2nd Master or Phd in Finance? HELP! 2018Fall

[rzl2014]

Hi there,

I have been in Canada for almost 6 years. It has been great experience that I got my master degree in Econ from top3, and have been working at a private company in a forecast and risk management role for over 3 years. Maybe it's true that there is a bottleneck after working 3-4 years. And here I am. I have been seriously thinking about if I should further my education in Finance, as my current role is more related to finance, even I do come from a Econ background. And I like research! My master is research based and I did get the chance to write a thesis and presented it in several conference in North America.

 

Here comes my question. Should I apply for a finance master or phd, especially considering UofToronto and UBC are my targets...

 

Honestly, I am not so confident about my background. I do not know if I am qualified to apply for a Finance Phd from a Econ background. That's why I also consider to apply for a master degree in finance (UofT-MFE, or UBC-MF). And a master degree allows me back to work after 1-2 years of study, if I do not think Finance phd is a good idea. But even for masters, I feel my chances are low, cos I know there are way more ambitious and younger students/professionals want to get into those master programs. Meanwhile, I also wonder if it's a waste of time to get my second master degree, instead of getting a phd directly.

 

So guys, help!!! What is my chance to be accepted by a Finance master/phd program? And should I take a safer (not really) approach to get a second master degree first?

 

Thank you so much!!!

 

Here's my background:

Canada PR

International undergraduate in Econ - GPA: 3.8/4

Canada Top3 in Econ - GPA: 3.8/4 (with a thesis, can get reference letters from Econ professors I worked for)

3+yrs Canadian work experience in a finance related role (risk management - hedge for commodity risk)

take GMAT in Oct (was 730 4+ years ago)

take FRM I in Nov (should be fine)

Edited August 17, 2017 by rzl2014