University of California, San Diego - Master of Quantitative Finance

The faculty is excellent, with professors who are top-tier in their fields. Students can choose from a wide range of elective courses, from Stochastic Calculus to M&A, though the workload in the quant courses is extremely heavy. Most courses involve significant coding and students without prior coding experience often struggle to keep up.

The career services are not very strong, so you’ll likely need to find internships or jobs on your own. This might be because the program is relatively new and many employers aren't yet familiar with it. On the bright side, the infrastructure and facilities of the business school are excellent. Students have access to everything they need, from data sources like Bloomberg Terminals to student lounges and private study rooms.

The curriculum is excellently designed, offering a strong emphasis on programming and hands-on learning. All the quant courses involve intensive programming assignments, ensuring students gain practical skills. The program director, a former hedge fund manager at BlackRock, brings deep industry knowledge and connections, shaping the curriculum to meet current market demands. This program has strong ties to the investment and wealth management industry, featuring courses taught by practitioners and frequent seminars with fund managers and wealth management professionals. The capstone project challenges students to solve real-world problems from financial institutions, providing invaluable experience. Additionally, the program invites specialists, including math professors, practitioners, and machine learning scientists, to lead courses. The faculty includes experts across finance subdomains—ranging from behavioral finance, long-short strategies, and asset pricing to portfolio allocation and financial econometrics—ensuring a comprehensive education.