On June 17, 2024, the Financial Times (FT) of the UK released its global rankings for Master's in Finance programs for 2024. The Master of Finance (MF) program at the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University made a historic breakthrough by entering the global top 8 for the first time.
Launched in 2011, the FT ranking is currently the most authoritative ranking system for Master's in Finance programs worldwide. SAIF's MF program has consistently performed exceptionally well in these rankings, having ranked first in Asia for three consecutive editions. This year's list includes 65 business schools, and it evaluates the comprehensive strength of a Master's in Finance program across 18 indicators, covering three main dimensions: "alumni career progress," "diversity of the business school," and "international experience, research, and carbon footprint."
In various sub-indicators, the SAIF MF program maintains a leading edge in several key metrics: "Salary three years after graduation" (ranked 2nd globally), "Career services" (3rd globally, 1st in Asia), and "Alumni network" (7th globally). Additionally, the program continues to achieve 100% in both "Employment rate within three months of graduation" and "Faculty with PhD," fully demonstrating the comprehensive competitiveness and profound industry impact of the SAIF MF program.
"The breakthrough of the SAIF MF program in this authoritative international ranking is a significant achievement during the critical period of SAIF's 'three-phase' development. It fully reflects the advantages of SAIF's 'Big City, Famous University' school-running system and mechanism, its positioning and philosophy of internationalized and open education, and the relatively well-established foundation of financial talent cultivation and scientific research that has been gradually formed over the past 15 years. This also fully demonstrates that the talents cultivated by SAIF are highly recognized by society. Looking ahead, the institute will anchor the goal of 'building a world-class financial academy,' adhere to 'upholding integrity and innovation,' and achieve greater breakthroughs in talent cultivation, faculty development, and think tank support," said Professor Shi-Jun Cheng, Executive Dean of SAIF and Professor of Accounting.
As SAIF's flagship program, the SAIF MF program has, since its inception in the fall of 2009, consistently featured internationalization, market-orientation, and specialization as its educational characteristics. With the aim of cultivating future leaders with solid expertise in the financial field, the program continuously iterates and upgrades its curriculum design and operational management. The program adopts a two-year full-time, all-English teaching model, bringing in world-class faculty and offering a forward-looking, professional, and industry-aligned curriculum system that is more beneficial for students' personal development. Currently, the program offers two major tracks: Finance (MF-General) and Financial Technology (MF-FinTech). The FinTech track began enrolling students in 2019, and its graduates participated in the FT Master's in Finance ranking for the first time this year.
The MF project of Gaojin has carried out international cooperation projects with many top international universities, including Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and the London School of Political Economy. Gaojin has also established an International Expert Committee for Project Development, inviting CEOs of top global financial institutions and other professionals to provide strategic advice through regular communication and in-depth discussions on course development, comprehensive student development, career planning, and strengthening global resource integration.
Meanwhile, Gaojin's Career Development Center (CDC) closely follows the trends in modern technology and industry development needs, continuously innovating training models with unique concepts. The CDC encourages students to explore their career paths, guiding them to align personal choices with national development needs, helping them find their niche, and becoming an incubator that leads and supports students in their career development. The CDC has designed a series of tailored training courses (CPTP), covering a wide range of job-seeking directions, and has established partnerships with excellent platforms at home and abroad, launching innovative practical activities such as career testing workshops, specialized training camps, and simulated interviews with overseas mentors. Students not only gain access to renowned financial institutions or multinational companies but also continually discover their unique personal qualities and explore suitable paths that integrate their personal goals with societal development. Additionally, the CDC actively organizes alumni and industry resources, promoting comprehensive thinking on self-worth and career development in the finance industry through the AiM+ mentorship program, deep sharing, extensive activities, and guided instructions.
"The MF program at SJTU Gaojin is committed not only to cultivating students with solid and outstanding professional skills but also to fostering in them sharp market insight, independent critical thinking, a broad global perspective, and deep patriotism," said Professor Li Xianglin, Academic Director of the MF program. "The MF program at Gaojin boasts a group of outstanding academic researchers and experienced professors, a leading and constantly innovative curriculum system, a career center that provides comprehensive guidance throughout, and a project management team offering all-round services. The program initially drew on the curriculum system of top finance master's programs abroad, pioneering the establishment of a finance professional master's program that is aligned with both China and the world. Subsequently, it also launched a new direction in financial technology, introducing hardcore courses in machine learning, computer applications, and more. It is this spirit of continuous innovation and self-breakthrough that has earned the program high recognition from both the academic and business communities. The program has put in a great deal of meticulous work in enrollment, curriculum, career development, project management, and alumni connections. It is this down-to-earth, excellence-seeking, and pursuit of excellence spirit that enables Gaojin's MF program to stay at the forefront of finance master's education. Looking ahead, we will continue to strengthen the full-process management of the program, optimize the curriculum system, enhance immersive teaching, establish closer ties with top financial institutions, and cultivate more globally competitive financial leaders for Shanghai and even the whole of China."
With up-to-date curriculum settings, an international teaching structure, and close and in-depth industry practices, the young and innovative Gaojin MF program has rapidly grown into a benchmark project in Asia and even globally, becoming the aspiration for outstanding students aspiring to enter the finance industry.
The program is open to students from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and international students. Among them, mainland Chinese students are recommended by top-tier universities and exempt from entrance exams, with about 85% coming from Tsinghua University, Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Fudan University. Students from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and international backgrounds come from top global universities, and the international student body is highly diverse. For example, the 2023 cohort of international students came from local students representing 10 countries and regions. This student structure not only lays a solid foundation for the program in the professional field but also provides a platform for diversified communication, empowering students to climb to the peak of the financial field and shaping a new landscape of future leaders in the finance industry. Graduates of Gaojin's MF program are active in various economic and financial fields at home and abroad, becoming an indispensable force driving economic development, industry innovation, and social progress.
"Half of my impression of Shanghai is shaped by Gaojin, and I feel fortunate that the best two years of my life were spent at Gaojin," said Song Yishan, a first-year FinTech graduate and member of the inaugural class at Gaojin MF, now working in the Fixed Income Department at China International Capital Corporation, participating in this year's research. "During my studies, Gaojin's strong faculty, rigorous courses, and professional career development left a deep impression on me and had a very positive impact on my future work. Thanks to Gaojin's shaping of my way of thinking, the atmosphere encouraging experimentation, and the help of professors and senior students, I was able to smoothly enter my ideal career track and steadily grow."
Gaojin is an international finance school established by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government with the support of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in line with the national strategy to develop Shanghai into an international financial center. Over the past fifteen years, Gaojin has adhered to its development mission of attracting top international faculty, cultivating high-end financial talents, establishing an open research platform, and forming a top-level policy think tank. With the strong emphasis and support from the municipal party committee, government, and the university, Gaojin has built the most comprehensive education system for high-end financial management. It continuously explores new avenues in talent recruitment, education, think tank construction, and international exchanges, forging a path of internationalization, marketization, and specialization in financial management education with Chinese characteristics. The school currently offers six programs, namely Master of Finance (MF), Finance MBA, Finance EMBA, Doctorate (PhD), Global Emerging Scholars Program (GES), and Executive Education (EE). It also innovatively offers social certification programs such as the Certified Global Financial Technologist (CGFT) to meet the demands of the times. Standing at a new starting point, Gaojin aims to become a world-class top finance school that is rooted in Shanghai, serving China, and influencing the globe. It is committed to making greater contributions to the construction of a financially strong nation, the development of Shanghai as an international financial center, and the establishment of Shanghai Jiao Tong University as a world-class university.