Master of Financial Analysis Frequently Asked Questions

The Master of Financial Analysis degree is a 33 credit program that can be taken on a full or part-time basis. This is a lock step program for full-timers, meaning students will take the same set of academic classes. Students will take five courses in the Fall and five courses in the Spring.

Part-time students have up to 4 years to complete the program and must take the same set of classes in their first and second semester. After that, they are free to take the remaining classes at their own pace, within the maximum time frame. Part-time students are accepted in both the Fall and Spring semesters. Students must complete an Accounting for Managers course before the first semester.

Please review our curriculum for more details.

The CFA exams are only given in English. In addition, English is the language of business. Our program is designed to not only prepare students academically, but the program also provides a way for students to improve their English proficiency. By taking our Summer Intensive Business English (SIBE) program, successful students should perform  better in their finance classes as well as on the CFA exams. Our SIBE program focuses on strengthening English speaking, writing, listening, and reading skills, while expanding practical skills such as professional networking, public speaking and giving presentations, analyzing business publications, conducting meetings, interviews, and negotiations, writing persuasively, and other critical proficiencies. All international students  required to take the TOEFL will be required to attend our 6 week (25 hours per week) SIBE program.  Students will be placed in SIBE classes based on their level of English proficiency from lower intermediate to advanced. International students, exempted from taking the TOEFL (see Admissions) will still benefit from taking the summer intensive English coursework and are strongly urged to do so.

For more information about our SIBE program, please click here.

No. The MFinA program, like all accredited degree programs at Rutgers Business School, provides you with an education not training. The courses are rigorous and teach students to assess and solve problems. The CFA designation certifies to employers that you have the ability to add value to your firm. Many different types of firms value applicants who are proceeding toward the CFA designation. As a result the following list of what jobs CFAs do (source CFA Institute) reflects the value of our degree and the designation to a diverse set of company types:

For international applicants who have not studied at an American university for 2 or more years or have not taken an American financial accounting class in the last 3 years, classes start at the beginning of July.

For international applicants who have studied at an American university for 2 or more years and have taken an American financial accounting class in the last 3 years, you will attend the International Student Orientation at the end of August.

For US citizens or permanent residents, classes begin on the first day of the fall term.

Our 20 month Part Time program only starts in the fall. Our flex part time program starts in either the fall or spring.

Note that US government visa rules require international students studying in the US to attend full time. Therefore our part time programs are only available to US citizens and permanent residents. 

Yes. A part-time option is available and geared toward working professionals with at least two years of work experience. Our 20 month Part Time program only starts in the fall. Our flex part time program starts in either the fall or spring.

Note that US government visa rules require international students studying in the US to attend full time. Therefore our part time programs are only available to US citizens and permanent residents.

The Rutgers MFinA full-time program is taught at Rutgers Business School's $85 million building on the Livingston campus, one of five campuses that make up Rutgers University-New Brunswick, a secure, suburban campus in rural New Jersey. Students interested in the part-time program have the option of taking courses on the Livingston campus, on the Newark campus and any satellite campus locations.

Students in this program are eligible for financial aid and assistance that are currently available to all graduate students (i.e. state and federal loans and grants). We offer a small number of $5,000 merit based scholarships to deserving enrollees. We do not offer teaching assistantships or graduate assistantships at this time.

The Master of Financial Analysis degree is designed to cover over 70% of the material covered on the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level I exam. As stated on the CFA Institute website:

"The CFA Program is a globally recognized, graduate level curriculum that provides a strong foundation of real-world investment analysis and portfolio management skills along with the practical knowledge you need in today’s investment industry. It also emphasizes the highest ethical and professional standards."

For more information on the CFA designation, visit the CFA Institute website.

Yes. There are graduate student dorms on both the Livingston and Busch campuses. To find out more information about campus housing including rates click here. Information on dining services can be found by clicking here. A good overview on life at Rutgers as a graduate student can be found by clicking here.

We will run a non-credit short course on ethics during the program. The course will be held on a Friday so that your other classes are not impacted. To prepare for the ethics portion of the exam you should attend the 7 hour non-credit ethics class.

Level I of the CFA exams is given in December and June. It is anticipated that graduates of the MFinA program will take the Level I exam in June following graduation.

Once your coursework is finished in May, we have arranged for the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of New York (CFASNY) to hold a four day boot camp on our New Brunswick campus. This "boot camp" will bring together all of the topics you have learned in your coursework. The CFASNY is a member institution of the CFAI. They have been offering review classes for over 25 years. All review classes are taught by CFA charter holders. For more information click here.

If, in the 3 years prior to the beginning of the fall term, you have completed a financial accounting class at an Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business accredited university, that class will replace the Accounting for Managers class taught in the program. Students will receive advanced standing and are waived from being required to enroll in the class. This will decrease the required credits from 33 to 30. All other courses must be taken at Rutgers Business School.

The Career Management office provides career-related counseling, resources, and programs to help current MFINA students and alumni to clarify career goals, establish career plans, and develop job-search skills. We build relationships with alumni, employers, and other career offices to optimize career opportunities while also creating strategic partnerships with our stakeholders.

In addition, the career management office established a partnership with an immigration law firm to provide our employers with set fees and resources for obtaining work visas and employment-based permanent residence options. RBS established a partnership with The Chinese Finance Association, which provides mentoring and professional networking opportunities for current MFINA students.

The strongest job growth for CFAs is in the Asia- Pacific region. While only 15% of CFA charter holders are from the Asia-Pacific Region, nearly 45% of those registered to take the CFA exams were from the same region indicating strong interest in obtaining the CFA designation in Asia and the Pacific Rim.1  Matthew Richards, CFA, in a 2006 article in the Financial Times2, points out that while in the US 25% of the employees in jobs for which the CFA is a credential are CFAs - that number is only 2% in China and India. This indicates very strong prospects for CFAs in those countries.

