According to the first MFA employment report for the program launched the program in September 2016, of the 73 graduates who sought employment in the three months to December 19, 2017, 72 received an offer of employment (99%) and 70 accepted an offer (96%).

Of the total number of 76 graduating students, two went into family-owned businesses and another launched an enterprise.

The MFA program is meant for those wanting to build a strong foundation for a career in the Finance sector. The curriculum is built on the five fundamental pillars of corporate finance, asset management, accounting, financial markets and financial econometrics.

While some of the courses are exclusive to the program, MFA participants attend some of the established courses along with MBA and Masters in Finance (MiF) students.

Enrico Cocchi, MFA Career Lead at the LBS Career Centre, described the number of employment offers as a powerful demonstration of the excellence of the program and the quality of the students.

“It’s clear that when it comes to filling vacancies, our MFA graduates are in high demand. These men and women are going to the market with the knowledge and skills that employers are looking for and they are quickly rewarded for their endeavours,” he added.

Asia and Europe were the next preferred employment locations for MFA graduates, at 22% and 20% respectively. Just 3% of MFA graduates accepted jobs based in the US, while 1% took up positions in Latin America and the Middle East.

“LBS’s 2017 MFA graduates worked incredibly hard over the course of their programme and it makes me proud to know that such a significant number were offered employment so soon after graduation,” Cocchi said.

Meanwhile, the UK was the most popular job location for the graduates, with more than half of them, 53% to be exact, taking up positions in the region despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Brexit.

“Having experienced first-hand the lifestyle and business opportunities on offer in the UK during their time at LBS, our graduates are then choosing to stay on and build their lives here,” Cocchi said.

“That is a big endorsement; it confirms just how attractive our employment opportunities are in the UK and just how competitive Britain remains on the global stage,” he added.

Asia and Europe were the next preferred employment locations for MFA graduates, at 22% and 20% respectively. Just 3% of MFA graduates accepted jobs based in the US, while 1% took up positions in Latin America and the Middle East.

The favoured city locations included London, Amsterdam, Paris, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Stockholm and Zurich.

The banking and financial services sectors have claimed more than two-thirds of the graduates. The most popular job sectors were investment banking and brokerage (45%), followed by private equity (13%), investment management (9%) and commercial banking/project finance (4%). The first departure from the banking and financial services arena is technology at 7%.

The employment figures were calculated using a survey of the School’s 76 MFA 2017 graduates. The survey generated a response rate of 100%.

LBS’s Masters of Financial Analysis is a full-time degree program based in London. Over the course of the 12-16 month programme, MFA students are exposed to rigorous academic concepts and theories, outstanding professional development opportunities and international exposure to stand out in today’s competitive market and deliver the immediate impact that global employers demand.