FAQ

What are the language requirements?

Even though it is possible for students to register in Geneva and to attend the first semester in French, the MScF is essentially taught in English. Indeed, all other semesters are taught in English. As a consequence, you should have a good command of the French language. Your daily life such as purchases, dealing with your landlord, interaction with other students on campus, will take place in French. Basic knowledge of the French language is definitely a plus. The University provides language courses that are highly recommended before starting with the program.

I have never done any finance, am I still eligible to attend the MScF?

Yes you are. It is however strongly recommended that you attend at the bachelor level at least a course in Principles of Finance, then in Corporate Finance and in Investments. Depending on the specialization, various additional recommendations apply.

• For the specialization in Wealth Management it is recommended that you have attended a course on fixed income law (6 credits) as well as an introductory course on the law of companies (3 credits).

• For the Financial Engineering and Risk Management specialization knowledge in mathematics (3 credits) as well as in probabilty theory (6 credits) are welcome.

• If you opt for the specialization in Financial Analysis it is recommended that you attend a course in financial accounting (6 credits).

How can I prepare for the MScF with Financial Engineering specialization?

To facilitate your preparation, we recommend the following textbooks:

1. "Principles of Corporate Finance" by Brealey & Myers, 6th edition, 2000, McGraw Hill College Div; ISBN: 0072352361 (for the basics of corporate finance).

2. "Options, Futures and Derivatives" by John Hull, 4th edition, 2000, Prentice Hall; ISBN: 0130224448 (a good introduction to derivative assets).

3. "Introduction to Financial Accounting" by Thomas, Andrew, 2005, 5th edition, McGraw Hill; ISBN: 978-0077108083 (for your accounting background).

If one of these textbooks is not available, students are encouraged to consult their local library for equivalent textbooks.

For accounting courses at the Master level a working knowledge of financial accounting concepts and techniques are assumed. This should normally be obtained by graduating with a Bachelor degree in management or a comparable education. These knowledge and skills are a prerequisite and will not be taught at the Master level.

An introductory financial accounting course at the Bachelor level normally encompasses (see e.g. the respective curriculum at the HEC University of Lausanne):

• Nature and objectives of financial accountingx Bookkeeping (including double-entry bookkeeping, accounting equations, accounting cycle.

• Fundamental accounting principles, concepts and policies (including inter alia cash versus accruals, general recognition and valuation principles).

• Preparing final accounts (including discussion of recognition and valuation rules for tangible and intangible assets, debts and provisions, accruals and prepayments, equity).

• Elements of financial statements (including balance sheet, profit and loss account, cash flow statement, additional disclosure/notes).

• Basic group accounting (including definition of groups, capital consolidation/consolidation techniques).

Students who do not qualify for these prerequisites or who wish to refresh their knowledge and skills are advised to prepare themselves in advance respectively!

Most of these basic concepts and techniques are independent from legal/national backgrounds. Hence, in general every introductory financial accounting textbook and/or online financial accounting course might be suitable as far as it deals with the content as described above.

For online courses students could consult e.g. Harward Business Online (Http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu).

What is the probability to fail the first semester?

This depends on your background and seriousness of studies. The program is fulltime; this means that the probability of success is sharply diminished if you work. The grades range between 0 and 6. To get 0, one must either not have attended an examination or cheated. If the common-core courses average is 4 with no exam less than 3, 24 ECTS will be validated. If your average is below 3 you are not allowed to continue with the MScF. You are also not allowed to redo the MScF. In all other cases, you must redo the entire series of exams in a make-up exam that takes typically place after the summer following the second semester.

May I withdraw my registration from an exam?

Art. 10, al. 2 stipulates that "A registration may not be be withdrawn without force majeure. A written request must be sent, with justifications to the president of the Deans conference, who accept or refuse this request according to the rules that apply in the university in which the student is registered".

At Geneva, the rule is that once a student registers for a lecture (through a form) he or she is automatically registered in the corresponding exam. If the  exam is not taken, it will be considered failed and must be re-sit during the make-up exam-session.

Does the MScF provide a scholarship for foreign students?

1.The University of Lausanne, to facilitate access to its Master’s degrees by students with qualifications from foreign universities, offers around ten Master's grants which are awarded on a competitive basis. The amount of the grant is CHF 1,600 per month for the duration of the Master's programme (one-and-a-half years or two years).
More information is available on the UNIL website: http://www.unil.ch/ri/page72609.html. The deadline for application is December 15, 2010, for starting at the 2011 autumn semester.

2.To get a scholarship, prospective student must ask for a scholarship at the foreign Swiss embassy. Then, he or she must inquire about eligibility with the Scientific Committee of the MScF. Once these issues clarified, the application will be examined by an instance that is completely disconnected from the University of Lausanne (which means that it is useless to ask us how the application proceeds. Sorry). Each year, the MScF has had some students from abroad with excellent background and who typically succeeded in our program.

Does the MScF provide us with a room?

The MScF does not provide you with a room. There exist student residencies. The student interested in obtaining a place in one of the student residencies should contact the office for social and cultural issues of the respective universities. He or she should be warned that the amount of rooms available is very limited. Care should be taken to contact the local offices ahead of time to ensure a place to stay. For Lausanne follow the link http://www.unil.ch/sasc/. For Neuchâtel follow the link http://www.cite-universitaire.ch/.

When is the deadline? If I do not get accepted by one of the programs, may I still get accepted by another program?

The deadline for registration are

• Geneva:  February 28
  

• Lausanne: February 28 (students with VISA) - April 30

• Neuchâtel: April 30
  

All applications will get entered in a common database. If you have been rejected by the MScF at one of the sites, you will not be accepted by any of the other sites. Once you have registered at one of the sites, you will remain registered at that site, even if you decide to continue at one of the other sites after the first semester. You must attend the first semester examinations at the site where you registered first.

It will be verified that any application is compatible with the Bologna agreement by the Scientific committee. If not, the application will be examined based on the excellence of the applicant.  Former Bachelor students from the University of Geneva, Lausanne or Neuchâtel will be directly registered without further examination by the Scientific committee.