Master Programs Comparison: Which quant program to choose?

Did you get accepted into these 2 programs? Both are one year program which is very compressed for some people. The US job market is much larger than the UK but you would need a lot of help from a good career service.
If you are just looking into applying, you can apply to more programs to give you more options.
 
Hi... The answer is straightforward if you decide on where you want to work. But I'd advise you check LinkedIn as well and do your research. People have a high propensity to give good reviews on the programs they are affiliated with...

Personally, I'd take Imperial cos I'm usually always thinking about the possibility of doing research or Ph.D. in adjacent fields in future..which you can do in future as a form of career break or maybe life happens and you are out of job...It is always a good thing to consider imo...I also really really love the MathFin curriculum. It's also cheaper and has a smaller class size. I wish I applied there this year..Would have had a hard time making a choice if I got accepted...My only problem is the program is too short (10 months I think) but UCB is just one year so not much of a difference between the two. Also, you don't make as much as you would in the US.
 
Joe
You brought up a good point. The UK programs are all one-year whereas most US programs are usually 3 semesters. A few can be stressed to 2 full years. There is a cost benefit to go to one year program and get a job quicker.
The bigger downside is that many people have said that one year is too short to fully absorb the materials while preparing for interviews. When the job market is tough, the longer programs give you more time stay in legal status and find jobs.
The US programs gear toward practical side and job market oriented. The UK programs may be more theoretical and better for people doing PhD.
 
Andy Nguyen said:
Joe
You brought up a good point. The UK programs are all one-year whereas most US programs are usually 3 semesters. A few can be stressed to 2 full years. There is a cost benefit to go to one year program and get a job quicker.
The bigger downside is that many people have said that one year is too short to fully absorb the materials while preparing for interviews. When the job market is tough, the longer programs give you more time stay in legal status and find jobs.
The US programs gear toward practical side and job market oriented. The UK programs may be more theoretical and better for people doing PhD.
Click to expand...
Yeah Andy.
It's as clear as it can get

Thank you for the exposition.
 
Andy Nguyen said:
Did you get accepted into these 2 programs? Both are one year program which is very compressed for some people. The US job market is much larger than the UK but you would need a lot of help from a good career service.
If you are just looking into applying, you can apply to more programs to give you more o
Click to expand...
Yes, I have received offers of these two projects
 
EPFL has some incredible professors. If you are doing research under say a Damir Filopovic and have potential to stay on for a PhD from Swiss Finance/EPFL, I would go with living and learning in Switzerland. You will get your opportunities for work in Switzerland, German, London, NYC, Hong Kong.

Stanford is not really in a finance ecocluster, but if your goal is something in VC or in emerging firms/startup in FE software, etc, then Standord could be a good choice.

NYC city dominates so about 1000 of the 1500 or so slots for seats in FE programs are within 100 miles of Manhattan. If possible, you should be in NY metro region, whether US or Foreign students. It is likely where you will have greatest opportunity for work, followed by Chicago and fewer in other markets at the salary level a good new quant can command in NYC, now approaching $300k for top tier students out of top tier programs.
 
Andy Nguyen said:
If you have can share you final decision with us, it would be great.
You must have a strong profile to get admissions from these 2 top programs. Many applicants would want to compare their profiles to yours so if you are willing, please add your timelines to the Tracker.
Thanks
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Submitted:1/18/24
Accepted:4/7/24
 
Onegin said:
Yes. I have the answer. You take CMU, @quanttrader takes Princeton, and report back in 5 years. We need to keep the quantnet portfolio diversified.

This is a fantastic problem you both have, and I think everyone is cheering for you. Can’t go wrong here. . .
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Do we have a 5 years report yet?
How is our CMU vs Princeton bet doing?
 
