LSU Ranked Among Best Master of Finance Degree Programs

Targeted News Service

BATON ROUGE, La., Aug. 13 -- Louisiana State University issued the following news release:

Master of Finance Degrees has named the LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business' Master of Finance program 26th among "The 30 Best Master of Finance Degree Programs under $22,000 per year." From a cost perspective, the program ranks sixth among the 30 programs.

According to Master of Finance Degrees, to formulate the list it first compiled all the accredited schools in the nation with net prices (tuition minus average aid package) below $22,000 (roughly the net price tag for a typical year of grad school). The organization then collected data for each of the schools in six areas:

* Student-to-faculty ratio

* Average undergraduate GPA

* Percentage of students employed by graduation

* Finance- or business-related student organizations

* Princeton Review's academic experience and career ratings

Master of Finance Degrees list the net price of LSU's program at $12,882 and stated that LSU's academic experience is highly rated and an impressive 70 percent of students are employed at graduation.

"This did not happen overnight," said Department of Finance Chair Carlos Slawson. "For decades, LSU's M.S. Finance program has been blessed with dedicated and brilliant faculty committed to high standards. Our alumni are passionate in their commitment to supporting us and assisting current students with career placement. We are very pleased with the recognition."

Other Southeastern Conference schools that made list were Vanderbilt University (6), University of Florida (14), Texas A&M University (17), Auburn University (19), University of Alabama (21) and Mississippi State University (28).

To view the entire list, visit http://www.master-of-finance.org/best/affordable-degree-programs/.

The Department of Finance at LSU boasts internationally renowned research faculty in several areas, including derivatives, asset management, banking and spatial econometrics. Both a Chartered Financial Analyst Program Partner and a Certified Financial Planner Board-Registered Program, the department offers degrees in finance at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. LSU Finance Academy members and other finance alumni enjoy careers in corporate finance, banking, asset management, financial planning, real estate, insurance, and business law. The Securities Markets Analysis Research & Trading, or SMART, Lab is equipped with an extensive library of financial databases, including the Wharton WRDS System, Factset, and 12 Bloomberg terminals. Non-finance majors may minor in Personal Investing. LSU law students may qualify for our joint JD/MS program.

For more information, visit www.business.lsu.edu/finance or call 225-578-6291.

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