MF Frequently Asked Questions

Fall Start

Early Action: February 1
Regular: April 1
Extended: June 1 (U.S. Applicants Only)

All applicants to the MF program will receive an acknowledgement letter via email from the Graduate Admissions Office which includes your Admissions ID and Access Code. This will enable you to keep track of application materials that have been received. Additionally, the Isenberg Graduate Programs Office will be in touch about any incomplete materials and next steps.

Acceptance decisions are posted in SLATE with instructions to confirm acceptance. The Associate Dean and your Academic Advisor will email you with additional information to get started.

Accepted students can defer their acceptance once, for up to one year. Contact your Academic Advisor to discuss further.

Graduate School application and $85 application fee (waived for military and current UMass Amherst undergraduates)

Personal statement

Resume/CV 

Graduate School short essay

Official transcripts of all universities/colleges attended

Two letters of recommendation

GMAT/GRE score (waiver may apply)

English Language Proficiency score (for non-native English speakers only)

Interview (may be requested by Program Director)

A personal essay should be one to two pages in length and include information about your past and current academic and professional history, your future goals and reasons for pursuing the MF, and other pertinent details that will help us evaluate you as a candidate.

*Not required for the following application terms: Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025.   

Please take the time to answer all parts of the following question. 600 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but do not feel obligated to do so. 

At UMass Amherst, no two students are alike. Our communities and groups often define us and shape our individual worlds. Community can refer to various aspects, including shared geography, religion, race/ethnicity, income, ideology, ability, sexuality, gender, and more. 

Please choose one of your communities or groups and describe its significance. Explain how your experience in this community or group would enable you to enrich the following: 
        1. Your department/program/our campus 
        2. Your field/discipline 

Please submit your transcripts from all colleges/universities attended, undergraduate and graduate, where nine (9) or more credits were earned. Unofficial transcripts uploaded to the Additional Materials page of your application are acceptable. Upon admittance, official transcripts will need to be submitted, either electronically or in paper format, directly by each institution's Registrar to the Graduate Student Service Center. Review After You Apply for instructions on submitting official transcripts.

If your current transcript has all of the courses and grades (GPA-based) from the previous institutions included, you are not required to submit the transcripts. We highly encourage you to double-check with the University Registrar’s Office. Otherwise, you are required to submit transcripts from all previous institutions where 9 credits or more were earned. 

Recommendations should be requested from individuals who know you on a professional level and well enough to provide specific examples and details regarding your past performance and competencies. If you are a recent college graduate, we encourage you to provide one academic and one professional reference.

A GMAT/GRE waiver is granted for an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. To be considered for the GMAT/GRE waiver, leave the application test score section blank. If you don’t meet the GPA qualification, waivers may be considered for individuals with professional work experience.

School Code: Isenberg-UMass Amherst - 3917

The Master of Finance requires 10 courses, 30-credits for graduation.

MF students are offered a rich selection of coursework in asset management. This coursework includes topics such as Quantitative Trading Strategies, Fixed Income Securities and Asset Allocation. Computational finance courses such as Business Application Development with Python and Data Science for Finance offer students highly functional and marketable skills.

Students will have access to multiple Bloomberg terminals as well as to several databases including the Morningstar CISDM Hedge Fund/CTA database, CRSP database for historical stock prices, Compustat for accounting data, OptionMetrics for options data, Morningstar Direct mutual fund data, and Thomson Financials 13F institutional holdings data. Bloomberg certification is available for interested students, a valuable tool when seeking competitive finance jobs.

We follow a typical semester system – fall and spring semesters are 14 weeks. The summer semester schedule may vary and the winter session is typically 5 weeks.

Classes are scheduled each semester based on professor and classroom availability. Typically, classes are scheduled Monday – Thursday each week between the hours of 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Eastern time. Classes last about 75 -105 minutes each. This is subject to change based on the above considerations.

Congratulations on reaching your goal of completing your MF! If you are enrolling in your last class this semester, you must complete the Degree Eligibility Form and submit it to your academic advisor.

Note: An overall 3.0 GPA (B) must be maintained in order to graduate. Once your Degree Eligibility Form has been processed by the Graduate Office, details about commencement will be both emailed and mailed to your current address (listed on SPIRE).

The diploma will not reveal your focus area, but the transcript will.

YES! All eligible MF students can participate in graduation ceremonies and receptions.

Official Transcripts will not be available right after you complete your coursework. You will know that your transcript is finalized when you see “Degree Conferred” at the end of your transcript. If you completed a focus, you will see it with the Degree Conferred. 

