Stevens Institute of Technology - Master in Financial Engineering

The admissions committee generally does a solid job selecting capable candidates, and the curriculum itself is strong. I genuinely learned a lot here. The only thing I wish was different is the overall competitiveness of the cohort—if the classroom environment had been more consistently strong, this program would have been even better.

The professors are knowledgeable and experienced, but this is not a program where you can sit back and expect everything to be handed to you. You need to ask the right questions and actively participate. Many undergrads in Stevens QF are extremely sharp, so interacting with them can help you understand where you personally need to improve.

A big warning: people who come expecting an “easy U.S. master’s” get overwhelmed very quickly. The content is math-heavy, coding-heavy, and dense. A lot of students end up relying on AI tools for assignments and projects. Don’t do that. Use AI only as an assistant (debugging, explanations, intuition), not as a solution generator. You’ll be cheating yourself in the long run.

One thing I feel strongly about: self-study is the only way to truly extract the value and ROI from this degree. If you’re a complete beginner in math, coding, or quant finance, this program will feel extremely intense unless you put in serious work outside of class.

There are also some structural limitations. A single 2.5-hour class per week makes it hard for professors to cover everything in depth. Many lectures feel compressed, and difficult topics get skimmed over because of time constraints. I really wish the program had:

* Recitation classes like in undergrad
* More problem sheets or practice sets
* Two classes per week per course instead of one
* More structured quant interview prep
* More consistency in course difficulty across sections and instructors

Another reality: *18 months is not enough* to deeply cover all the math, coding, stochastic calculus, derivatives pricing, and quant interview theory required in the industry. So don’t be afraid to ask professors if something feels unclear. Whether you lack the background or the topic moved too fast, they will help you or share resources. And if it still isn’t enough, the TAs are usually very supportive.

On the career side, it’s important to set expectations clearly. **More companies open roles for Stevens undergrads than for graduate students**, especially in quant and technical roles. Career services are, honestly, below average. They provide basic support, but you cannot rely on them for meaningful recruiting outcomes. Networking, alumni outreach, and building strong projects matter far more.

The overall student quality is mixed—some exceptional people, but many students are underprepared or lack the motivation expected at a quant-focused graduate program.

Overall, Stevens MFE is a good program if you are self-driven. If you rely only on classes, expect professors to spoon-feed content, or hope career services will secure your job, you might struggle. But if you proactively study, ask questions, build projects, and push yourself, the program can absolutely deliver strong value and prepare you for quant, QR, QD, or data-heavy finance roles.

As a financial engineering student that knew very little about finance before coming to Stevens, the program has prepared me for a career in the finance industry. The Master´s program is mathematically rigorous, and all professors are excellent and will help you out whenever you needed. There are many scholarships you can take advantage of (CFA L1, FMR L1). The program director will help you get around with networking, classes, and which path to take. Got a great job offer after graduating, thanks to that networking. I would absolutely recommend this program.

As a Financial Technology and Analytics student, I have found the Stevens FTA (Financial Engineering Stream) program to be both rigorous and rewarding. The curriculum has a strong balance of finance, programming, and applied analytics, which has allowed me to build a solid technical foundation while also gaining exposure to real-world applications.

Professors Hatzakis and Florescu have been excellent mentors throughout the program, both highly knowledgeable and approachable. Their teaching style goes beyond theory, making sure students understand the intuition behind complex models and how they connect to practical finance and risk management problems.

One of the biggest strengths of the program is its emphasis on hands-on learning. Access to the Hanlon Financial Systems Lab and exposure to real market data has been invaluable in developing the technical and analytical skills needed for today’s industry.

Career development support is also strong, resume reviews, interview prep, and networking events have been helpful in aligning academic experience with career goals. Being so close to New York City adds another advantage, with plenty of internship and networking opportunities on Wall Street and in fintech.

While the workload can be intense, the experience overall is highly rewarding, and the program is constantly evolving to stay aligned with industry needs. I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking to combine finance, technology, and analytics for a career in quantitative finance or fintech.

The Financial Engineering program at Stevens offers a strong blend of quantitative finance, programming, and risk modeling, with a clear focus on industry-relevant skills, including machine learning and advanced analytics. The coursework is highly applied, featuring projects and case studies that mirror real-world financial challenges. The Hanlon Financial Systems Lab provides excellent hands-on exposure to market data and trading tools. Being right across the river from New York City, students benefit from direct access to Wall Street internships, networking, and career opportunities. The growing alumni network in finance and fintech is another major strength, offering valuable support in job placement and career advancement. Overall, this program provides a solid balance of theory, practice, and industry connections, making it a strong choice for aspiring quants.

