Hi all,
I'm seeking advice on the choice of a master's program. To give some background, this master's program will be jointly completed with my undergraduate degree. The two programs I am deliberating on are the MQF and MSE (Econometrics and Quantitative Economics). My concerns are that the MQF is not considered to be rigorous enough while the MSE does not have sufficient computing application. Knowing this, I am willing to take on another master's degree after graduation should either of them be considered 'not sufficiently rigorous'.
My background is detailed below:
Academic Background
- Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a GPA of 4.0/4.0
- Have completed/am completing courses in:
1. Mathematics for Economics (A grade, covers Univariate and Multivariate Calculus, Matrix Algebra, Constrained Optimization)
2. Introduction to Statistical Theory (A+ grade, quite a standard undergraduate course)
3. Introduction to Econometrics (A+ grade, covers Simple and Multiple Regression, Nonlinear models, Dummy Variables, and when assumptions do not hold i.e. heteroskedasticity, serial correlation etc.)
4. Probability Theory and Applications (currently enrolled, covers Combinatorial Analysis, Discrete and Continuous RV, Joint and Marginal Distributions, Conditional Probability, Properties of Expectation, Limit Theorems, Maximum Likelihood Estimation, Order Statistics, Moment Generating Functions)
5. Intermediate Econometrics (currently enrolled, covers Least Squares with Matrix Algebra, Instrumental Variables and Generalized Method of Moments, Introduction to Time Series Regressions)
6. Statistical Learning with R (A grade, covers Statistical Inference, Probability Modelling, Simple and Multiple Regression, Logistic Regression, Resampling Methods, Linear Model Selection, Regularization and Tree-Based methods)
7. Introduction to Programming (in Python)
8. Financial Accounting (A+ grade)
9. Finance (A+ grade)
Work Experience:
- Research Assistant for a professor of econometrics, research focus was on corporate finance and the methodology was event studies, picked up Stata along the way.
- Fundamental Equity Analyst internships at a family office and a hedge fund.
Career Aspirations:
- Through my internships, I found my interest in the financial markets, but prefer quantitative methods as those are where my strengths lie. I realize that I do not have an edge in fundamentals and thus do not feel confident in my career prospects in traditional finance.
- While my undergraduate degree is not sufficient, I have been making the concious choice to choose quantitative-heavy electives as I enjoy these courses more and score better in them.
- I am not sure what quant role I am interested in, but I would relate to being a 'slow thinker' more than a 'fast thinker' at the moment which could be due to a lack of training. I would not want to rule out any role at the moment as I still have a long runway and have not sufficiently explored my interests in this area.
I would appreciate any feedback on my profile and suggestions regarding the abovementioned programs, as well as potential programs for further studies abroad.
Thank you!
I'm seeking advice on the choice of a master's program. To give some background, this master's program will be jointly completed with my undergraduate degree. The two programs I am deliberating on are the MQF and MSE (Econometrics and Quantitative Economics). My concerns are that the MQF is not considered to be rigorous enough while the MSE does not have sufficient computing application. Knowing this, I am willing to take on another master's degree after graduation should either of them be considered 'not sufficiently rigorous'.
My background is detailed below:
Academic Background
- Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a GPA of 4.0/4.0
- Have completed/am completing courses in:
1. Mathematics for Economics (A grade, covers Univariate and Multivariate Calculus, Matrix Algebra, Constrained Optimization)
2. Introduction to Statistical Theory (A+ grade, quite a standard undergraduate course)
3. Introduction to Econometrics (A+ grade, covers Simple and Multiple Regression, Nonlinear models, Dummy Variables, and when assumptions do not hold i.e. heteroskedasticity, serial correlation etc.)
4. Probability Theory and Applications (currently enrolled, covers Combinatorial Analysis, Discrete and Continuous RV, Joint and Marginal Distributions, Conditional Probability, Properties of Expectation, Limit Theorems, Maximum Likelihood Estimation, Order Statistics, Moment Generating Functions)
5. Intermediate Econometrics (currently enrolled, covers Least Squares with Matrix Algebra, Instrumental Variables and Generalized Method of Moments, Introduction to Time Series Regressions)
6. Statistical Learning with R (A grade, covers Statistical Inference, Probability Modelling, Simple and Multiple Regression, Logistic Regression, Resampling Methods, Linear Model Selection, Regularization and Tree-Based methods)
7. Introduction to Programming (in Python)
8. Financial Accounting (A+ grade)
9. Finance (A+ grade)
Work Experience:
- Research Assistant for a professor of econometrics, research focus was on corporate finance and the methodology was event studies, picked up Stata along the way.
- Fundamental Equity Analyst internships at a family office and a hedge fund.
Career Aspirations:
- Through my internships, I found my interest in the financial markets, but prefer quantitative methods as those are where my strengths lie. I realize that I do not have an edge in fundamentals and thus do not feel confident in my career prospects in traditional finance.
- While my undergraduate degree is not sufficient, I have been making the concious choice to choose quantitative-heavy electives as I enjoy these courses more and score better in them.
- I am not sure what quant role I am interested in, but I would relate to being a 'slow thinker' more than a 'fast thinker' at the moment which could be due to a lack of training. I would not want to rule out any role at the moment as I still have a long runway and have not sufficiently explored my interests in this area.
I would appreciate any feedback on my profile and suggestions regarding the abovementioned programs, as well as potential programs for further studies abroad.
Thank you!