Your confer date will be posted to your transcript in the weeks following your semester's confer date. Confer dates for each semester are February for fall and winter graduates, May for spring graduates, and September for summer graduates. 

Diplomas will be mailed two to three months after your degree has been conferred, to the Diploma Address listed on SPIRE at the time of mailing.

Your UMass email is viable up to six months after graduation. You will always have access to your SPIRE account. You’ll be able to request your official transcripts online and/or change your contact information. Do make sure your address is updated so the current year's W2’s will reach you.

The MF program is a cohort based, in-person program that begins each fall. The program runs for 3 consecutive semesters - Fall, Spring, and Summer, with students completing their classes in 12 months.

Yes, the MF has achieved classification as a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program. This designation, determined by the Department of Homeland Security, allows international students to extend their training (Optional Practical Training - OPT) in the United States by working in their field of study.  More information regarding the Extended STEM OPT process can be obtained through the university’s Office of Global Affairs (OGA).

The Isenberg School of Management is accredited by AACSB, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB grants international accreditation to undergraduate and graduate business administration and accounting degree programs.

Undergraduate students at UMass Amherst and other colleges in the Five College Consortium can pursue a 4+1 option, completing their undergraduate degree and the MF degree in 5 years or less. Undergraduate students apply to the MF program in their junior year or early in their senior year and can then take up to 12 credits of MF graduate courses during their senior year, with up to 6 of those credits (2 courses) allowed to double-count for both the undergraduate and the MF degree.

Yes, MF students work closely with the Chase Career Center throughout the course of the program.

Yes, we offer many events including networking events, discussion panels, as well as various social gatherings. Events may be offered both virtually and in-person.

In addition to the Chase Career Center, MF students have access to Connect UMass and the Isenberg IConnect platform.

Isenberg Resources:

• IConnect (tools, tips, tricks, recruitment, events, connections, etc.)
• Isenberg Alumni LinkedIn Group (Join at student level)

UMass Resources:

• Connect UMass
• UMass Handshake (UMass Amherst wide resource to connect with recruiters and view job openings)
• UMass Alumni Association (Students can request an Alumni ID using first time registration access as an accepted student)

Leading firms specializing in hedge funds, pension funds, money management, private equity, consulting, and university endowments are all seeking employees with expertise in asset management. Additionally, regulatory agencies from around the world face a critical shortage of staff members who can understand complex investment products and processes that are at the center of the industry.

Joining our MFAI Program means you will have access to work with the world’s leading experts in Alternative Investments (AI). Check out our unique partner list:

• Center for International Securities and Derivatives Markets (CISDM) - Located at Isenberg, the center hosts conferences, connects academic and business communities and provides access to the Morningstar CISDM Database.
• Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association (CAIA) - CISDM co-founded the Amherst-based Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association (CAIA), which supplies credentials and support for AI professionals. MFAI graduates interested in Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) certification can skip the Level I Exam and be eligible for one of 10 scholarships the association will have available for students taking the Level II Exam.
• The Journal of Alternative Investments (JAI) - Housed at Isenberg, JAI is the official publication of the CAIA Association and provides its readers with innovative research, practical tools, and expert analysis on managing alternative investments.

Average Age: 25
Average GMAT Score: 565
Average UGPA: 3.35

Applicants who do not have a bachelor’s degree in business are encouraged to apply. A quantitative background in subjects such as calculus and intermediate statistics or probability is encouraged. Undergraduate degrees in sciences, engineering, mathematics, and in some economics and business programs are recommended.

Yes! Students are eligible to apply for the MF program while still enrolled in their undergraduate program. Admissible individuals will receive a conditional approval pending final grades and degree confirmation.

We are looking for applicants with a minimum GPA of 3.0 or above. However, applicants who are below a 3.0 are not excluded from applying as we look at application materials holistically.

No. However, quantitative background in subjects such as calculus and intermediate statistics or probability is encouraged.

The MF program is $1,400 per credit (regardless of residency). A student can expect to spend $42,000 in tuition. For more information regarding tuition, fees, and financial aid please refer to this webpage.

Students are responsible for paying miscellaneous fees, plus books and living expenses (which can vary based on your needs). Graduate housing is currently unavailable on-campus. You will be able to work with the Off-Campus Housing Office once accepted into the program.

No, Isenberg does not offer any scholarships for the MF program.

No, Isenberg does not offer graduate assistantships for 1-year masters programs.

You will be billed directly by the University Bursar's Office. Billing information will be sent to your UMass email account. Paper bills will not be generated. The bill can be viewed within SPIRE and paid directly online, or it can be downloaded and mailed with a check.

No, there is no deposit required.