I’m currently pursuing the Financial Engineering program at Stevens, and it’s been a fantastic experience so far. The professors are highly knowledgeable and genuinely invested in student success—approachable, responsive, and always willing to help.
The curriculum is rigorous and well-structured, with strong emphasis on technical skills that translate well to real-world financial roles. I appreciated the flexibility in course selection, which allowed me to focus on areas like finance and data science. There are also plenty of research opportunities, and faculty actively encourage innovative, independent projects.
Career development is another area where Stevens shines. From resume building to networking strategies and interview prep, both the Career Center and faculty offer hands-on, personalized support—especially helpful for landing roles in finance or fintech.
While a few courses could be refreshed to align better with current industry trends, overall the program offers a solid foundation in financial engineering. I’d highly recommend it to anyone serious about a career in quantitative finance roles in the industry.

This really is a great program that is constantly improving every year. I am an AMP student, so I accelerated this program in only one year by taking some of these classes during my undergrad in Quantitative Finance at Stevens. The core classes are foundational for a career in financial engineering. All of these classes are extremely helpful for interviews and landing a job. Stevens also requires you to take a few elective classes where you can receive a graduate certificate along with your Master's degree (great talking point in interviews). These elective classes can really add to your experience at Stevens. If you take the right ones for your career path, you can get a lot out of them that can help you secure a job. For example, FE 635 is an amazing class that helped me land a job. I was grateful to take this course because it's rarely offered at Stevens due to not a lot of students registering for the course. This is something Stevens should prioritize to improve this program. Classes like this that give real world experience in the classroom should be pushed to be more available for students to take more often.
One thing Stevens also excels at is career development. They help you from polishing your resume to job interview prep. They also teach you how to network exceptionally.

Faculty and Support
The professors are truly amazing-always approachable, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in students’ success. They go out of their way to provide guidance, whether it’s for coursework, research, or career advice.

Hands-On Experience with Cutting-Edge Technology
One of the highlights of the program is the hands-on exposure to the latest technology. We have access to high-quality data, as well as powerful hardware like GPUs and Virtual Machines, which is invaluable for both coursework and research projects.

Research Opportunities and Mentorship
There are ample research opportunities, and the mentorship from faculty is top-notch. Professors are supportive and encourage students to pursue innovative projects. I’ve had the chance to collaborate with a diverse group of students-undergraduates, fellow master’s students, and even PhD candidates-from backgrounds including computer science, mathematics, physics, economics, quantitative finance, and various engineering disciplines. This diversity has greatly enriched my learning experience.

Weekly FE Seminars
The program regularly hosts Financial Engineering seminars almost every week during the semester. These feature prestigious guest speakers from both industry and academia, offering invaluable insights and networking opportunities.

Room for Improvement
If I had to mention a drawback, it would be that a few courses contain a small portion of content that feels less relevant or could be updated. However, this is a minor issue in an otherwise outstanding program.

Overall Impression
Overall, I highly recommend this program to anyone interested in Financial Engineering. The combination of excellent faculty, hands-on learning, research opportunities, and industry exposure makes it an amazing choice.

Studying FE as an AMP student; has been a good experience so far. Professors are all highly knowledgeable and willing to help students. I've had chats with most professors about my desired career and what I am doing to get there; they care a lot about how their students will do after the program. However as with everything, there are some downsides, some professors are not great teachers and some classes can feel useless or repetitive. But overall the good outweighs the bad and I would recommend the FE program for an incoming student.

Currently studying FE as an AMP student, have had a fantastic experience so far. Professors are all highly knowledgeable and willing to help students, I come from a theoretical background so seeing direct applications and consistent projects is very encouraging. I've had chats with most professors about my desired career and what I am doing to get there; they care a lot about how their students will do after the program.

Best program. Received good offer after my graduation at citi . Professor Hatzakis one of good professor helps students & also helped me in understanding derivatives which help me in cracking my interview

The coursework is overwhelming, and the professors just read off the slides. What you learn is completely different from what you're actually asked in job interviews. Even the professor in charge of career development admits that you won’t learn anything useful from his class. The heavy workload and assignments take away time you need for job hunting.

The curriculum is completely disconnected from reality — they’re still using slides and assignments from 2016, even in 2025. The school has no resources that can actually help you. I've even encountered people in networking who changed their attitude after hearing about my school.
It’s absolutely not worth paying such high tuition just to waste your time here.

Also, all the positive reviews are solicited — students are asked to leave good reviews on QuantNet.

A very simple question: if all those extra 5-star reviews are real, then why did this school rank lower on QuantNet compared to last year?

