# Studying Finance in Dubai



## gandalf (Aug 17, 2011)

Hi

Im 31 now and i want to study further and i was considering my masters in finance. im basically from a marketing background and have been in this field for years now, i wish to gain knowledge of finance and investments, equity, asset management. i do have a choice to do an mba but im not considering that because i may want to switch my line if i like finance. 

im currently a senior manager of a family run diamond business and i wish to enhance of knowledge of finance just so i understand management of money which i feel is not being done professionally in a company where capital requirement and movement is constant and where capital risks are high. Volatility in global commodity prices are indirectly affecting our business. i just feel businesses need finance experts who have technical knowledge of the product that theyre in the business of at the same time as well. your opinions are welcome.

where can i study CFA or Msc in Finance in dubai? what is the difference between the 2 courses? a part time course is only feasible for me.

any suggestions would help.

thanks a lot!!


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

Hi Gandalf,

CFA

If you are the type who can study on your own then CFA might be good for you. If you enrol to the CFA program, you will get all the materials and you can study on your own. CFA is a "designation". Are you planning to become a chartered finance analyst or are you looking just to learn more ? If the later then you can buy the study books from several people who went through the program or even online @ Amazon.com

There are other certifications like FRM Financial Risk Management offered by GARP very trendy

Masters in Finance. 

There are several branches within Finance. I would recommend you visiting the Financial times website for the rankings. Once there, visit the schools websites that are offering Masters in Finance. You will realize that there are different options for Masters. Some programs focus on the "maths/ modelling" the so called "Quants" and there are some which are more generic. 

Masters is more expensive than CFA by far. However, CFA takes at least two years provided that you are working on the field. MBA takes one if it is full time or couple of years if part time. Your choice.

Where to study in Dubai ?

Well if you need help to prepare yourself for the CFA exams you can also seek help from content providers like Kaplan. They have quite a reputation and the materials are good, but you need to study on your own. There are companies who bring instructors but unfortunately I do not know any with good reputation in Dubai.

MBA/ Masters

It does count where you do your Masters and MBA as you know. In Dubai, I would recommend going after MBA programs that are reputable. The financial times will help you on that. You can also use other rankings like Business Week. I believe they offer a ranking per speciality.

Both MBA finance and CFA ?

I really do not think a good idea to have both. If you are finished with your MBA you can always go back to your school and attend more disciplines that you wanted to attend before but you could not. As an ex-student, you are allowed to continue your education. So let's say you finished your MBA in Finance you can always go back and maybe hone your skills in Strategy ?

However, MBA is way more expensive as I mentioned before and attend extra classes cost money.

The other things that you could do is to do your CFA and then maybe an MBA.. or just stick around with CFA. 

Good luck


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