COMPARE QFin at BI Norwegian Buisness School (Oslo) vs QFin at WU Vienna

[justanotherwannabe]

Hello everyone,

I am currently in the process of applying for masters programms in quantitative finance.

I have an offer for Oslo, but I am also applying in Vienna, and I think I have good chances of getting in.

Oslo has the advantage of a new country, new language and culture (im from germany) , the curriculum seems to be more praxis focused. Going to norway would probably look better on the CV than just going to Vienna, on the other hand I would have to pay around 20k EUR in tuition for the 2 years of study.

Vienna seems to be more rigorous, with more lectures in math and computation, as well as offering the option to choose between an "industry" and "research" track. Vienna is also 2 years, but with no tuition.

Quite likely I would get better grades in Oslo.

I was wondering if anybody here could offer some insights regarding either of those programms, ideally from their own expirience, but any general input is also appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[erwh]

Hi,

I'm from Norway, I haven't studied at BI but I know a little bit about the school. The mathematics courses they offer there are largely computational, and not too heavy on theory. Because they accept their own students to this QF program, I think the level of their mathematics courses in undergrad/Bachelor's level will reflect the level of rigor in the QF programme (meaning not very rigorous). A first year mathematics/physics/engineering student will learn more mathematics than their Bachelor's students will.

I may be wrong however, so you should take this with a grain of salt.

And I think you are right regarding the curriculum being more industry-oriented. I also think (based on my impression of the school and what I have heard), that their programming courses will not be that heavy (with the same argument as the one for the mathematics). They are probably basic programming courses re-branded to make them seem much more applied. Again: Take this with a grain of salt.

The finance courses are probably good.

So all in all: I think this programme is more suited towards people coming from finance and economics (although slightly more quantitative than usual), rather than people coming from mathematics or equivalent. But again, this is a brand new programme and I have never taken a course from this school, so my comment should not be the only thing you base your decision on.

Also: Since you've already considered Oslo, have you looked at this program?

Programme structure – Finance, insurance and risk – University of Oslo

Read this story on the University of Oslo's website.

www.uio.no

 

[justanotherwannabe]

I come from an economics background (bachelors) so there are many programms where I do not meet the formal math requirements. The one you mentioned seems to be one of those.