Meet Stefan Steiner, a Commercial & Operational Excellence Analyst at AniCura and an alumnus of the Online Master of Science in Corporate Finance. Based in Erfurt in Germany, he wanted to gain more experience in finance while continuing to work, leading him to pursue an Online MSc to achieve his ambitions.
Why did you decide to pursue an online MSc in Corporate Finance?
“I have an engineering background. I was working a lot at Amazon on projects that were also a bit financially related—for example, calculating costs or savings. I always had an interest in the finance domain, and because I wanted to gain more experience and insight in this domain but wasn’t really able to give up my job at Amazon, I decided to pursue an online master’s in finance at that time.”
How is the curriculum structured?
“From the core courses, you have subjects like risk management, accounting, and the basics of corporate finance, which are the A & O of corporate finance. And from the electives—where EDHEC really shines, in my opinion—because they have a really innovative approach to combining these with the financial aspect. For example, brand management and strategic marketing, where you have courses that are basically management, but are also seen through the lens of the financial background and the financial strength that EDHEC brings to its staff.”
Do you need to complete a final project or internship to graduate?
“The degree also includes a part where you can either complete an internship or validate your professional experience to pass it. The last part of the whole grading system is what EDHEC calls the consulting project; a project that we can either do alone or in a group with a company, and you are basically in contact directly with the company, tackling a real-life problem, and acting as a consultant from a corporate finance standpoint.”
How interactive is the online learning experience at EDHEC?
“EDHEC does a great job of mixing that individual work aspect with group work, having a team, and also rotating teams—having contact with other people in other cohorts or specialties.”
Looking back, how would you describe your experience at EDHEC Business School?
“It’s very inspiring and wonderful to have such competent and respected faculty in their fields, being your professors or giving you lectures. In my experience, for example, it really inspired me to be one of the best finance professionals I can be, starting from my starting point. It was also very good to have such a helpful staff. In my case, I want to pursue a PhD later, so it was really nice to see how such people can have such an impact on students, and it certainly made an impact on my personal career.”