What's it like to study finance and investment management as a postgraduate?

From making the best calls about your clients’ portfolios to responding swiftly to geopolitical changes, a postgraduate degree in finance and investment management could be the key to staying ahead of the game. But don’t just take our word for it – hear from a UQ postgrad who is currently fast-tracking her master’s degree.

Paris Hall is carving out her place in the male-dominated world of wealth management. With strong mathematical skills, sharp data analysis, and a proven knack for problem-solving, she’s already making her mark.

Now, as she completes her Master of Finance and Investment Management at UQ, Paris is preparing to take her career to the next level. We asked her to tell us what it’s like studying postgraduate finance courses, why she chose UQ, and what she expects to gain after graduating.

What led you to pursue a postgraduate degree in finance?

Paris: My industry experience has been so wonderful. I like to say I have won the lottery of life: I have found a dynamic industry that interests me, a firm that inspires me as an employee, and a team within that firm that motivates me each day as I am working. I love my community, and the work I do within my company and for our clients makes it all worthwhile.

So, the main push for me going back to study was enhancing my technical capabilities. I am fortunate to work in a team of long-tenure finance professionals with decades of market experience. In surveying what I could practically add to the team and how I could help us continue to grow and achieve our professional goals for clients, the Master of Finance and Investment Management was a logical choice.

“I may not be able to replicate 4 decades of cycle experience overnight, but adding technical capabilities and tertiary learnings, even AI and modelling programs… now that is an impactful (and fast) addition I can bring to my team.”

How do you expect the Master of Finance and Investment Management will help you achieve your career goals and find success?

Paris: I anticipate there will be a flow-on effect. My degree will guide client discussions towards specific asset allocation decisions, and it may enhance the product opportunities that I pitch to them.

Why did you choose UQ for your postgraduate finance degree?

Paris: The flexibility the course offered was a big factor, particularly the option to fast-track my study.

The course has been very flexible, in the way that technology now allows us to be, with the program being almost entirely self-guided online. Each course has no fixed lecture/tutorial times each week. Instead, the subject has 3 in-person days, where content is taught 9–5 over 3 days on campus. The rest of the 6 weeks of each subject is entirely remote, though we do still have facilities access outside of these times.

I was also fortunate enough to be awarded a partial scholarship at UQ: the Master of Finance and Investment Outstanding Women Scholarship. It was an involved process, with industry references and an interview process, but I am very glad I participated.

How has returning to study impacted your routine, and what did you do to prepare for this change?

Paris: The flexibility of the course meant my job and routine weren’t majorly impacted. However, additional study hours in an already busy week just meant I had to remain disciplined, organised and focused. Overall, it hasn’t been a huge adjustment.

Which postgraduate finance courses and teachers helped you the most?

Paris: Quantitative Investment Strategies with Adam Millhouse was excellent. The blend of career experience and academic vigour he has is remarkable, and he presented it in an engaging and thought-provoking way.

“This course has really developed my understanding of opportunities I regularly discuss with clients. I actually found myself getting distracted during assessment writing because the content was just so interesting – I couldn’t help going off on research tangents.”

What does your average workday look like?

Paris: I’m an associate at LGT Wealth Management. My workdays are dictated by inbound client queries, alongside a reporting calendar of listed equity markets… plus anything that occurs geopolitically overnight, such as the Liberation Day tariffs, RBA rate-cutting cycles, and oil price surges caused by global conflicts. Working in financial markets, while I am on the “buy side” working for clients who buy assets, the tools that we use to produce results (investment returns for clients) are largely categorised by their links to interest rates (debt products) or income streams (business revenues). So, anything geopolitical that affects rates or income streams affects my role.

Adapting to such events means being pragmatic and proactive around client information. We prepare our clients for market volatility before it happens rather than while it happens. Then, when events happen (as they always will), we need to understand it fully, understand what it rationally means for the underlying investment mechanism, but also consider how global investors (passive and active) will react to such events. Often the mismatch between these presents profitable opportunities that sophisticated investors can utilise. Without prior client discussions, however, reactivity is often too slow for marginal gain once transaction costs are considered.

What advice would you give someone considering a postgraduate finance degree?

Paris: Make your study path as autonomous as possible. Know that you are seeking it out and utilise it how it will benefit you. Don’t work for the master’s; make your master’s work for you.

How can you study a postgraduate degree in finance management at UQ?

Alongside the full master’s program, UQ also offers a shorter Graduate Certificate in Finance and Investment Management.

If you’re interested in studying finance more broadly, you might also consider the Master of International Economics and Finance, Master of Financial Mathematics, Master of Economics, Master of Commerce, or Master of Business.