Columbia MFE verus NYU MathFin

[Junying Fang]

I was wondering whether anyone is willing to compare Columbia MFE with NYU MathFin, in areas including curriculum, career service and academic atmosphere.

I hear that NYU MathFin only has classes in evening. Is that true? Also, what are key differences between Columbia MFE curriculum and NYU MathFin curriculum? In terms of recruiting, what advantages does each school has? Which school is more likely to prepare students for getting quantitative research job?

Also, do professors in NYU MathFin most adjunct professors or professors at Courant? In addition, if I plan to do PhD in Finance/Financial Mathematics, which program is more preferable?

I have done research on websites. I really need your suggestions to help me make a final decision.

Thanks so much!

 

[somya harjai]

I would suggest go with Nyu mathfin. Courant institute has a much better brand value. Also they professors who teach the couses there are awesome. Their coursework(buy side focused) is impeccable and a small batch size will help in getting personalized attention. Also if you plan for a PhD in future courant's brand name would really help.

 

[Junying Fang]

I would suggest go with Nyu mathfin. Courant institute has a much better brand value. Also they professors who teach the couses there are awesome. Their coursework(buy side focused) is impeccable and a small batch size will help in getting personalized attention. Also if you plan for a PhD in future courant's brand name would really help.

Thanks! Would you like to mention several courses?

 

[BoY]

I would suggest go with Nyu mathfin. Courant institute has a much better brand value. Also they professors who teach the couses there are awesome. Their coursework(buy side focused) is impeccable and a small batch size will help in getting personalized attention. Also if you plan for a PhD in future courant's brand name would really help.

Agreed. Classes that are highly mathematics such as stochastic calculus are taught by professors at Courant while others that are more practical such as active portfolio management, market microstructure etc. are taught by adjunct professors who are practitioners in the industry.

I'm going to intern at a global hedge fund this summer and the whole recruiting process was done internally, meaning the firm came to Courant to pick resumes. So there are a lot of such exclusive opportunities that are dedicated to MathFin students.

The reason why most classes are at night(5-7 or 7-9) is because there are part-time students in the program. I don't mind it so far. Actually quite like it since we could do interviews and other events during the day.

 

[Junying Fang]

Agreed. Classes that are highly mathematics such as stochastic calculus are taught by professors at Courant while others that are more practical such as active portfolio management, market microstructure etc. are taught by adjunct professors who are practitioners in the industry.

I'm going to intern at a global hedge fund this summer and the whole recruiting process was done internally, meaning the firm came to Courant to pick resumes. So there are a lot of such exclusive opportunities that are dedicated to MathFin students.

The reason why most classes are at night(5-7 or 7-9) is because there are part-time students in the program. I don't mind it so far. Actually quite like it since we could do interviews and other events during the day.

Thanks for sharing your experience with me! Also, do curriculum focus on training in programming and computational techniques? Some people say that classes at Courant are a bit theoretical. Which classes do you find helpful during job search?

 

[BoY]

Thanks for sharing your experience with me! Also, do curriculum focus on training in programming and computational techniques? Some people say that classes at Courant are a bit theoretical. Which classes do you find helpful during job search?

Yes, most classes are required to use python to implement models and algorithms. There are also two programming classes that focus on Java and Python, respectively. I heard that statement before coming into the program but now I think ppl misunderstand it. Yes courses normally require you to understand the mathematical derivations behind the subjects, but the subject itself is practical and related to what people do on the street.

For your last question, to be honest, if you have a good time in finding internships, you are not going to use too much stuff in class because you might find your internship in October or November, 2-3 months after starting the program. Nonetheless, I find OOP in Java and Risk & Portfolio Mngmnt at the first semester quite useful in interviews.

 

[cl_nyc]

Night classes also accommodate the working schedules of the adjunct professors. Columbia's MFE/MAFN courses are also mostly at night for the practitioners' sake.