More women are taking a masters in finance degree.
The number of women studying for the specialist postgraduate qualifications has been rising by double digits since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020, which academics and accreditation bodies say has been propelled by curricular changes and schools appointing more female faculty.
According to the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), the global business school accreditation body, female enrolments on finance masters degrees for the 2021/22 academic year jumped 41 per cent year on year in the US, and 70 per cent year on year for the rest of the world. Across 278 accredited schools, 41.6 per cent of the masters in finance class intakes were women, and female enrolment was up 62 per cent on the 2017/18 intake, compared with an overall increase in enrolment of 33 per cent.
While female domestic US students tend to favour broader postgraduate management courses, masters in finance (MiF) degrees are popular with Asian students, attracted by the prospect of being able to work in the country after they have completed their studies.
“It is a great entry point for them to get into the country,” says Elissa Sangster, chief executive of the Forté Foundation, a US-based not-for-profit body that works to encourage women to build careers through business education.
“It also gives you a leg up in the recruitment process if you have that specialisation, better than an MBA,” Sangster adds, noting that a qualification focused on finance can be more help in advancing a career in financial services.
A principal reason cited for the higher intake of female students has been schools increasing the number of female teaching staff. This has been driven from the top at some schools, such as France’s Neoma Business School, whose dean Delphine Manceau has championed gender balance.
The percentage of female faculty at the school has risen from 40 to 48 per cent since she took office in October 2017, and Manceau has appointed women to lead Neoma’s masters in finance and masters in management degree programmes.
