COMPARE CMU MSCF vs ETH Zurich M Quant. Finance

[fei]

Could anyone give me some advices on which one is better to choose?

the Master program in Quant. Finance in ETH Zurich (http://www.msfinance.ch/ )

CMU gives courses more systematical while ETH gives more flexibility.

Thanks!

 

[Connor]

Try these:
http://www.quantnet.com/forum/threads/msc-ethz-quantitative-finance-phd.3768/
http://www.quantnet.com/forum/threads/advice-eth-zurich-quant-finance-vs-top-us-schools.3740/

 

[fei]

thank you for your links.
seems no much people know about eth prog...

Would it be possible to take the course in mscf and end up in a job at Zurich or inverse?

 

[Connor]

Probably not impossible to do the CMU MSCF and get a job in Zurich, but if Zurich is where you want to end up doing the ETH program is a better plan in my opinion.

There are also a few MFE programs in the UK that would allow you to get a job in Europe, if you wanted more choices.

I don't know your background, but an issue with jobs in continental Europe are language skills. I looked at jobs in Switzerland and most places wanted German and/or French fluency (as well as English).

 

[fei]

Thanks for your reply.
I'm a Chinese studying in an engineering school (a quite good one) in France.
In fact, I'm not quite sure where I'll take my job later. Personally I like Zurich since I've been there once and it was a good time. But as I've never been to USA, I could not compare which one I'd prefer...
Moreover, I have no idea which country is better for my career.

ps: for language, I've heard that in Zurich, if one who doesn't know German, it's ok for the employer if he shows that he'd like to learn German. But I'm not quite sure about it.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Language barrier aside, what is the immigration rule for foreign students to be hired in Switzerland?

 

[fei]

Yeah...have to consider this point...

seems that even get a contract with an employer, it's hard to get a work permit with the govern unless there's no suitable European applicants.

But I've heard that USA has been restricted in hiring foreigners. Is it true? Will it be hard to get a job after graduation from MSCF?

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I don't know about employment/immigration rule in Europe so I can't comment.
It's obvious that you should research on this matter carefully before making a choice.

The situation in the US is more or less been the same: if a company decides to hire you, they will sponsor you.

Keep in mind that the finance job market in the US is several times bigger than you have in Zurich.

Why can't you just ask the people running the ETH program directly?

 

[fei]

Thanks! I'll keep in mind of this point!

It's true that the finance job market in the US is several times bigger than that in Zurich, but I think there are far more people graduating from a FE program and looking for a place in US.

I've sent them an email and probably have to wait for at least 2-3 days.

 

[vim]

Did you ever hear back from them?

 

[Hammy]

If you like to study in Switzerland you just have to get a visa. If you like to work there it shouldn't be a problem (since we like qualified people). In fact, most of the potential employers (banks, insurance, etc.) will assist you with the administrative immigration stuff or do it for you.
The language barrier shouldn't be a problem either. We (or most of us) are very polite and will immidiately change to English language (or French, Italian, German) if we recognize that you can't understand "swiss-german". Keep in mind that in Switzerland we do not speak the "original" German as the people of Germany do. Our dialect (called "swiss"-German ) is hard to understand, even if you speak German.
Since many hedge funds are relocating from London to Switzerland you will probably get hired, but the competition is hard (200-300 applicants for 1 good job opportunity)!