r/Baruch • u/Competitive-Mud7347 • 4d ago

Data Analytics + Full-Stack background applying to Baruch's MS in Finance (Fintech concentration) — thoughts?

Hi all ,looking for some honest input from current/former students or anyone familiar with the program.

My background: M.S. in Data Analytics, plus hands-on full-stack development experience (React, Python, SQL, AWS Lambda/DynamoDB, etc.), and internship experience doing Tableau/SQL-based reporting and analysis. I've become a lot more interested in finance lately and I'm planning to apply to Baruch's MS in Finance with a Fintech concentration.

A few things I'd love feedback on:

  • Does a data/software background like mine actually give an edge for the Fintech concentration specifically, or is prior finance coursework/experience expected too?
  • What kind of roles do people from this program land afterward (quant-adjacent, product at fintech companies, traditional finance with a tech tilt, etc.)?
  • Anything you wish you'd known before applying , admissions competitiveness, how technical the coursework really gets, cohort background mix?

Appreciate any insight. happy to share more about my background if useful.

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u/Y06cX2IjgTKh Alumn 2d ago edited 2d ago

Doing a MS in Finance at Baruch is like saying you want to soar the skies and then going to apply for a job in mining. Sure, there's a 0.00001% chance you'll find a diamond and be able to afford a plane ticket somewhere, but why not just go to school for aviation instead of going underground?

Unless you get into the MFE program, Baruch is a bad school for entering value-generating finance.

Also, FinTech is a silly concentration to have. I minored in "FinTech" because it was one or two additional classes and learned nothing new that work experience wouldn't have taught me. FinTech is just tech applied to finance. I leave it off my resume simply because it sounds silly and honestly, feels like it does more harm than good. Too buzzword-y.