On April 8, 2022, the seminar on Master Program Application and Employment Planning for finance major was held in T2-306. The purpose of this seminar is to have an in-depth understanding of the planning of students majoring in finance after graduation, promote their all-round development, and guide them to master the main responsibilities of financial departments in companies in the market. Dr. Minyu Wu, Program Director of Finance of the Division of Business Administration (DBM), delivered an opening remarks and explained the factors that graduates need to consider when choosing a job. Dr. Lei Zhao, assistant professor of Finance in DBM, and Mr. Keyang Zhou, assistant instructor, were present.

From right to left: Dr. Mingyu Wu, program director of finance, Dr. Lei Zhao, assistant professor of finance, and Mr. Keyang Zhou, assistant instructor

Based on his own teaching experience and the questions raised by students, Dr. Wu explained the main positions and their tasks in accounting firms and financial industry. Dr. Wu suggested that students can freely choose their work position according to their major and career interests. Different companies will demonstrate different corporate cultures. For Finance students with good mathematics background, Dr. Zhao Lei suggested them to focus on developing the ability to combine finance and computer, such as programming. Dr. Wu also indicated an emerging position, Financial Data Analyst, which can also be a direction for graduates to consider in the future, and the domestic market is also developing in this field. Furthermore, the professional certificates may play an important role in the future work related to finance. It is the certification of professional skills. Dr. Zhao suggests students in Finance trying to obtain the CFA certificate and other necessary qualifications for work as soon as possible. Dr. Wu added that although the certificate is not mandatory for domestic institutions, it can give students an edge in the intense market competition.

The Lecture

Dr. Wu Minyu also gave some guidance to students from other majors. In view of the similar curriculum of Applied Economics and Finance, Dr. Wu analyzed the issues that need to be taken into consideration when pursuing a master's degree by students in Applied Economics. In terms of how students choose their favorite offers, Dr. Wu also analyzed the different choices for students from the perspectives of the philosophy of graduate school, individual goals and students' own interests in the field. Students actively participated and exchanged ideas with teachers.

At the end of the seminar, Mr. Zhou Keyang shared some of his own experience for students who want to apply for graduate school. He encouraged students to choose their own fields of interest for study. He also emphasized that a clear goal for students is very important, so students should not only find a suitable learning method, but also set clear and achievable goal according to future career planning. He encouraged the students to communicate more with teaching staff, to get effective feedback and timely adjustments in their planning.

Question-and-Answer session