• Business School
    • Free MBA Admissions Consultation
    • MBA Admissions Services
    • School-Specific MBA Essay Tips
    • Executive MBA Essay Tips
    • MBA Admissions Calendar
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
    • Selectivity Index
    • EMBA: The Ultimate Guide for Applicants
  • Medical School
    • Free Med School Admissions Consultation
    • Med School Admissions Services
    • Med School Admissions 101
    • Secondary Essay Tips (by School)
    • Student Interviews
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
    • Selectivity Index
  • Law School
    • Free Law School Admissions Consultation
    • Law School Admissions Services
    • Law School Admissions 101
    • Selectivity Index
    • Free Guides
    • Podcast
    • Video Tips
  • Graduate School
    • Free Grad School Admissions Consultation
    • Grad School Admissions Services
    • Grad School Admissions 101
    • Free Guides
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
  • College
    • Free College Admissions Consultation
    • College Admissions Services
    • Free Guides
    • Supplemental Essay Tips
    • Video Tips
    • Podcast
Accepted

Speak with an Accepted admissions expert for FREE!

Blog HomePodcastContact Us

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

June 26, 2013

Reading Time: 4 minutes

MBA Admissions: Columbia Business School & Finance

Columbia
Columbia

A quick glance at Columbia Business School: Columbia currently ranks in eighth place as one of the best business schools, according to US News & World Report (March 2012). It was ranked #4 for finance.  

Columbia’s Class of 2013 and Finance

6669 people applied to Columbia Business School; 1062 applicants were accepted (16% acceptance rate). The middle 80% of accepted students had GMAT scores in the 680-760 range. The Columbia Business School class of 2013 has an average of four years of work experience and a median GMAT score of 720.

29% of class of 2013 students have undergraduate degrees in business.

The greatest number of students entered CBS with industry experience in financial services (28%). 7% had prior experience in private equity.

CBS Academics Related to Finance & Economics

Students are required to take two full core courses and 12 half-term core courses, three of which are chosen from the “flex-core” menu.

First Term Core Courses

  • 2 Full courses: Corporate Finance and Financial Accounting
  • 6 Half-term courses: Managerial Statistics, Managerial Economics, Strategy Formulation, Marketing Strategy, Operations Management, Leadership Development

Second Term Core Courses

  • 2 Electives
  • 3 Half-term courses: Global Economic Environment, Decision Models, Managing Marketing Programs
  • 3 Flex-core classes, one from each category (see below)

“Flex-Core” Menu

  • Organization: Organizational Change, Power and Influence, Social Networks and Social Capita
  • Performance: Operations Strategy, Financial Planning and Analysis
  • Markets: Game Theory and Business, Global Economic Environment II: Business Cycles and Financial Markets, Incentives and Performance

With more than half of Columbia Business School’s MBAs securing jobs in finance-related jobs, it’s no surprise that the Finance and Economics Division is CBS’s largest division. Students who wish to pursue careers in this industry would take their first year electives and second year courses from the courses listed below.

Courses Focused on Finance

  • B6301-001 – Corporate Finance 3.0 credit hours
  • B6302-001 – Capital Markets & Investments 3.0 credit hours
  • B8301-002 – Advanced Corporate Finance 3.0 credit hours
  • B8308-001 – Debt Markets 3.0 credit hours
  • B8309-002 – Derivatives 3.0 credit hours
  • B8313-001 – Security Analysis 3.0 credit hours
  • B8314-001 – Real Estate Finance 3.0 credit hours
  • B8323-001 – Asset Management 3.0 credit hours
  • B8345-001 – Entrepreneurial Finance & Private Equity 3.0 credit hours
  • B8358-001 – Banking Fundamentals: Value and Risk 3.0 credit hours
  • B8399-004 – Emerging Financial Markets 3.0 credit hours
  • B8399-005 – Real Estate Capital Markets 3.0 credit hours
  • B8399-030 – Social Impact Real Estate Investing & Development 3.0 credit hours
  • B8399-032 – Financial Crises and Regulatory Responses 3.0 credit hours
  • B9301-001 – Finance & Sustainability 3.0 credit hours
  • B9301-043 – Mergers & Acquisitions 3.0 credit hours
  • B9301-057 – VC/Angel Deals: gut-driven tech investing 3.0 credit hours
  • B9301-063 – Investment Banking Tax Factors 3.0 credit hours
  • B9301-066 – Value & Special Situation Investment 3.0 credit hours
  • B9301-077 – Applied Value Investing 3.0 credit hours
  • B9301-111 – Private Equity: the asset class, its investments & its markets 3.0 credit hours
  • B9301-116 – Hedge Funds 3.0 credit hours
  • B9301-128 – Mental Models, Investment Frameworks 3.0 credit hours
  • B9301-172 – Institutional Investing and Endowment Management 1.5 credit hours
  • B9301-174 – Misunderstood Securities: Investing in Uncertainty and Change 3.0 credit hours
  • B9377-003 – Mergers & Acquisitions in Media (Master Class) 3.0 credit hours
  • B8201-003 – Economics of Strategic Behavior 3.0 credit hours
  • B8313-001 – Security Analysis 3.0 credit hours
  • B9301-173 – Valuation 3.0 credit hours

The table here shows which courses would be appropriate for specific finance-related careers. And this table shows a similar chart for PE/VC careers.

