In-demand job experience a key feature of Laurier's Master of Finance program

By Suzanne Bowness | March 27, 2024

Saachi Punjabi was interested in a program that would take her finance skills to the next level and found just what she’s looking for in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics’ Master of Finance (MFin) degree. With alternating terms of study and co-op placements, she says the program offered her the right mix, plus as an international student, the opportunity to get Canadian experience. “I thought that was the perfect combination of theoretical and industry knowledge,” she says.

Program Director Tony Tang says that Punjabi’s findings echo a lot of the feedback he hears from students. “The co-op stream provides an unmatched experience for students to gain real world experience, and we are still the only Master of Finance that offers co-op,” he says, adding that the program’s longevity means that industry partners are longstanding, and 99 percent of students are employed in the co-op program. Strong support from the established co-op office means that dedicated career counsellors are also on hand to prepare students with resume reviews, interview training and tailored placement.

Currently in the middle of her first work term, Punjabi says she’s loving the opportunity to work with a small buy-side equity firm in Toronto, where she gets to participate at the ground level. A flat organizational structure means she even sits right near the company CEO. “I feel like part of the team, it’s something not everyone at this stage gets,” says Punjabi.

Having already completed a term of course work, Punjabi says she liked the mix of practical lessons combined with theory in the classroom, yet another element that Tang says is very intentional. “We designed the program to build a bridge between textbook knowledge and the real world. Each course takes a hands-on approach, using real world cases, companies and data,” he says. Some Master of Finance students may also opt to take the MSc in Management in Analytics (MMA) double degree, designed to give students skills and earn two masters degrees in 20 months.

Punjabi’s favourite course in first term is also a program highlight, an elective called Laurier Start-up Fund where students get to invest real money supported by the mentorship and advice of professors including Tang.

“I was a portfolio manager in that class and pitched stocks, plus helped decide if we should invest in them. The class teaches you a lot of things, and it’s already helped me at my job,” says Punjabi.

Other core curriculum topics include investment management, financial modelling, derivatives, and corporate finance, while electives range from entrepreneurial finance to investment strategies to Machine Learning in Finance, where finance students use the programming language Python to explore solving financial problems.

After their first placement, students complete two more course-work terms and their second co-op. Two placement opportunities mean that students can explore different workplaces to figure out which ones are right for them, and students are regularly hired back at their placements. 

Students typically find placements with the major banks in Canada, as well as in investment companies and hedge funds.

“Once they graduate, it’s so much easier for them to find a job because they’re already familiar with the corporate culture and have real-world experience,” says Tang. Punjabi says she’s looking forward to trying out a different type of workplace in her next co-op term, and also to completing her third level CFA exam (the Lazaridis MFin is a member of the CFA Institute University Recognition Program, and many course topics map to all three levels of the designation) before finding her place in the financial industry.

Given his status as a finance professor, perhaps it’s not surprising to hear Tang make a final recommendation for the program in terms of investment. “Our co-op experience is the best you can get from any programs; the unique curriculum design is the highest value in terms of investment of time and money,” he says.

To learn more about the Lazaridis Master of Finance program, visit our program website.