McGill in Luxembourg
Since August this year, McGill University has offered its Master of Management in Finance in Luxembourg. Unlike a traditional full-time degree, this is a part-time programme combining online sessions with intensive in-person courses, usually held in the evenings or at weekends, so participants can balance studies with their careers.
The programme is aimed at young professionals with a few years of experience in finance, but is also open to those from other quantitative fields such as mathematics, engineering, or the natural sciences. Students engage with capital markets, asset management, private equity, and sustainable finance. A particular highlight is the practical orientation: participants work directly with real investment funds, gaining concrete insight into decision-making processes.
"It is a highly rigorous academic programme at master's level, but also a very practical one, since we allow students to manage a real investment fund," says Patrick Augustin, a Luxembourg native who serves as Associate Professor of Finance at McGill and director of the McGill Luxembourg Centre for Finance. After a doctorate at the Stockholm School of Economics and research at NYU, UC, and the University of Sydney, he chose Montreal 14 years ago. He now holds the Canada Research Chair in Macrofinance and Derivatives.
The centre, launched in partnership with the Ministry of Finance, the Luxembourg Bankers' Association (ABBL), and ALFI, serves as a bridge between academic research and the financial industry. It links Luxembourg, Montreal, and other financial centres worldwide.
Augustin sees the need as clear. Luxembourg is one of Europe's leading financial centres, but competition for talent is fierce. "Talent development is extremely important, because the financial sector, the attractiveness of the location, and indeed its quality, all depend on how well people are trained."
A bridge between Montreal and Luxembourg, built on elephant grass and real money.