Top universities for master's in finance

The QS Business Master’s Rankings 2024 includes the QS master’s in finance rankings which shows the 204 institutions that are ranked among the world’s best for master’s in finance degrees. These include 65 institutions in the US and 30 in the UK. 

The rankings are assessed based on a methodology that looks at five metrics: value for money, thought leadership, employability, diversity and alumni outcomes. Click here to learn more about the methodology. 

Read on as we discover the top 10 business schools for master’s degrees in finance.

Top universities for master's in finance in the US and Canada

73 of the top universities to study a master’s in finance are from North America. 65 of these are found in the US including three entries to the global top 10: MIT Sloan, UC Berkeley Haas and UCLA Anderson. Outside of the top 10, Texas McCombs (27th), USC Marshall (30th) and Florida Warrington (31st) all rank very well. 

In Canada, there are nine universities featured in the rankings. The highest scoring of these is Toronto Rotman (15th) which receives its highest score in the alumni outcomes indicator. This is followed by McGill Desautels (20th), HEC Montréal (=95th) and Alberta School of Business (101-110). 

Top universities for master's in finance in Europe

There are 90 universities that offer this course in Europe. The highest number of these are found in the UK, 30 in total, with four entries featured in the global top 10 and a further four schools featured in the top 50: Imperial College Business School (13th), Warwick Business School (19th) and Manchester Alliance (26th) and University of Edinburgh Business School (29th). 

France has 15 schools offering master’s degrees in finance. Two of these, HEC Business School (joint first) and ESSEC Business School (seventh), rank within the global top 10. Another four schools feature in the top 50: ESCP Europe (14th), EMLyon Business School (17th), EDHEC Business School (21st) and SKEMA Business School (28th). 

Spain has nine schools. The highest-ranking of which, IE Business School (11th), receives its highest score in the value for money indicator, but also scores well in the thought leadership, employability and alumni outcome indicators.  

In Italy, there are five schools offering master’s degrees in finance, including Bocconi University (10th) which makes it into the top 10. Outside of the top 10, Politecnico di Milano (=70th) also ranks within the top 100. Germany also has five schools in the rankings including three entries in the top 50: WHU Otto Beisheim (24th), EBS Business School (47th) and Frankfurt School of Finance and Management (48th). 

Portugal has four entries this year. Their highest-ranked institution, Nova School of Business (38th), ranks within the top 50 globally and scores particularly well for thought leadership, highlighting their focus on innovation and new ideas when studying the financial landscape. 

In the Nordic region, Sweden, Norway and Denmark have one university entry each. The highest-ranked of these is Denmark’s Copenhagen Business School (12th) which ranks within the top 20 globally, followed by BI Norwegian Business School (42nd) and Lund Business School (=50th) which all rank within the top 50. 

Both Belgium and Ireland have three universities that offer a master’s degree in finance. Belgium’s highest-ranked university, Vlerick Business School (40th), earns its highest score in the value for money indicator. Ireland’s highest-ranked school, Trinity College Dublin (34th), scores well for diversity. 

Greece, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland each have two entries. The best of these is Switzerland’s University of St. Gallen (22nd), followed by Erasmus RSM (25th) in the Netherlands, SGH Warsaw School of Economics (67th) in Poland and Athens University of Economics and Business (121-130) in Greece. 

Austria, Czechia and Lithuania each have one school in the rankings this year. Austria’s WU University (16th) ranks the highest of these, followed by University of Economics Prague (141-150) in Czechia and Vilnius University (151+) in Lithuania.

Top universities for master's in finance in Australia and New Zealand

Australia has seven universities in the rankings this year. UQ Business School (35th) and Macquarie Business School (39th) rank within the top 50. However, another two entries, University of Technology Sydney Business School (=70th) and Sydney Business School University of Wollongong (74th) also rank within the top 100 worldwide. 

New Zealand also has an entry to this year’s rankings: Massey University (141-150) which scores very well for diversity. This indicates the university’s commitment to inclusion and desire to incorporate a variety of voices within the academic space. 

Top universities for master's in finance in Asia

There are a total of 19 universities in Asia that offer the master’s in finance course. The highest-ranked of these is Peking University HSBC Business School (23rd) which is found in mainland China and scored particularly well in thought leadership. Mainland China has one other entry: Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance at SJTU (=77th). 

Asia’s best represented study destinations in the master’s in finance rankings this year are Hong Kong SAR and India which both have five universities. Hong Kong SAR has three institutions in the global top 50: HKUST (32nd), CUHK Business School (41st) and City University of Hong Kong (44th). Each of India’s entries rank 151+: Institute of Management Technology Ghaziabad, International Management Institute Delhi, Jagdish Sheth School of Management, T A Pai Management Institute and Woxsen School of Business. 

Thailand has two schools in the rankings this year: Thammasat Business School (98th) which scores highly for thought leadership and Chulalongkorn Business School (131-140) which scores highly for alumni outcomes. 

Japan has one university which offers a master’s in finance: Waseda Business School (121-130). This receives its highest score for alumni outcomes, suggesting that a master’s degree in finance from this school is held in high regard by employers and can advance a graduate's career. 

Top universities for master's in finance in the Middle East

Each of the Middle Eastern countries featured in the rankings this year has one university which offers master’s degrees in finance. The highest-ranked of these Middle Eastern entries is Lebanon’s AUB Suliman S Olayan Business School (=84th), followed by Turkyie’s Sabanci University (131-140). Tikrit University in Iraq and Western Caspian University in Azerbijan both rank 151+. 

Top universities for master's in finance in Latin America

There are a total of three Latin American universities in this year’s ranking. The best of these is EGADE Business School (43rd) from Mexico which receives its best score in the employability indicator. 

This is followed by Peru’s CENTRUM Catolica Business School (97th), which also receives its highest score for employability, and Universidad EAFIT Business School (151+) which receives its highest score for value for money. 

Top universities for master's in finance in Africa

There are four African entries to the master’s in finance rankings. Two of these are from Morrocco: GROUPE ISCAE and Rabat Business School which both rank 151+. 

The top-ranking African university is from Egypt: AUC Cairo School of Business (121-130). It is the only African school to rank within the global top 150. 

Tunisia’s only entry to the rankings is the Mediterranean School of Business (151+) which receives its highest score for diversity.