We in the LSE Department of Finance do not currently enter our programmes into any ranking, which is why our MSc Finance does not feature in the Financial Times MSc in Finance Pre-experience ranking table. LSE Finance is included in the QS World University Rankings 2014, where we are ranked 3rd in the World; however, we do not actively enter ourselves into this list and whilst it is nice to perform so well, if we were required to submit information to be entered, we would not.
There are some elements of the information provided in rankings that can be informative. All serious programmes should be taught by faculty with PhDs, and having an international and diverse faculty is also incredibly valuable; however, some metrics can also be skewed, particularly when viewing programmes between countries/regions, such as salaries and the types of internship or international experience provided. We believe that when students are selecting a programme they should look beyond the rankings to find as many sources of information as possible. Faculty research output is very important, as is the curriculum taught – both of which are not considered by most rankings. Students should also think about the environment that is best suited for them, the location and access to practitioners and the alumni network they will enter when then graduate.
The overall student experience at the LSE derives from key synergies arising from our teaching curriculum and research environment and the consistently high quality of our student body. Rankings must quantify this experience into categories, which may present a selective view and foster incentives to maximise performance in metrics chosen by the ranking methodology. Instead, we believe it is in our students' best interest for us to devote our efforts to developing and enriching our programmes as a whole, selecting the best students and placing them in the best jobs, and enhancing the overall academic experience.