Top 5 Courses and Schools for Investment Banking Careers

Investment Banking is a very lucrative field, especially in advanced economies. An investment bank is typically a private company that provides various financial-related and other services to individuals, corporations, and governments such as raising financial capital by underwriting or acting as the client’s agent in the issuance of securities.

Top UK financial career guide website, efinancialcareers, did a research on the courses studied by the recruits into 3 of the biggest global investment banks and came up with some interesting findings.

The 3 companies sampled are the London offices of:

• Goldman Sachs
• J.P. Morgan
• Morgan Stanley

Courses studied by the newly recruited analysts:

GOLDMAN SACHS

1. Economics – 40%
2. Finance – 36%
3. Engineering – 8%
4. Mathematics – 6%
5. Management – 4%
6. Others – 6%

J.P MORGAN

1. Economics – 24%
2. Finance – 18%
3. Engineering – 17%
4. Management – 17%
5. Mathematics – 7%
6. Others – 17%

MORGAN STANLEY

1. Economics – 47%
2. Finance – 26%
3. Management – 17%
4. Mathematics – 6%
5. Engineering – 4%
6. Others – 0%

Despite de-emphasizing course of study in recruitment, it appears financial courses of Economics, Finance and Management are still the top choice for investment banking firms.

The top schools from which the successful candidates graduated from are:-

GOLDMAN SACHS

1. London School of Economics – 15%
2. University College, London – 9%
3. University of Warwick – 9%
4. Imperial College, London – 7%
5. University of Oxford & Bocconi – 7%

J.P MORGAN

1. University College, London – 15%
2. London School of Economics – 14%
3. HEC Paris – 9%
4. University of Warwick – 8%
5. Imperial College, London – 8%

MORGAN STANLEY

1. London School of Economics – 15%
2. University of Cambridge – 8%
3. University of Oxford – 8%
4. HEC Paris – 7%
5. ESCP Europe – 7%

Bottomline: To boost your chance of getting a top Investment banking job in London, go to a top London school, any of these listed schools. Of course, you will let the school pass through you.

Fuller details at efinancialscareers.