Evaluation of Ms in Financial Eng for trading job
 

Hi, would like to seek some help, from those who are studying Masters in Financial Engineering, or already working in the trading line, to help me evaluate 2 masters courses. I am intending to take one of it, but hasn't made up my mind yet.

PM me if you can help. Thanks!

Re: Evaluation of Ms in Financial Eng for trading job
 

if you're gonna make a thread about it you might as well post the question here. i read your pm but i was busy when i read it and then i forgot about it, but if you post the stuff here i'll try to reply at some point.

Re: Evaluation of Ms in Financial Eng for trading job
 

oh, thanks... so I'll send you the syllabus of the course? you can PM me your email if you're ok with it.

Re: Evaluation of Ms in Financial Eng for trading job
 

just post here

Re: Evaluation of Ms in Financial Eng for trading job
 

here are the 2 I'm looking at

http://www.rmi.nus.edu.sg/msc.aspx?info=curriculum

http://www.mfe.ntu.edu.sg/Programme/curriculum.asp
This course includes a 6 week prog in Carnegie Mellon University.

Re: Evaluation of Ms in Financial Eng for trading job
 

WTF if financial engineering??? Not to be an elitist engineer, but the term "financial engineer" is misleading and would probably be illegal in Canada. I mean, I can definitely see where finances fit in with engineering and they are super important to engineering projects, but the traditionalist in me says that financial engineering is not engineering at all. I'm semi-serious about this.



OK that issue aside, the first link (rmi) indicates that you need to take 10 courses. That's quite a bit for a MSc. I assume that it is course based? That would make some sense in that case. If it's thesis based, that is A LOT of courses.

As for the second program... How many courses would you have to take? That list seems to indicate that you need to take all of those courses?!? I didn't count, but that seems like 20+ courses?!? That would be totally ridiculous.

Question: Are you originally from the country that these programs are located in? If so, cool. If not... Could be some issues there? Not to say that your education wouldn't be great, but that there can sometimes be issues with getting foreign degrees accepted in the North America.

Best wishes.

Re: Evaluation of Ms in Financial Eng for trading job
 

[ QUOTE ]
WTF if financial engineering??? Not to be an elitist engineer, but the term "financial engineer" is misleading and would probably be illegal in Canada. I mean, I can definitely see where finances fit in with engineering and they are super important to engineering projects, but the traditionalist in me says that financial engineering is not engineering at all. I'm semi-serious about this.

[/ QUOTE ]

if software engineering is engineering, financial engineering is too. but you have a point.

i don't believe there are any "financial engineering" programs in canada, and that might well be why. (though u of t's "mathematical finance" program is considered one of the best)

Re: Evaluation of Ms in Financial Eng for trading job
 

[ QUOTE ]
here are the 2 I'm looking at

http://www.rmi.nus.edu.sg/msc.aspx?info=curriculum

http://www.mfe.ntu.edu.sg/Programme/curriculum.asp
This course includes a 6 week prog in Carnegie Mellon University.

[/ QUOTE ]

i'd be weary of any "financial engineering" program that doesn't have stochastic calculus as a requirement (ie. the first one). the second one looks reasonable to me.

Re: Evaluation of Ms in Financial Eng for trading job
 

pete, I think the first one has.

FE 5204 (FE4) Stochastic Calculus and Processes

Brownian motion and Ito's formula. Options and Futures valuation using martingales and risk-neutral probabilities. Girsanov's theorem and transformation of measures. Relationship to partial differential equations. The Black-Scholes formula. Stochastic interest rates and stochastic volatility.

The feedback I've gotten is that the first one is more theory based, while the second one is more practical based. Not sure how to interpret that by just looking at the modules description, but I think both would be good for a trading job?

Re: Evaluation of Ms in Financial Eng for trading job
 

[ QUOTE ]

The feedback I've gotten is that the first one is more theory based, while the second one is more practical based. Not sure how to interpret that by just looking at the modules description, but I think both would be good for a trading job?

[/ QUOTE ]

In this case you'd be better off with the second...assuming all other things are equal...unless you're considering doing a PhD in the field later on.

More importantly, however, you should find out the placement of the previous students. And make sure you find out the placement of the students WITH NO financial experience and advanced degrees (I assume you don't have these). Any program can place students well with experience or with PhD-s.

Finally, keep in mind (unless you're exceptional) that you're chances are fairly low to go straight into trading...not even NYU's or Berkley's program can guarantee that. The main purpose of a program is to teach you how to price derivatives or use them for risk management.

People I know who got into trading from MSc had previous contacts or were exceptional at networking...but this was in Canada...not so many trading jobs here.