# CFA Vs M.Sc. in Investment and Treasury (DCU)



## Agnitio (20 Jun 2007)

Hi,

Looking for a bit of advice on the merits of doing a CFA Vs a Masters in Investment and Treasury.

I have looked into the M.Sc. a bit and it seems to be a tough but very good course (part time over two years).

However, I was chatting to a guy today who has done both and he advised that content and volume of study on both are somewhat similar, with CFA being more detailed and now better recognised in the industry as the benchmark.

I am aware that the CFA has a high failure rate, that it is over three years, only one exam per year, and self thought (which necessitates a lot of discipline).

Guess I just want to read people's thoughts on both...career prospects etc...

Working in a Private Bank at the mo. Have a degree in Business and will hopefully complete QFA's in September. 

Thanks.


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## JohnBoy (21 Jun 2007)

The CFA is certainly well recognised but it is still biased towards the US (especially their regulatory regime). I sat the UK equivalent (the IIMR) a few years before they scrapped it in favour of the CFA and have no intention of studying for the CFA. 

I work in the investment management industry in London and as far as I can see the CFA is more of a tool for career advancement in US investment banks rather than a solid knowledge base for financial market analysis. I work with five analysts and and award winning fund manager and none of them are CFA qualified.

You rightly refereed to the risks of the CFA in your post. If you fail one year then it becomes a four year slog and so on. However, if you think that you might move overseas with your career (particularly to the US) then the CFA could come in quite useful. On the other hand, the Masters would allow you to network with a bund of industry peers and the people that you meet on this course could become invaluable contacts if you plan to stay in Dublin.


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## Agnitio (21 Jun 2007)

Thanks. Appreciate the useful advice. Reckon I'll go with the Masters.


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## tonster01 (6 Apr 2008)

I am also in this position, I have applied for a Masters in Finance and Investment but now am more inclined to think I would be better off to do the CFA instead.


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## highly (7 Apr 2008)

Hi,

I did that masters in DCU. Very tough - long hours when working full time - lets put it this way, you need an understanding partner!! 

However, that course has opened many doors for me and i definitely feel that it was an excellent course and really gives me an advantage over my peers.

If you have any questions, just drop me a line. 

Best of luck with it! You'll wonder what you did with all your free time before you started it!!


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## tonster01 (7 Apr 2008)

Thanks for the info highly, was the course spread across the course of a week or in bulks of 1-2 days a week with the rest of the week free tostudy yourself?


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## highly (8 Apr 2008)

Hi

The course for me was on Mondays & Wednesdays from 4pm - 8.30pm and then on Saturday mornings from 9am - 1pm. You'd get a 30 minute break per session. 

How DCU work it is that 1st years could be on Mons & Weds and 2nd year would be on Tues & Thurs or vice versa - so it all depends on what days the current first years are in. 

I agreed with my employer that I would work 7.30 - 3, then I would go to DCU and get home at about 9.30pm - so it's a long day. to be honest, the evenings that you're not in college, you're generally far too exhausted to study and I ended up studying during my lunch hours - and I would stay in college after saturday's lecture and work then. I would always take Sundays and Friday evenings off. 

The workload is heavy and the subjects tough - but everyone is in the same boat and there's a real team spirit in the sense of sharing notes, helping out, emailing answers to each other etc. The lecturers are very understanding also - the majority of them have done the course so they know what you're going through. 

Let me know if you need anything else.


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## snice21 (30 Dec 2009)

Folks forget the Masters, do the CFA and/or an MBA.


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## paddyodoors (30 Dec 2009)

any rational behind that statement, especially given this thread is nearly 2 years old?


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## IndySophis (9 Nov 2010)

I am 35 years and is presently working in the capacity of a business analyst for a financial s/w firm. Can anyone tell me if the MIT from DCU is worth doing or not ? Whatever I learnt about finance is through work and I now I really want to dig deeper into finance.


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