Hi everyone!
Continuing with the topic, I'm a CFA L3 candidate and want to pursue my masters in either MFE or MFin. I am unable to decide whether to go ahead with MFE or Mfin. I am not very enthusiastic about coding but i do love finance and economics. But I doubt i would learn anything new in the MFin program. Being an international student my ultimate aim is to secure a good job. In the current market will I be able to get a good job if i do pursue MFin? Or should I just buck up and start working on my coding skills for MFE?
Any advice would be of great help
 
Regardless of which program, for your own survival in the job market, please build up a strong programming skill. Aversion to programming is seen as a huge red flag by many employers in this industry. If you are not interested in building complex models using C++, at least learn and be really good with Python, database, etc. I mean really good, not just by picking up light coursera certificates.
What do you expect to contribute on your internship or job without learning how to code? With a pen and paper?
You also need to do a few projects to demonstrate your ability. This is how you have a chance to stand out.
At a recent info session, one of the quant programs rep said that for 100 roles open to quant students at a trading firm, there are 85,000 applicants.
Do whatever it takes to be the best if you want to work in this field. For every applicant with similar profile like you, there are 100+ applicants who have a stronger profile.
Here is what some of our members build to showcase their quant projects.
quantnet.com

Projects

quantnet.com quantnet.com
@sprat hopefully you take this to mean as motivation. My intention is to be realistic so you know what you are up against and can prepare accordingly.
 
Andy Nguyen said:
Regardless of which program, for your own survival in the job market, please build up a strong programming skill. Aversion to programming is seen as a huge red flag by many employers in this industry. If you are not interested in building complex models using C++, at least learn and be really good with Python, database, etc. I mean really good, not just by picking up light coursera certificates.
What do you expect to contribute on your internship or job without learning how to code? With a pen and paper?
You also need to do a few projects to demonstrate your ability. This is how you have a chance to stand out.
At a recent info session, one of the quant programs rep said that for 100 roles open to quant students at a trading firm, there are 85,000 applicants.
Do whatever it takes to be the best if you want to work in this field. For every applicant with similar profile like you, there are 100+ applicants who have a stronger profile.
Here is what some of our members build to showcase their quant projects.
quantnet.com

Projects

quantnet.com quantnet.com
@sprat hopefully you take this to mean as motivation. My intention is to be realistic so you know what you are up against and can prepare accordingly.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your honest reply @Andy Nguyen . I will definitely go through the projects.
 
Hi everyone,

I’ve been accepted into both the UIUC MSFE and Boston MSMFT programs, and I’m trying to decide which is the better option. UIUC seems to have better employment stats and a higher ranking, which is making me lean towards it.

That said, I’d love to hear your thoughts on both programs in terms of curriculum, career outcomes, and overall reputation in the quant/finance industry.

I need to pay the seat deposit for UIUC by January 17th to secure my spot, so I’d appreciate any advice or insights before making my decision!

Thanks in advance!
 
Im so confused please help! rutgers is ranked better but I feel like the only reason Rutgers is ranked better is because they have more in state students who are more likely to get jobs, correct me if I'm wrong please. Im soooooo confused
 
I got accepted on NYU Tandon and Fordham. Which one do you recommend? My concern on NYU is the size of the cohort and when i read about it, sounds confusing. Fordham class size is small but is the reputation from employers there?
 
Hi all just wanted to do a quick survey on these two top ranked MFin programs and their perception across quantnet.

MIT MFin Vs Princeton MFin

Ideally from the knowledge and growth perspective.
 
What program is best for job placing beginners who are new to finance but have a background in statistics?
Not necessarily quant, but any job to break into the industry.

I'm also surprised by the amount of votes for NYU MFE. Is it really that much better to be worth the additional cost?
 
Can anyone suggest between Georgia Tech MSQCF Vs Cornell MFE ?

Given TAship at Georgia Tech also comes with tuition waiver which is not the case with Cornell.

Also in terms of opportunities do both of them provide opportunity in similar areas ?
 
There are lots of ways to find this out yourself instead of asking the forum generally. I suggest you look up the placement stats for the programs on their websites or on quant net, look up recent graduates on LinkedIn and see where they placed or if they are still looking for work. You can do better. Do
 
Though NYU is ranked better, I feel like any good student maybe able to do well in both places. I like the NYU course better but LA is soo nice and it has a good campus and jsut a sunshiny place overall. Plus it is a management MFE course and has a smaller cohort size, Thoughts?
 


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