To the world and on a global scale, the intricacies and depth that form our international and domestic economic and financial systems are known to fundamentally shape our everyday lives, futures, and potential to achieve our respective dreams. The Finance Program enabled me to express my aspirations for greater knowledge in these fields through harnessing potential already present yet previously untested and practically pursue my goals whilst enhancing my intellectual curiosity. By obtaining the Master's Degree in Economics and Finance, I not only acquired an increased ability to perform quantitative/qualitative analysis and better comprehend the juxtaposition of salient subjects which shape our interactions, but also strengthened my firm desire to positively impact society and the progression thereof.

After graduating from the Finance Program I joined the Bank of England as an analyst in the Markets division where I had previously done an internship. We brief policy makers about current financial conditions ahead of rate decisions and do long term research geared towards implementing monetary policy as efficiently and effectively as possible. A solid understanding of financial economics and coding skills are essential to this job, so when looking at options for postgraduate studies it was important for me to find a program that focuses on teaching both the theory as well as the tools needed to apply it. The finance masters at BGSE offers just that - it integrates not only finance, but also economics and data science modules providing students with a unique flexibility to tailor the degree to their own needs and interests.

The Barcelona GSE Finance program offers a quite unparalleled experience: it goes beyond a business school-style Masters in Finance by also giving big emphasis on quantitative analysis tools and programming. In addition, coming to the Barcelona GSE means diving into a pool of different nationalities present inside and outside classrooms. It is a source of personal development as I discovered different cultures and different mentalities towards solving problems.

The Master in Finance gave me an invaluable array of statistical tools and financial notions that I employ everyday in my work at the Monetary and Financial Statistics Division of the Directorate General Statistics at ECB. The combination of theoretical knowledge of financial markets and machine learning and the associated technical skills, together with the numerous insights that leading practitioners deliver during the presentations by professionals is what makes this Master really unique.

After graduating from the Barcelona GSE Finance Program, I accepted a role as a senior consultant sitting across the Finance and Valuation Practice and the Financial Services Team at Oxera Consulting. Working with the full spectrum of clients, we find innovative solutions to everyday problems in business strategy, public policy and corporate finance. In today’s changing financial, legal and regulatory environments our work at Oxera combines technical valuation expertise with an understanding of how markets and players work.

After the Finance master, I’ve started an internship in the Default Management unit at Clearstream Luxembourg, the post-trade service provider of the Deutsche Börse Group. Straight from the start, I’ve been able to contribute actively to the work of the team. This has been possible thanks to the skills and knowledge acquired in the master, which has given me a thorough insight into the functioning of financial markets.

I work in the Equity Capital Markets division of a private Swiss based bank. The ECM division provides a plethora of different and complex transactions developed on the equity of small to medium cap size firms. Also, many of the transactions imply an in-depth understanding of the business in which the firm operates, of the balance sheets and financial statements and of the management itself. The Master in BGSE provided me with the best theoretical and technical tools in order to price and pitch transactions and firms, helping me a lot on the job. Also, given the practical skills which the master develops, I find it a lot easier to understand databases and to use specific softwares.

I currently work  at the European Central Bank in the Department of Macroprudential Policy and Financial Stability. In our department, we monitor the evolution of cyclical, residential and commercial risks in order to carry out risk- assessment and policy implementation for countries of the Eurozone. My master's in finance at Barcelona GSE helped me to develop a wide range of analytical and technical skills high-demanded by the finance sector, as well as grit to succeed in any upcoming challenges.

I currently work at Blackrock as an analyst in the Aladdin Client Services department, where we provide clients with in-depth knowledge and understanding of Aladdin, their business and the overall risk and investment management process. My master’s in finance at Barcelona GSE helped me develop good analytical and problem-solving skills as well as providing me with a good understanding of how financial markets work.

I am currently an Associate Consultant in the Johannesburg office of Bain & Company. Bain advises clients on strategy, operations, technology, organization, private equity and mergers and acquisitions. I believe the Master in Finance program at the Barcelona GSE is a rigorous course that prepares students very well for a job in top-tier consulting. Beyond the highly desired quantitative, data handling and analytical skills that I gained, the Master in Finance played a big role in developing my leadership and team work skills. At the Barcelona GSE you will be working with students from very different backgrounds on extremely challenging problems, driving for coherent and logical results, sometimes until the early hours of the morning!

I currently work at the Ministry of Economics and Finance of Peru as an Investment Specialist. My responsibilities in the Treasury Department range across the asset pricing theory we learnt in the Finance Master at Barcelona GSE. It is challenging to evaluate the different investment alternatives in order to reduce the opportunity cost of the Peruvian government funds. As well, as part of my daily duties, I have been evaluating the public institutions' asset allocation where I apply my knowledge acquired across financial econometrics course. In terms of what I do as an Investment Specialist there’s nothing I haven’t faced already in the Master.

The Barcelona GSE’s Finance program finds a balance between the qualitative and quantitative aspects of Finance. This means that I was provided with an excellent quantitative and analytical background, while I also developed a keen understanding of how Finance is applied daily in the “real world”. Additionally, working with motivated students from all over the world on the program’s many assignments and challenging group projects helped me develop my team working and leadership skills. I believe that the versatility and knowledge I gained at BGSE help me daily in my job as a consultant and would strongly recommend this program for people interested in pursuing a similar career!

As someone coming from a math background, BGSE Master in Finance gave me the opportunity to extend and gain more in depth knowledge of different finance topics and helped me prepare for my future career in the finance sector. I thoroughly enjoyed the analytical approach applied to real finance problems, as well as working in small classes - we had the chance to get to know each other better, cooperate intensively and the professors were able to dedicate more of their time and attention to each student. The friendships I made still last, we keep in touch and visit each other, and one of my master colleagues will soon become my coworker!

I am currently employed in the Asset Management division and my main tasks are to develop quantitative models to exploit market inefficiencies...It is very exciting and challenging to conduct research in this field, where statistics and probability theory meet behavioral finance. The knowledge I acquired during the Barcelona GSE Master in Finance definitely prepared me well for this work.

Working as a Business Analyst for BearingPoint I have valuable hands-on experience on various projects. Everyday day is different from the last, diverse tasks range from PMO activities to analyzing and structuring deliverables for which I am in the lead, conducting workshops and communicating with the client's management. The workload and rigorous analytical training experience at Barcelona GSE has prepared me well to take on any endeavor in my future.

What makes the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics really stand out is the quality of its faculty. The opportunity to learn and work with top researchers is of great value for an aspiring academic. Also, the Finance master coursework has a lot of theoretical emphasis and is great preparation for someone interested in a career in research.