Finance can be daunting, but if you’re looking for a guide to the best MBAs to launch you into a finance career, you’ve come to the right place. For the first installment of Admit.me’s “Top 10 MBA for ___”, we’re gonna give you all the ins and outs of what you need to know about these Top 10 MBA programs for finance.

To help you decide what MBA program might be right for you, we did some preliminary research on schools that people interested in Finance will want to know about. We’ve split up our information on each school by section: Concentration/Specialization/Path, Curriculum, Teaching Style, Experiential Learning Opportunities, Centers and Initiatives, Fellowships, Global Opportunities, and Clubs and Extracurriculars.

We want to make sure you know what you’re getting into and what you’re getting out of going to these schools, so let’s get started!

Concentration/Specialization/Path: Finance Major, Quantitative Finance Major

Curriculum: 20 month program, 9.5 CU (Core); 4.5 CU (Elective)

Teaching Style: Learning Team model; Cohorts and Clusters

Experiential Learning: Independent study, career treks to U.S. and international companies, Wharton Global Impact Consultants, Work at a Non-Profit Organization, Lead a Student Conference, Wharton Leadership Ventures

Centers and Initiatives: Wharton Financial Institutions Center, Harris Alternative Investments Center, Levy Equity Management Center for Quantitative Financial Research, White Center for Financial Research, Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance

Fellowships: Lipman Fellows (analysis and review of global organizations)

Global Opportunities: Dual-degree program, study abroad, Global Modular Course, Global Immersion Program

Clubs and Extracurriculars:  Finance, FinTech, Investment Management, Private Equity & Venture Capital, Wharton Impact Investing Partners, Wharton Graduate Association Finance

Concentration/Specialization/Path: Concentration in Analytic Finance, Concentration in Finance

Curriculum: Begin with LEAD (required experiential course), choose one course from foundation areas (Financial Accounting, Microeconomics, Statistics), then 11 electives courses

Teaching Style: Debate and discussion in classroom, case method, experiential lab courses, and hands-on projects

Experiential Learning: MBA Stock Pitch Challenge, Venture Capital Investment Competition, Invest for Impact Case Competition, Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge, MBA Impact Investing Networking and Training Competition

Centers and Initiatives: Fama-Miller Center for Research in Finance, Center for Research in Security Prices

Fellowships: Chicago Business Fellows Program, Global Innovator Fellowships

Global Opportunities: Global Lab Courses, Industry Treks, Random Walks, Study Abroad (Full-Quarter or Short-Term)

Clubs and Extracurriculars: Chicago Booth Fintech, Credit Restructuring Distressed Investing and Turnaround Group, Investment Banking Group, Investment Management Group, Private Equity Group

Concentration/Specialization/Path: Career-Focused Path in either Finance, Private Equity, or Value Investing

Curriculum: Core curriculum consists of two full-term courses and eight half-term courses (exemption exams are offered for each of the core classes), in second term, students can take 3 half-term electives and 3 full-term electives

Teaching Style: Cluster System, Learning Teams

Experiential Learning: Advanced Projects and Applied Research in Fintech, Private Equity Program, Program for Financial Studies, Speaker series, Conferences

Centers and Initiatives: Center for Excellence in Accounting and Security Analysis, Center for Pricing and Revenue Management, Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing

Fellowships: Columbia Fellows, Board of Overseers Fellowship, Meyer Feldberg Distinguished Fellowship Program

Global Opportunities: Global Study Tours

Clubs and Extracurriculars: Columbia Fintech & Blockchain, Columbia Student Investment Management Association, Equity Research Club, Investment Banking Club, Private Equity Club, Restructuring and Distressed Investing Group, Venture Capital Club

Concentration/Specialization/Path: Finance Track

Curriculum: 5 required core courses, 4 optional core electives (Managerial Finance), Sloan Intensive Period

Teaching Style: Cohorts, Action Labs

Experiential Learning: Finance Treks, Action Labs, Independent Activities Period, FinTech Build-a-thon, MIT Sloan Investing Series, MIT Sloan Investment Conference, FinTech Conference

Centers and Initiatives: Golub Center for Finance and Policy

Fellowships: MIT Sloan Fellows MBA Program

Global Opportunities: Global Study Tours

Clubs and Extracurriculars: Finance & Policy Club, FinTech Club, Global Macro Investing Club, Infrastructure and Project Finance Club, Investment Banking Club, Investment Management Club, MIT Impact Investing Initiative, Quantitative Financial Markets Club, Venture Capital and Private Equity Club

Concentration/Specialization/Path: Finance Elective

Curriculum: 5 required core courses, 4 optional core electives (Managerial Finance), Sloan Intensive Period

Teaching Style:  Case studies, lectures, small-group seminars, simulations, prototyping, role-playing scenarios, hands-on experience, project-based courses, and multifunctional teams

