Great new program but still has room to develop
I recently graduated from USC's M.S. in Financial Engineering program. I liked the choice of courses offered at USC. Although there were limited courses to choose from, the choices are great and they really provide great depth in the field. Some courses are highly electrical engineering and probability theory related. For those who do not come from a technical background, you may be at a disadvantage, but there are two courses you can take to get caught up in probability theory. For those with a technical background (I have BSEE from UCSB), you should be fine in most of the courses. This year they have developed the program in order to be diverse for all backgrounds. You will get a foundation in probability theory, random and stochastic processes, and dynamic programming, while also taking courses through the Marshall School of Business. Personally, I liked the business courses in Valuations and Investments, but they do offer a wide range of o ther courses to choose as your electives (Fixed Income Securities, Forecasting and Risk Analysis, Tradings and Exchanges, Management of Financial Risk, Mortgages and Mortgage-Backed Securities, etc).
Teaching quality is excellent and most professors are extremely approachable. The USC Career Center is great and is really helpful, but lacks when it comes to FE majors since it is a newer program. Although USC Career Services may not have the exact job you may want, the Trojan Alumni Network is expansive and is globally well-known. It is very easy to connect with other Trojan Alumni.
I hope this helps for others interested in pursuing a Master's in Financial Engineering!
Your background, how did you know about this program and why you decided to choose this program.
I was originally accepted and enrolled at USC for their MSEE program, but decided that it's not really my passion and I randomly came across the MSFINE (that's what they call it at USC) on the EE website. The Electrical Engineering department is still the "parent" department until MSFINE can grow into its own. I currently work in the defense industry and I'm hoping to find a position in the financial industry soon.
To learn more about this program, check out the website:
http://ee.usc.edu/academics/grad_degree_programs_ms/on-campus-masters-programs.htm and look for FINE under the Graduate Degree Programs.
