Seeking Undergraduate Advice

[Edward_Moran]

Hey guys,

I am somewhat new to this site, and would like to ask about my undergraduate major(s) and if it would help me achieve a MFE acceptance.

Right now, I am entering my Junior year at a non-target school, with my undergraduate majors being Finance and Actuarial Science. I am doing this double major because I believe that the finance major will give me a start in terms of understanding trading and analysis, but also the actuarial science major will give me a strong math background. The courses in my Actuarial Science major include Calc 1-3, Linear Algebra, DiffeyQ, Python/Java programming, Probability Stats, and a few others.

I guess my question is this: Would a graduate school (I am looking at UCLA, Rutgers, Stevens, NYU POLY, and a few others) accept me for the MFE or MSMF Program even though I am not a pure-bred math or physics or engineering major? I would eventually either want to go into trading, analysis, or quant work, but I would like to know if my two majors will be acceptable when applying to MFE grad school. Thank you I appreciate everyone's time.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Your majors are likely to be viewed as not mathematical or quantitative enough. Yes, you can take the same courses but they are watered-down versions of those taken by Math/Engineering/CS/etc majors.

I believe that the finance major will give me a start in terms of understanding trading and analysis, but also the actuarial science major will give me a strong math background

I doubt it. You can do better by reading books, industry publications (WSJ,FT,etc) and learning what people are doing than taking those courses.
You surely can get an admit from one of the programs in your list but it has more to do with how to represent your profile. I've seen Finance/Actuarial majors got admitted every year. Just do your research properly and prepare accordingly.
https://www.quantnet.com/threads/do’s-and-don’ts-of-mfe-applications.12664/

 

[Edward_Moran]

Thanks man. I appreciate the advice. With this being said, in your opinion, would you think I am better off doing a MSF program concentrated on finance and go into a more analytical role for an Investment Bank or hedge fund rather than a quant type position?

 

[mhy]

Depends on what you want to do. These are similar but different paths.

I agree with Andy that the major itself may be viewed as "not quantitative enough"; however, if you can take non-"watered down" versions of all of the courses you listed, your math background will be adequate for MFE programs.