Experiential Learning: Social Entrepreneurship Program, Stanford GSB Impact Fund

Centers and Initiatives: Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance

Fellowships: Impact Leadership Fellowship

Global Opportunities: Global Experience required, Global Management Immersion Experience, Global Study Trips, Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange Program, Self-Directed Experiences

Clubs and Extracurriculars: Finance and Investment Club, FinTech Club, Private Equity Club

Concentration/Specialization/Path: Choose up to three specializations: Banking, Corporate Finance, Finance, Financial Instruments and Markets, Financial Systems and Analytics, FinTech, Quantitation Finance OR Dual Degree Program: MS in Mathematics in Finance/MBA

Curriculum: Year one - two required core, choose at least five menu core; Year two - electives and specializations

Teaching Style: Project-based courses, experiential learning, “The Section Experience”

Experiential Learning: Stern Consulting Corps. Tech and the City, Consulting Lab: Branding + Innovation, Endless Frontier Labs, Stern Signature Projects, Strategy with a Social Purpose, Michael Price Student Investment Fund, NYU Impact Investment Fund (NIIF), Rosenwald Global Value Fund, Social Impact Internship Fund (SIIF)

Centers and Initiatives: Glucksman Institute for Research in Securities Markets, Infrastructure Finance Initiative, Salomon Center for the Study of Financial Institutions

Fellowships: Board Fellows Program, Summer Ventures Fellowship (SVF)

Global Opportunities: Doing Business In... (DBI) Program, Global Courses, Study Abroad Semester Exchange Program

Clubs and Extracurriculars: Graduate Finance Association, Stern FinTech Association, Stern Investment Management & Research, Stern Private Equity Club

Concentration/Specialization/Path: 21 Finance Electives

Curriculum: 6 required courses in Term 1, 6 required courses in Term 2; up to 5 courses per semester with 21 Finance electives to choose from

Teaching Style: Case and F.I.E.L.D. method

Experiential Learning: Interpersonal Skills Development Lab, FIELD Global Immersion, Projects (Behavioral Finance & Financial Stability, Private Capital Project)

Centers and Initiatives: Initiatives: Business & Environment, Leadership, Social Enterprise

Fellowships: Canadian Fellowship, Forward Fellowship, Goldsmith Fellowship, Junior Achievement Fellowship, Kaplan Fellowship

Global Opportunities: FIELD Global Immersion

Clubs and Extracurriculars: Black Investment Club, Finance Club, Impact Investing Club, Investment Club, Venture Capital & Private Equity Club, Women in Investing Club

Concentration/Specialization/Path: Tailored Core: Finance II, Financial Reporting for Today’s Economy

Curriculum: Tailored core (specific to your area of interest), leadership development

Teaching Style: Study groups (5 or 6 people), structured lectures, case studies, discussions, projects, group work, field investigations, visits, research, and simulations

Experiential Learning: LondonCAP

Centers and Initiatives: AQR Asset Management Institute, Private Equity at LBS

Fellowships: London Business School Fellowship

Global Opportunities: Global exchange programs

Clubs and Extracurriculars: Private Equity & Venture Capital Club, Finance Club, Investment Management Club

Concentration/Specialization/Path: Corporate Finance Immersion (CFI), Customized Immersion

Curriculum: Core courses focused on accounting, finance, financial policy, and governance; Site visits to global leaders in finance; Weekly practicum

Teaching Style: Immersion experience, site visits, live cases

Experiential Learning: Hands-on consulting capstone project

Centers and Initiatives: Parker Center for Investment Research

Fellowships: Fried Fellowships, Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Fellowship, Park Leadership Fellows, Forte Fellows Program, ROMBA Fellowship

Global Opportunities: International Study Trips, International Exchange Program, Worldwide Projects, Global Internships, Dual-Degree with Beijing's Tsinghua University of Finance

Clubs and Extracurriculars: Old Ezra Finance Club, General Management Association

Concentration/Specialization/Path: Choose up to 2 specializations: Corporate Finance, Kayne Investment Management

Curriculum: 9 core courses (front-loaded); 2nd year is designed with electives of your choice

Teaching Style: Team teaching with executives, action learning

Experiential Learning: Applied Management Research Project, Student Investment Fund

Centers and Initiatives: Laurence and Lori Fink Center for Finance & Investments

Fellowships: Investment Banking Fellowship, Kayne Investment Management Fellowship, Brown Private Equity & Alternatives Fellowship, and Master in Financial Engineering Fellowship

Global Opportunities: Global Immersion Courses, FEMBA and EMBA International Exchange

Clubs and Extracurriculars: Investment Finance Association

We know it’s a lot of information to take in, but at least now you can get started on the important research for you without having to sift through hours of random information on tons of different websites. 

Happy Preparing, Applying, and Choosing!