We expect many of our students to obtain jobs in the Asia/Pacific Rim area. Resources that can help you achieve jobs in that region are available at CFA Career Services,  including Job Line - a CFA exclusive job board service to apply for  top investment jobs throughout the world. Students are urged to join the CFA Institute as candidates and obtain the "CFA Career Guide For Asian Pacific Region."

1 Source CFA Institute2 "Crouching tiger hidden dragon - CHARTERED FINANCIAL ANALYST: India and China are likely to leap to prominence in the world of staff trained in finance", by Matthew Richards CFA, Financial Times, June 19, 2006, page 6.

MFINA graduates from the Class of 2019 reported a 53% employment rate* within 6 months of graduation. Note: based on 95% response rate.

MFINA graduates from the Class of 2018 reported a 70% employment rate within 6 months of graduation. Note: based on 95% response rate.

*Placement rate defined as the percentage of graduates who either return to home country to work or obtain employment in US within 6 months of graduation.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) allows graduate students with F-1 visa status, and who have been pursuing a degree for more than nine months, to work to obtain practical training in their field.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is temporary employment directly related to an F1 student’s major area of study and is commensurate with the level of education being sought. An F1 student may be authorized 12 months of OPT for study at one education level and may become eligible for another 12 months of OPT after changing to a higher educational level. An F1 student with a degree majoring in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) may apply for extension of an additional 24-month OPT while in a valid period of post-completion OPT. Students in English language training programs are ineligible for practical training.

Yes. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) allows graduate students with F-1 visa status, and who have been pursuing a degree for more than nine months, to work to obtain practical training (OPT) in their field. The USCIS allows graduates of certain programs to have an additional 24 months of OPT beyond the normal 12 months. These programs are called “STEM” programs and our program qualifies as a STEM degree. As a result of the MFINA STEM designation, students that graduate from the Rutgers Master of Financial Analysis program are eligible to work with a student visa for up to 36 months following graduation.

As a new student, you would need to come into the U.S. and report to Rutgers to activate your SEVIS record and legal status. If you are enrolled for the summer/fall, and unable to come to the U.S., your F-1/J-1 record would need to be deferred to the start of the next semester. You may be able to begin your program from overseas if your department/school provides remote instruction options, but your immigration status would only be activated when you are able to enter the U.S.

More information about delayed enrollment, as well as possibly beginning Rutgers enrollment and courses while abroad (using online or other methods), will be outlined in future communications.

Analyst Critical of Chiefs’ Key Offseason Move: ‘Hard to Make Sense of’

Getty Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt (left) and general manager Brett Veach (right).

The Kansas City Chiefs experienced some significant turnover at several key positions this offseason. But Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine believes the defending Super Bowl champions signing offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor to an $80 million deal wasn’t just one of the team’s worst moves, but one of the worst moves in the NFL this offseason.

Ballentine believes Kansas City overpaid for Taylor, who won’t live up to his four-year, $80 million simply because he likely will be staying at right tackle instead of switching to left tackle. That’s why he ranked the Taylor signing as the fifth-worst offseason move in the NFL.

“According to Spotrac, Lane Johnson is the only right tackle who tops the $20 million annual average value that Taylor’s four-year, $80 million contract will pay him,” Ballentine wrote on May 14.

“It’s a move that certainly doesn’t represent good value and is hard to make sense of.

“Taylor certainly has some upside. He’s only 25 years old, has 35″ arms to go with a 6’5″, 312-pound frame and enough athleticism to believe that he hasn’t hit his ceiling yet,” Ballentine continued.

“He’s going to have to find that ceiling in a hurry, though, to be worth the money the Chiefs are paying him.”

After the Chiefs signed Jawaan Taylor to an $80 million deal in March, Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star reported that Kansas City believes Taylor is athletic enough to make the transition to left tackle. “Will wait to see how the next few days/weeks shake out, but anticipate him on the left side,” McDowell wrote of Taylor on March 13.

Despite the previous intention to move Taylor to the opposite side of the offensive line, the Chiefs can now keep him at right tackle, where he’s more used to playing, and instead can plug an eight-year NFL veteran in Donovan Smith at left tackle to replace Orlando Brown Jr.

Kansas City signed Smith to a one-year, $3 million deal on May 3. Smith has 124 career starts in the NFL at left tackle — all of which were with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said after rookie minicamp that Smith will “probably” be plugged in as the starting left tackle to start his tenure in Kansas City. So, that means Taylor will slot in as the team’s starting right tackle, which is the position he has been playing since he entered the NFL in 2019.

“He’s been a left tackle at a high level,” Reid said of Smith on May 8 via Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride. “Last year (2022), he was hurt. The year before that (2021), he was one of the top-graded left tackles in the league, and we’ve had a chance to play against him a couple of times. I’ve seen him firsthand there. Good football player.”

Speaking to the media prior to the 2023 NFL Draft, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was asked about the team signing Jawaan Taylor and spoke highly of his athleticism, which could potentially help him switch positions if needed.

“(Jawaan Taylor’s) a really, really athletic player. As we all know, he played right tackle at Florida, predominantly – he had some snaps at left tackle (but) played right tackle in the NFL,” Veach said during his April 20 press conference.

“But he’s a guy athletically – I mean he’s long, quick feet, a really, really efficient pass protector and I think it wasn’t a secret that once free agency started, a tackle was at the top of that list and I think we have great flexibility with him. He certainly wants the opportunity to play left, but if we were to draft a left tackle, I mean, we know what Jawaan’s tape looks like at right tackle, so (we were) excited to get him.”