BUSINESS IS BUSINESS

1. Focus on Cutting-Edge Quantitative Skills
The coursework focusses on quantitative finance, machine learning, and risk modeling
2. Practical Application
Real-world projects and case studies simulate finance industry challenges. Perfect combo of Math + programming + finance
3. Industry Connections
Proximity to NYC for networking, internships, and Wall Street job opportunities.
4. Research and Labs
Access to Hanlon Financial Systems Lab for hands-on experience with financial data and analytics.
5. Alumni Network
Strong network in finance and fintech supports job placements and career growth.

MS Financial Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology is where Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Programming intersects with real life applications in Finance. The well balanced curriculum and different concentrations offered provides students with the flexibility to pursue their area of interest quantitative finance without losing track of the fundamental building blocks.

The MFE program at Stevens is an excellent choice for anyone aiming to break into finance. The curriculum is both customizable and rigorous, allowing me to focus on areas like derivatives pricing and risk modeling. Professors go beyond teaching, offering mentorship and connecting students with valuable peers and industry professionals alike. The program’s strong emphasis on relevant, technical skills ensures that graduates are well-prepared to excel in competitive financial roles.

The MFE program at Stevens was very rigorous and flexibility available in the coursework provided options to take on courses based on my area of interests. Location of the school was also quite helpful with easy access to New York which provided networking opportunities.

The Master’s in Financial Engineering (MFE) program at Stevens Institute of Technology has been instrumental in preparing me for a finance career, even as a non-finance student. The curriculum is robust and highly customizable, enabling me to focus on algorithmic trading with courses in market microstructure, trading strategies, and derivatives pricing. Stevens' proximity to New York City provides unparalleled networking opportunities, enhancing the program’s industry relevance.

The faculty's dedication is exceptional, offering not just academic support but career guidance and invaluable industry connections. The capstone project, in partnership with leading financial firms, allows students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world challenges, bridging the gap between academia and practice. Through my own project, I developed an algorithmic trading model, a hands-on experience that showcased the program's commitment to practical learning.

Stevens’ MFE program offers access to essential financial databases like Bloomberg and Refinitiv, a significant advantage for quantitative research. The program's focus on current market trends, the faculty’s industry expertise, and a strong alumni network contribute to its high ROI, making it a competitive choice for aspiring financial engineers. For those ready to put in the work, Stevens MFE is an outstanding investment.

The MFE is world-class, providing students with industry-relevant knowledge and strong career preparation. What sets Stevens apart is the personalized attention from faculty, who go beyond teaching by offering career guidance and industry connections. Courses are aligned with current market trends, and the FE800 project, in partnership with leading financial firms, offers hands-on experience in real-world innovation. Graduates leave well-equipped for success, with the tools to thrive in top financial roles.

The Master’s in Financial Engineering (MFE) program at Stevens Institute of Technology is a fantastic option for those looking to break into finance, even from a non-finance background, like myself as part of the Class of 2024. The program offers a customizable curriculum that I tailored for an algorithmic trading role, with courses in market microstructure, algorithmic trading strategies and derivatives pricing. Despite the challenging coursework, the program is designed to build a strong foundation for students from various fields, with professors offering support to bridge knowledge gaps. One of the most exciting aspects was the Capstone project, where I developed an algorithmic trading model, allowing me to apply finance theory and coding skills to a real-world problem. Overall, the Stevens MFE program not only prepares you with the technical and analytical skills needed for roles like algorithmic trading but also provides excellent career support to help you succeed in the competitive finance industry.

The Stevens Institute of Technology's Master in Financial Engineering program is outstanding and deserves recognition alongside the top MFE programs in the country. The core curriculum, which includes subjects such as advanced derivatives, computational methods in finance, stochastic calculus, and portfolio optimization, provides comprehensive knowledge, skills, and tools essential for a career in quantitative finance and financial engineering. A wide range of elective courses allows students to delve into specific niches and topics that align with their interests and passions. The instructors and program directors have impressive credentials and are dedicated to helping students master challenging concepts while preparing them for professional success. For anyone passionate about financial engineering and aiming to excel in the field, Stevens Institute of Technology is an ideal choice.

Stevens' MFE program offers a solid academic foundation, with knowledgeable faculty who bring valuable industry experience. The coursework is challenging, but the capstone projects stand out as an effective way to apply classroom knowledge to real-world situations, making the learning experience more practical and rewarding.

The proximity to NYC provides excellent access to networking opportunities and top firms. Overall, it’s a well-rounded program and a strong investment for those pursuing a career in finance.