INSEAD begins Master in Finance Degree with Singapore launch

Unique, multi-module programme provides rigorous, global understanding of Competitive and management issues in finance ; Designed for experienced working finance professionals seeking advanced knowledge

INSEAD, the leading international business school, today announced the start of its newest learning innovation: the INSEAD Master in Finance Degree. This initiative, developed last year and formally beginning on April 7, is carefully designed to provide experienced financial industry professionals with the competitive skills to advance their careers and make greater contributions to their organisations – while they continue working. INSEAD’s Master in Finance curriculum presents a genuine global experience that attracts top talent from around the world. This offering differentiates itself in the marketplace in key ways: It combines both leadership and management perspectives for a rigorous holistic education, one targeted for working professionals with a minimum of four to six years on the job. As with all INSEAD programmes, this new INSEAD Master in finance features participants with exceptional diversity and talent who seek to integrate theory and practice for best impact. Thirty three participants mainly from financial institutions, industry and consulting enrolled the programme and come from the US, India, Australia, Singapore, Canada, South Africa, China, Korea, Germany and the UK. “We have created a unique offering consistent with INSEAD’s values and positioning,” said Peter Zemsky, Interim Dean whose responsibilities include overseeing Degree Programmes and Curriculum. “Our Master in Finance degree is a striking departure from those pre-experience programmes offered elsewhere. By contrast, INSEAD’s offering is intended for experienced professionals desiring greater strategic knowledge that deepens their understanding of global finance.”
The programme consists of five integrated modules delivered across INSEAD’s multiple campuses to give students an authentic global management education and exposure to INSEAD’s international faculty experts. Each module’s duration is two to three weeks, with the entire curriculum spread over 20 months, a structure optimised to meet the needs of those who wish to gain a comprehensive understanding of global finance without disrupting their careers. INSEAD is launching the programme on its Asia Campus in Singapore, where four of the five modules will take place. The remaining module will bring students to INSEAD’s Europe Campus in Fontainebleau, near Paris. The focus on Asia is deliberate and highlights that region’s growing importance for the finance industry. The first two modules give students a solid foundation in finance, accounting, and decision sciences, while the third module offers students the chance to concentrate either on corporate finance or financial markets. The fourth module is an elective course constructed to allow students the chance to pursue even deeper knowledge about specific financial subjects, such as risk management, macroeconomics, decision sciences and investment banking, among other options. The capstone fifth module synthesizes all the material learned within a rigorous strategic framework.
In addition to on-campus education, the Master of Finance curriculum features significant case work that students complete between modules to ensure greater application of classroom theory to real business practice – a hallmark of INSEAD’s approach to management education for more than 50 years.
Dean Zemsky stated: “The complexities of global finance have grown more pronounced, with financial models undergoing rapid change that demands even greater expertise from working professionals. INSEAD’s Master in Finance Degree specifically meets the needs of those professionals to equip them with the knowledge they require to succeed in an increasingly dynamic business world.”

The new degree, Zemsky added, further enhances INSEAD’s extensive portfolio of “intense and transformative” educational experiences delivered in a unique global environment that benefits from the school’s commitment to authentic diversity. INSEAD MBA students come from more than 80 nations, making the school’s classroom and culture richly engaging and unlike any other.  “The students in this programme, as in other INSEAD programmes, have very diverse profiles both in terms of background and industry experience,” said Kristen Lynas, Director of Executive Degrees. “We saw a real need for a programme that was rigorous, yet targeted for individuals already working in the financial industry. INSEAD’s long history of global diversity ideally positions us to deliver this content in a high-impact way.”
In addition to the rigorous quantitative content that forms the core of the Master in Finance Degree, INSEAD has integrated critical management concepts as well.
“In this degree, we focus on deep financial content in a strategic setting: international finance, global financial trends, global best practices,” said Ian Woodward, Affiliate
Professor of Organisational Behaviour. “Then, we take it a step beyond so that our students understand how the numbers connect to people and various relationships within the organisation. Leadership is part and parcel of developing future financial leaders. That’s what we’ve integrated in this global programme.”
Applicants to the INSEAD Master in Finance programme should possess a minimum of four to six years of professional experience in a finance role; a strong academic background; proven quantitative skills (evidenced by GMAT or GRE); fluency in English; and outstanding letters of recommendation.

For detailed application procedures and access to the online application,
visit www.INSEAD.edu/MFin/Admissions