After my bachelor’s degree in Foreign Trade and International Economics in Hamburg, I knew I wanted to do my master’s in finance with a particular focus on financial markets. The professor who handled my bachelor thesis brought my attention to Jönköping University and the International Finance Analysis programme. It looked like a good school, so I applied and got in and had the time of my life. It was hard work but worth it. I learned a lot and met inspiring people from all over the world at JIBS.

I liked the degree of independence that was required from you. You had classes but were supposed to do a lot of the work on your own to build your knowledge. It makes you well prepared for work-life, where there are not many guidelines given to you, and you must make up your mind on your own. However, the professors were very approachable due to the small classes, and you could always drop by to ask a question if you need help or guidance. JIBS is a research-driven school, and the professors had an impressive background in research publications. I think that is one of the reasons that JIBS has this excellent reputation. The faculty is really high class.

The quantitative analysis skills I achieved at JIBS have been beneficial in my current role as a fixed income portfolio manager focusing on corporate bonds. The classes gave you a specific toolset enabling you to look at many facets of finance, which is valuable and essential to my daily work.

After graduating, I had the luxury of directly getting a chance to work in a field I always wanted to work in. I had a full-time offer graduate trainee program in fixed income portfolio management at a large asset management firm of an insurance company in Munich, Germany. I completed the program and now work as a portfolio manager for corporate bonds.

The best thing about JIBS is that it is close-knit in terms of the people there, and the classes are small, which makes the students feel connected. It was nice having so many students from partner universities of JIBS doing an exchange program and participating in the classes. I think they serve as an indicator of where JIBS stands internationally regarding the quality of education. We had several students from very renowned business schools, and they also praised JIBS. Student life is great, and there are many student organizations to get involved in. I would recommend International Financial Analysis and JU to anyone interested in the thrilling world of international finances.

John Nickels Petersen, former student, International Finance Analysis