Imperial College Business School has achieved an equal gender split on its Masters in Finance programme.
For the first time, the school has recruited 50 per cent of women on the course for the 2017/18 academic year.
The programme, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has 46 women in its current cohort who come from 19 different nations including, Bahrain, China, France, Mauritius, Mexico, Romania and Senegal.
Imperial College Business School has taken a number of steps in recent years to encourage greater diversity across its programmes. These include introducing women’s information sessions, networking and breakfast events for current and prospective students and alumni.
Fiona Sandford, Interim Associate Dean at Imperial College Business School said, “Developing students to be inclusive future leaders is important to the Business School and the wider College.”
“Having a more diverse student cohort makes for a more enriched study experience for both male and female students and helps all students become better team players and future leaders.”
Dr Lara Cathcart, the Business School’s Associate Professor of Finance and Academic Director of Masters in Finance programme, said, “This is a very encouraging sign that things are changing and that the finance industry is becoming more attractive to women.”
“The emergence of new careers in areas such as fintech has probably contributed to this shift in attitude, as more women recognise the diverse number of careers that can be entered into with this degree.”
Benedicte Aune, a female graduate of the 2016/17 MSc Finance said, “I chose to enrol in the MSc Finance at Imperial because it is highly respected by financial services employers and is in the heart of London, providing access to the world’s top banks.”
“Since graduating, I have secured job offers from two investment banks including Morgan Stanley where I currently work as an off-cycle analyst.”
“The degree played a big part in my career success and it was absolutely worth it.”
