IS A DEGREE IN ACCOUNTING & FINANCE AT L.S.E GOOD ENOUGH TO GET ME INTO INVESTMENT BANKING AT A TOP BANK?
Hi I am about to go into university at LSE but I am not sure what course will be best for me to get into investment banking at a top firm. The university I will be going to will be London School of Economics but what will employers take more seriously for this role. economics or accounting and finance. any advice will help
Investing - 4 Answers
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Answer 1 :
I suggest finance and accounting. And while I'm sure investment banks bring some associates on with undergraduate degrees, they mostly seek MBAs.
Answer 2 :
The LSE is a globally recognised university, so I daresay, any degree from the LSE is likely to put you in good standing with a prospective IB employer. Having said that, there are many, many roles within an investment bank. From secretaries, through, legal experts in the corporate finance department, through risk managers to traders. Each role has a different set of requirements. Most of the time, when people talking of wanting to become an investment banker, they usually refer to one of these departments: 1. Corporate finance 2. Trading For corporate finance, an MBA from a top university (preferably an Ivy league university), is the derigueur. For Trading, a quantitative background is preferably, so the preference seems to be for someone with a Physics or Mathematics background. However this is a very competitive area and most of the time the candidates (i.e. YOUR competitors) will be educated to PHD level. When I worked in an investment bank, I remember some of my colleagues actually had TWO PhD. However, do not be discouraged, it is possible to work in the trading environment without a PHD (for example, I "only" had a Masters degree in maths). However, you will have to bring something else to the table. Hope that answers your question.
Answer 3 :
A LSE degree would be a great start. Go talk to the undergraduate career counciling department at LSE. Ask where people went once they graduated. They should be able to tell you based on major where most folks went. I suspect that many either went into MBA programs directly or went to work for a company where they were expected to earn a MBA part time in a few years. I would suggest you steer toward accounting and finance vs economics. Accounting / finance is more "practical".
Answer 4 :
It's not just the degree which will help, but the work experience you gain whilst studying your degree which will put you in a better position when applying for top banks.
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