Profile review for MFE 2025

[CacheCarry]

About me: I come from a non-STEM background, basically a CA and CFA. I am good at coding in Python and C#. I have rough knowledge of mathematical concepts and moreover a keen interest to improve my Math skills.

I am currently working in Risk at one of the Bulge Bracket Banks and have worked earlier in Fixed Income Research.

Issue: I understand that my coding and/ or math skills are no match for those of STEM candidates, but I wanted to do something about it and came across MFE as a potential solution/ "bridge" for me.

Question:

Being an absolute non-STEM but with coding skills and with market experience of FI Research + Risk, can I break into Quant or atleast Quantamental roles?

For my given profile, if I complete a MFE program, would I then be able to make it into Quants/ Quantamental?

 

[Yuvraj Chauhan]

I'm no expert, and I'm also an aspirant looking to break into MFE/MFM programs in the US. Maybe, if time isn't moving against you, you could consider taking a few quant foundational courses offered by Baruch, University of Chicago or UC Berkley. Take some time to probably evaluate if you really want to follow through with a master's degree hyper-focused on math and quantitative methods by going through them and then leveraging them as proof of work for your dedication to breaking in using a non traditional background for next year's ('26 applications)?
For context, I'm from a STEM background (engineering, passed out in '24, target school in India) and I've had constant exposure to calculus and algebra for a long while.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

If you can improve your coding by adding C++, then take some pre-MFE math courses from Baruch, you definitely can get a good idea of how you can perform at a level that many MFE programs expect.
Depending on your resident status, with an MFE, you can break into a more quantitative role that your current profile. I have seen it many times over the years here. If you have a plan and execute it, there are plenty of opportunities out there. Many people just don't know how to get there without guidance.

 

[CacheCarry]

If you can improve your coding by adding C++, then take some pre-MFE math courses from Baruch, you definitely can get a good idea of how you can perform at a level that many MFE programs expect.
Depending on your resident status, with an MFE, you can break into a more quantitative role that your current profile. I have seen it many times over the years here. If you have a plan and execute it, there are plenty of opportunities out there. Many people just don't know how to get there without guidance.

To be honest, I am one of those many people who don't have sufficient guidance. I have been asking questions here, reaching out to MFE students as well as graduates on LinkedIn to gather some information from them, watching videos on YouTube of people guiding about MFE enrollments. While I have managed to gather some information and get a rough sense of direction, its very crude and in bits and places.

The biggest issue that I see is that most people I see here or on LinkedIn are people with STEM undergrads and most of the times of freshers with some internships. I am neither a STEM undergrad nor a fresher, so the first challenge I faced was determining whether I am eligible or not in the first place. Now, after networking a bit, it seems that even Finance graduates can enroll.

But what I am still figuring out is how I can prove it to the adcoms that I am capable of handling the quantitative rigor at MFEs. Some answers that I have received so far have mentioned that doing math and coding courses from Coursera and some courses offered by various Unis.

But yes, I completely agree with your point of having proper guidance and that's what I am striving for right now.