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Studying at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School didn’t just advance Krishna Thakkar‘s career. She became a leader.
“I have always aspired to work on an international platform, leading diverse teams, gaining new life experiences, and globally expanding my professional network,” says the former financial analyst who worked in Mumbai’s private equity research and investment banking industry. “The program caught my attention because it perfectly blends finance and technology.”
In 10 months, the action-based Master of Analytical Finance equipped Thakkar with the technical know-how required of next-generation finance professionals. Students complete four rotations of the program’s modern curriculum and are guided through the foundation of finance topics with increasing complexity — starting with how the global markets work and what asset classes are traded worldwide.
From there, they develop their knowledge about trading products, investment strategies, and modeling — all while learning to leverage software such as R Studio, Python, and Power BI. “This specialized master’s degree program addresses an industry shift that keeps pace with the future of finance education,” said Kirsten Travers-UyHam, academic director. “The curriculum balances mastery of the practical concepts of finance and technical expertise.”
Beyond this, Thakkar honed her soft skills as well. She became better at giving presentations, networking, and leading. “I wanted to be a part of a tight-knit cohort,” she says. “There’s a culture at Goizueta that centers on fostering a supportive community, where students collaborate to attain their career goals.”
Students leverage state-of-the-art tools, real-time market data, and trading platforms to model, trade, and collaborate on real-world consultancy projects with industry clients at Goizueta’s Finance Lab. Source: Emory University Goizueta Business School
‘On the job’ training, experiential learning opportunities
Goizueta’s serves as an immersive, action-based learning space for students to experience the pace of global markets and trading products in a real-time professional trading floor setting. As part of the program, they go through four rotations — Global Markets, Asset Portfolios, Investment Strategies, and In Practice — at the lab to solve real word problems and work on real client projects.
“Our cutting-edge Finance Lab is the central hub of the program and an exciting, interactive space modeled on a professional trading floor,” says Travers-UyHam. “Students experience the fast pace of live markets daily with access to professional industry platforms and analytical tools.”
In the Investment Strategies Rotation, for example, students work as part of a team of portfolio managers tasked with developing and pitching a proprietary trading strategy to a panel of institutional investors. They turn ideas into a real investment strategy by using a wide array of research methods.
This is where many engaging discussions come to life as students hustle to build connections within the global finance industry through networking with industry professionals, clients, and mentors. It’s the perfect place to gain professional experience and insights from industry specialists on ethics and compliance, legal, and regulatory news.
For Thakkar, she thoroughly enjoyed her trip to New York City where she met with leaders in asset management. “Meeting industry leaders and gaining insight into their distinct career paths opened my eyes to the diverse range of opportunities available to me,” she says. “I was especially inspired and empowered to engage with women leaders in a field that is traditionally male-dominated.”
The Master of Analytical Finance expands skillsets by providing access to professional tools, data, and trading platforms including Bloomberg, FactSet, Thompsons, Python, R Studio, Barra, and MATLAB. Source: Emory University Goizueta Business School
At the lab, students also get to tinker with professional tools, data, and trading platforms, including Bloomberg, FactSet, Thompsons, Python, R Studio, Barra, and MATLAB. They can earn professional licensing like Bloomberg BMC, SIE (Series 7 preview), and CFA prep before entering the industry.
The best part? Goizueta has a career team that helps students find their niche in the finance industry and pair it with the perfect career launch. From career coaching to interview training, graduates will have everything they need to build their professional brand and find success.
Thanks to its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) designation, students on an F-1 visa who graduate from the Master of Analytical Finance program are eligible for a on their Optional Practical Training period (OPT) beyond the standard 12 months of OPT. The OPT lets international students continue to live and work in the U.S.
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