Great News – SAIF MF Program Stayed on No. 1 in Asia in FT Ranking and Ascended among Top 10 in the World for the First Time!

2018-07-05

In the 2018 Master in Finance ranking announced by Financial Times (FT) on June 18, 2018, the Master of Finance (MF) Program of the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University achieved another success by jumping 4 slots from last year to make a position among Top 10 in the world for the first time and successfully staying on the top spot in Asia. In terms of value for money, it continued to maintain its leading position as No.1 in Asia and No.7 globally. In addition, as to "Salary Increase", SAIF MF jumped to the top in Asia and No.5 in the world.

Since its inaugural publication in 2011, the FT ranking has been considered one of the most hailed benchmarks in the world. It rates business schools and their MF programs on 17 criteria in two key domains. The career progression domain, involving 7 metrics and weighing 58% in total, is derived from a survey among alumni after three years of graduation. The other domain focuses on the diversity of business schools and their MF programs, which covers 10 metrics collected from survey questionnaires, weighting 42%.

Compared to its positions of No.1 in Asia and No.14 globally in 2017, SAIF distinguishes itself in the following rankings this year: "Employment at Three Months" (No.1 in the world), "Faculty with Doctorates" (No.1 in the world), "Salary Percentage Increase" (No.5 in the world and No.1 in Asia), "Salary Increase" (No.1 in Asia), "Value for Money" (No.7 in the world and No.1 in Asia), "Careers Service" (No.10 in the world" and "Women on Board" (No.3 in the world). Overall, SAIF MF is ranked No. 10 among all 65 listed business schools and stays on the top spot in Asia. Among 6 Asian schools in the ranking, SAIF is followed by Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (No.15) and Guanghua School of Management of Peking University (No.18).

"The fact that SAIF MF Program continues to maintain its leadership in Asia in the renowned international ranking while making its way into the top class in the world fully demonstrates that SAIF has been widely recognized by its peers based the philosophy and practice of running a business school in compliance with world-class business model and criteria. It also proves that SAIF has taken another solid step in its journey towards a top-class financial school," commented Prof. Chun Chang, Executive Dean and Professor of Finance at SAIF.

One of the flagships at SAIF and taught in English, the two-year full-time MF Program is consistent with the teaching system at MIT and other elite business schools in the world, its curriculum and courses are designed to link the trends of the financial sector to the reality of both domestic and international markets. SAIF MF aims to cultivate world-class financial professionals who master modern financial theories, methodologies and skills and are familiar with the practices of financial sector in China and across the world. Meanwhile, it is also committed to developing the social responsibility, leadership excellence, communication skills and cultural literacy of the participants. For this purpose, SAIF LIVE Learning Center was established, meanwhile, a variety of Extended Learning and Student Activities ("ELSA") are provided to MF students.

"SAIF MF endows us with not only highly trained professionalism and classmates working side by side, but also a powerful platform of pursing dreams with its first-class faculty and supports. During two years of study, I realized that the most unique and valuable essence of SAIF MF is its focus on the professionalism and integrity of financial practitioners as well as its international vision and deployment," said Zeying Zeng, a participant of SAIF MF 2015 and Senior Analyst of Guoxin Hongsheng Venture Capital.

Since its inception, SAIF MF has achieved sustained and rapid development, creating outstanding market reputation and awareness. The admission rate is below 5% on average, only recruiting graduates from leading institutions in China and in the world. SAIF MF graduates have been highly preferred by the market, achieving 100% of employment year after year and reporting the highest average starting salary among its peers in China. The recent graduates in 2017 feature more diverse employers than in previous years, including well-known domestic financial institutions such as China Investment Co., Ltd., China Securities Depository and Clearing Co., Ltd. and China International Capital Corporation; top-class investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and Temasek Holdings; and technology startups represented by Beijing Mobike Technology Co., Ltd.. Statistics shows that the average starting salary of SAIF MF graduates in 2017 was close to RMB270,000, with a median of RMB200,000, up to the peak of over RMB800,000, reflecting impressive market competitiveness.

Facing the boom of FinTech market and the great demand for high-end professionals, SAIF plans to establish new MF-FinTech orientation under its Master of Finance program. Closely related to the market trends. It embraces the courses of Statistics and Machine Learning, Computer Skills and Applications and other courses in addition to the systematic financial curriculum, in order to develop the technical capabilities of FinTech talents in terms of big data, deep machine learning and pratical IT implementation.

"In the future, SAIF MF will further expand its international recruitment and continue to seek innovations and breakthroughs in overseas modules and curriculum design, so as to provide more outstanding professionals to Chinese and worldwide financial sector," revealed Prof. Zhan Jiang, Associate Professor of Finance and Faculty Director of SAIF MF Program.

The Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance (SAIF) was established at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with strategic and financial support from the Shanghai Municipal Government and premier overseas Chinese scholars, with the goal of supporting the development of Shanghai into a global financial center. It benchmarks against leading finance departments and business schools worldwide. Over the past nine years, SAIF has adhered to the roadmap of internationalization, marketization and specialization and is widely recognized as one of the most successful examples of market-oriented education. In May 2018, SAIF and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania formally entered a memorandum to create a long-term strategic partnership in terms of strategic development, international influence, academic research, professional training and other key areas. As a result, SAIF is the most active partner of Wharton among all Chinese business schools.

Top