Columbia CaseWorks Cases that will be of interest to students pursuing careers in the finance sector include:

  • Cash is King: Microsoft’s 2004 Cash Disbursement, with Professor Laurie Hodrick
  • Drop the Debt? Dilemmas Confronting the Design of Development Aid and Debt Relief, with Professor Marc Giannoni
  • Liquidating Harvard, with Professor Andrew Ang
  • The Perfect Storm: Citigroup’s $7.5 Billion Mandatory Convertible Issue, with Professor Enrique Arzac
  • Valuing Currency Management: TOM vs. U.S. Commerce Bank, with Professor Geert Bekaert
  • Walgreen Company, 1990: The Cash Distribution Decision, with Professor Laurie Hodrick)

(See full list here.)

Financial Research Centers at Columbia Business School

  • The Center for Excellence in Accounting and Security Analysis
  • The Center for Pricing and Revenue Management
  • The Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate
  • The Heilbrunn Center for Graham & Dodd Investing

CBS Finance-Related Clubs

  • Financial Education Society 
  • Columbia Investment Management Association
  • Investment Banking Club
  • Private Equity and Venture Capital Club
  • Real Estate Association
  • Columbia Finance Organization
  • Equity Research Club

Finance Hiring Stats at Columbia Business School

In 2011, 50.3% of CBS graduates accepted full-time job offers in the finance industry.

 

Industry Percent Base Salary Range
Commercial Banking <1

114,500 – 125,000

 

Diversified Financial Services 2.6

90,000 – 130,000

 

Hedge Funds/Mutual Funds/Fund of Funds 5.5

95,000 – 300,000

 

Investment Banking/Brokerage 27.2

90,000 – 150,000

 

Investment Management 6.7

85,000 – 225,000

 

Private Equity/Venture Capital 5.7

90,000 – 180,000

 

Research and Ratings <1

85,000 – 120,000

 

Other (including Insurance/Microfinance/

Public Finance/Treasury)

1.4

80,000 – 110,000

 

For internships for the class of 2012, 54% of students landed interns in the financial services. The monthly salary range by industry:

Industry Percent Base Salary Range
Diversified Financial Services 2.4 2,000 – 7,200
Hedge Funds/Fund of Funds/Mutual Funds 7.1 2,500 – 13,000
Investment Banking/Brokerage 28.8 1,923-12,000
Investment Management 5.5 3,000-9,616
Private Equity 5.7 2,000-18,000
Venture Capital 2.7 1,000-10,400
Other (including Commercial Banking/Insurance/Ratings) 1.8 5,120-10,000

 

Top hirers include:

  • Goldman, Sachs & Co. –18 graduates
  • Citi – 16 graduates
  • Deutsche Bank AG – 13 graduates
  • Credit Suisse – 12 graduates
  • American Express Company – 11 graduates
  • Barclays – 11 graduates
  • Bank of America/Merrill Lynch – 10 graduates
  • JPMorgan Chase & Co. – 9 graduates
  • Morgan Stanley – 8 graduates
  • UBS AG – 8 graduates
  • Nomura – 6 graduates
  • Jeffries & Company, Inc. – 4graduates
  • Standard Chartered Bank – 4 graduates
  • Fidelity, Lazard, PIMCO – 3 graduates each

 

Are you applying to Columbia Business School? Please see our Columbia B-School Zone and Columbia Business School Application Packages for more information on how Accepted.com can help you get accepted.







Accepted.com Accepted.com ~ Helping You Write Your Best

Article by Accepted / MBA Admissions / bschool strengths, focus on finance, MBA career goals

Get Accepted!

Sign up for a free consultation today!

Which program are you applying to?

Most Popular Blog Posts

1. 7 Simple Steps to Writing an Excellent Diversity Essay

2. 4 Ways to Show How You’ll Contribute in the Future

3. How to Write About Your Research Interests

4. Tips for Answering the Yale University Supplemental Essays and Short Answer Questions [2022-2023]

5. When Will Medical Schools Give You an Answer?

6. Sample Essays from Admitted HBS Students

7. Tips for Answering the University of Pennsylvania Supplemental Essay Prompts [2022-2023]

8. Top STEM MBA Programs: A Comprehensive List and Overview of STEM-OPT Eligible B-Schools

Sample Essays

MBA Personal Statement Examples

Medical School Personal Statement Examples

Graduate School Personal Statement Examples

Law School Personal Statement Examples

College Application Essay Examples

 

This Site is Featured on GMATClub

Home Page Services and Prices MBA Med School Law School Grad School College

About Us Press Room Contact Us Podcast Accepted Blog
Privacy Policy Website Terms of Use Disclaimer Client Terms of Service

Accepted 1171 S. Robertson Blvd. #140 Los Angeles CA 90035 +1 (310) 815-9553
© 2022 Accepted

BBB A+ RatingStamp of AIGAC Excellence

Copyright © 2023 · Education Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in