates have a 4-year bachelor’s degree. This allows them to get a PhD degree later anywhere in Europe. Applicants should be aware that they may not be able to pursue a PhD degree in the European Higher Education Area if they have accumulated fewer than 300 ECTS credits in their prior university studies. Applicants wishing to get a PhD in Europe should therefore choose their master’s program accordingly: 2-year master’s if they completed a 3-year bachelor’s degree, and 1-year master’s if they completed a 4-year bachelor’s degree.
If an applicant has a 3-year bachelor's degree and is not interested in a PhD degree later, then, in exceptional cases, the applicant may be allowed admission into this 1-year master’s program. To qualify for the exception, students have to demonstrate substantial experience in quantitative analysis, finance, economics, mathematics, statistics, or a similar field. This may be achieved through academic credentials (degree programs, non-degree certificates, and online courses), but also through relevant work experience and individual projects.
Why CEU?
Listed among the top 100 universities worldwide in the QS World University Rankings in a variety of subjects, CEU is known for excellence in teaching and research.
Based in Vienna CEU brings together students and faculty from over 100 countries to exchange ideas in an open and dynamic community.
CEU is a university offering a double degree (US and Austrian) in the heart of Europe and offers English-language Master's degree business programs in
- Finance
- Business Analytics
Program Accreditation/Registration
- The program was approved and registered by the New York State Education Department.
- Program accredited by the Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria (AQ-Austria)
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
To master’s candidates, we award financial aid based on academic merit. You can apply for financial support for master’s studies in the Funding section of the Online Application Form.
Curriculum
This program at CEU in Vienna is a specialized, intense Master’s degree business program, offering a professional finance curriculum designed and taught in cooperation with corporate partners, and has a modular structure of
- Investments & Banking
- Financial Management
- Innovation & Fintech
- Data Tools & Analytics
CEU consults on the content with the Corporate Advisory Committee, which is a working group of senior company executives offering professional guidance. It meets regularly to
- Advise on the Curriculum to Ensure Professionally Relevant Training,
- Contribute Courses, Case Studies, Simulations, and Site Visits,
- Assist With Internships, Consulting Projects, and Career Placements, and
- Set Professional Standards and Contribute to the Program’s Professional Quality.
Companies represented include BlackRock, Boston Consulting Group, Citi, GE, JP Morgan, McKinsey, Morgan Stanley, and MSCI.
In the program, you learn to
- Demonstrate advanced skills in all key finance areas including corporate financial management, financial assets and investments, portfolio management, financial intermediation, and financial markets
- Apply key statistical, analytical, technological, and management tools employed in the finance profession to collect, analyze, synthesize, and act upon data
- Engage in critical thinking and creative problem-solving to autonomously (1) diagnose, investigate, and evaluate complex finance issues, (2) map and critically analyze possible scenarios and solutions, (3) plan and execute strategic courses of action in ways that optimize organizational resources and recognize social, ethical, economic and regulatory issues
- Communicate and articulate finance problems, ideas, advice, and solutions to both professional and non-professional audiences
Career Opportunities
Boost Your Career
Land a job or internship anytime, or continue your career working up to three days a week even during term time. In 2022, 100% of business students landed a job within three months of graduation.
The program is designed expressly to allow you to work. As a full-time student, you may take an internship or job for 20 hours/week anytime. Should you be offered a full-time job, you may request a change of status and go part-time. As a part-time student, you can just carry on with your career.
Where Your Degree Can Take You
- Finance departments of large corporations, banks, or financial institutions where you will be responsible for Financial Planning and Analysis or Modelling, Risk Management, Investment Banking, Wealth Management, Treasury Management, Credit Analysis, Derivatives and Risk Hedging, Capital Markets and Securities, Financial Policy and Regulation, Financial Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, etc.
- Management roles, supervising financial professionals
- Smaller companies in need of an expert to plan finances, prepare a merger, acquisition, or IPO, etc.
- The booming fintech startup arena, including developing your startup.
Career Outcomes of Business Students 2022
Of the MS business students of 2022, 100% were employed three months out.
Employers hiring our graduates ranged from global names such as Citi, BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, and McKinsey to boutique advisories and funds such as Hussar & Co. and PortfoLion, and technology firms and startups such as BrokerChooser.
Capstone Project
The capstone project is an individual consulting field assignment, which you can use to position yourself. Some use it to gain experience in the industry they ultimately want to work in. Others make leftfield choices to try themselves out and diversify their skills. Many students work with our startups in the award-winning CEU InnovationsLab incubator.
Budapest and Vienna
Vienna and Budapest are among the European Union's top 10 cities home to large expat communities. Vienna and Budapest are among Europe’s most buzzing financial services and technology hubs, with employers competing for international talent.
Professional and Personal Development
We hold development workshops and events throughout the year, to help you develop the skills necessary to achieve your career objectives:
- Assessing your skills, academic and professional background, and strengths and weaknesses
- Helping you define your career goals, while keeping you informed about the latest sector developments
- Teaching you how to market yourself and network effectively
- Helping you apply and interview successfully, and analyze, negotiate and accept a job offer.
We organize dedicated company showcases on a regular basis. Recent visitors include Amazon, Blackrock, Citi, Exxon, GE, Google, Mastercard, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, MSCI, Nokia, TransferWise and the UN.
What Can You Do?
We are here to help whether you want to explore career options, network with international employers, brush up on your CV writing and interviewing skills, or improve your LinkedIn profile.
Engage with faculty and the invited finance experts you will meet over the course of your studies. You will have many opportunities to network with leading executives including prospective employers.
Tap into CEU's global alumni network, with finance professionals as the single largest constituent group.
Program Admission Requirements
Demonstrate your commitment and readiness to succeed in business school by taking the GMAT exam – the most widely used exam for admissions that measures your critical thinking and reasoning skills.
Download the GMAT mini quiz to get a flavour of the questions you’ll find in the exam.