LSE MSc Finance vs. INSEAD MBA

The answer might depend on where you already are in your career. Tell us a little bit about your background, because that's definitely a factor.

I have 3 years consulting experience @ a big 4 firm. my degree is in engineering and my work experience has been concentrated in the technology strategy and execution space.

i have NO finance background other than leisure reading.. hope this helps. thanks

Definitely Insead MBA. Advantages Insead has over LSE;

1) You will be recruiting for associate positions 2) You will be getting a holistic degree (i.e. you can go into consulting or whatever you choose after)

Dude, LSE MSc Finance is not one of the best degrees in the world. INSEAD is.

The LSE MSc programs seem geared towards people with 0-2 years work experience who are gunning for analyst positions. I think that MBA will get you to where you want to go more easily.

INSEAD is a really good school and their MBA is ranked fifth in the world http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings.

The network you'll be able to establish is amazing and I've met lots of students who went on to work for prestigious firms such as Goldman Sachs and McKinsey.

I don't really think LSE needs an introduction. Having said that, going to either school will not stop you from getting a top job. I would, however, take INSEAD's MBA because the degree will help you more in the UK over an MSc. MSc's for most IB jobs in London are useless. They will be taken into consideration but without experience, most firms will be looking at your undergraduate more.

thanks for the input everyone. i think that a lot of what you said was in the back of my mind, and my fascination with londontowne was clouding my judgment.

London isn't as great as it looks ;).

INSEAD without a doubt. an MSc at LSE will put you for a 1st year analyst position. Do you really want that after ALREADY having 3 years of work experience? I dont think so. As the other guy said an MBA will put you forward for associate positions + INSEAD MBA takes only 1 year to complete, same as the LSE MSc AND an MBA>MSc. INSEAD is a top business school as well. It's a no brainer: INSEAD

It's undoubtedly biased input (I'm a current Insead student) but I can tell you that there are plenty of people in my class going into Associate level finance jobs in London and other places. The Insead curriculum is certainly not seen as a "finance degree", but there are plenty of finance electives you can take.

lse msc finance is more of a pre experience degree full of newbies, but obviously there are few outliers. But given you already have 3+ years of wrk ex, Insead is better suited for you, and will probably give you a shot at an associate gig at IB if that's what you're after. Reputation and prestige wise I don't think Insead needs much introduction.

Agree with most of the above, but here's another reason Insead is better:

If you have no work experience and comes directly from bachelor's degree, definitely going to LSE. Best school in Europe for the Master of Finance programs and the highest regarded by employers. If you have several years experience under his belt an MBA may be more suitable.

As someone who is currently doing MSc at the LSE, having done BSc at LSE, I can tell you the quality of students doing the MSc courses at LSE is very very poor compared to the BSc courses. I know a few people doing the MSc Finance at LSE and I have been less than impressed on most occasions with them. Try the MSc Finance at LBS (London Business School) instead. I personally, wouldn't recommend any Masters course at the LSE. Its great for undergrad though.