SMU MQF (Singapore)

[KB]

Welcome.. I PM'd you.

 

[aman.khatwani]

Hi fewkb
I recently accepted my offer for the MQF program at SMU. Have they made any announcement as to when the prep courses are about to commence, and what do they recommend we read prior to joining the program. Also... please let me know how can I contact you.

Really looking forward to seeing everyone at the orientation.

 

[Tony Ng]

Good luck all. I'm so glad there're 3 local Quant programs in Singapore now. It will greatly improve the standard and promote awareness in Singapore and the region.

Unfortunately, I won't be joining you all. I am joining the NUS MFE P/T program (Yes, Andy. I have updated the tracker. ). Do keep in touch. Singapore needs a stronger Quant community to support the growth in the wealth management industry. A lot of wealth is managed outside of Singapore. Right now, we [Singapore] are a bit like a feeder fund... Good luck with the program.

 

[ShinjiOno]

Hi Guys,

Planning to apply for next year intake, got rejected by both NUS and NTU MFE about 5 yrs back. Profile as follow:
1. Master of Science (stastistics) NUS
2. Bachelor Engineering (Electrical) NUS 2nd lower class honours
3. passed CFA level2
4. Currently doing retail FX algo trading, work as an engineer
5. GMAT taken 5 yrs back 680. Will re-sit for the exam

Any chance to get in. BTW, How old are you guys? I'm 33 next yr. Feeling abit old to go back to school

I love Quant trading though!!!

 

[KB]

We have 31 this batch, with a number confirmed for next batch (2013/2014). Pretty balanced mix from fresh graduates to those with working experience up to mid 30s.

Never too old to learn

 

[Tony Ng]

I agree with KB. It's never too late to learn. It's difficult to comment with you will get entry or not. Your qualifications say you should not have a problem handling the course materials.

We have 106 this batch (2012). Some 60% is part time and rest is full time. They did not state the age range. It seems consistent with previous cohort - from fresh graduate to early 40s. I'm in the latter camp.

Just go for it. Look at all three schools - NTU, NUS and SMU.

 

[Sheng_Sun]

Hi, ShinjiOno

If you are already in the algo trading field, why do you still want to go for MFE degree? I though most of these programs focus on derivative pricing (since you have a statistics master, I assume you should know econometrics well).

Btw, there is a MQF program in NUS under math department as well(my impression is it's more math oriented). So technically singapore has 4 quant finance programs.

 

[ShinjiOno]

Hi Guys,


Thanks for the encouragement and reply.

Since I know that I wanna do algo trading, I'm more looking at the MQF program than MFE.
I have already taken a look at NUS MQF curriculum, and to be honest, those modules are not specially tailored for MQF program alone, except for 1/2. It's more like picking modules from a few departments and tag the MQF students along.

For example, some of the Stats modules in NUS MQF syllabus are the modules taken by me during my Master of Stats, and one offered by Department of Econs taken by me as a cross faculty study.

Personally, the materials covered are really of not much value because you can sign up for other Master programme and take the same course as MQF. And they are much cheaper.


BTW guys, are you guys all self-funding? Any one loan any money from Bank?

ShinjiOno

 

[ShinjiOno]

BTW guys, are you guys all self-funding? Any one loan any money from Bank?

 

[Juan Garat]

Hello guys, I applied to MQF at SMU. I read that the 2d term is in London,UK. How long does it take to complete this term? Or, how many month did you spend in London and how many in Singapore?

Juan Garat.

 

[Keith Tan]

BTW guys, are you guys all self-funding? Any one loan any money from Bank?

i'm sure some will take loans, some will self-fund. what's are your concerns? banks usually have tie-ups with schools to offer flexible loans.

 

[KB]

Hello guys, I applied to MQF at SMU. I read that the 2d term is in London,UK. How long does it take to complete this term? Or, how many month did you spend in London and how many in Singapore?

Juan Garat.

Hi Juan, the program is divided into three terms. Term 2 (Jan - Apr) is spent in London; the other semesters (Sep - Dec and May - Jul) are in Singapore.

 

[SK Wong]

Hi guys,

I just received a call for an interview for the SMU MQF program. Any tips on what to prepare? The admission officer told me that there will be "Math" questions asked during the interview. Just wondering how tough that would be.

Anw, SMU is really efficient! I submitted my supporting documents this morning and I received the call in the afternoon. This gets me all hyped up!

Thanks!
SK

 

[KB]

Hi guys,

I just received a call for an interview for the SMU MQF program. Any tips on what to prepare? The admission officer told me that there will be "Math" questions asked during the interview. Just wondering how tough that would be.

Anw, SMU is really efficient! I submitted my supporting documents this morning and I received the call in the afternoon. This gets me all hyped up!

Thanks!
SK

Calculus: differentiation, integration and Taylor's expansion
Probability: Bayes Theorem, Expectations, PDF, CDF, etc.

I heard someone being asked what is "sin^2(x) + cos^2(x) = ?

It's not going to be out of the world kind of math questions, just some basics to know that you have the mathematical foundation to succeed in the course.

 

[SK Wong]

Thanks KB for the prompt reply! Hope things go well!

 

[ShinjiOno]

Hi, I dont know about the US but Quant Developers are in increasing demand here and a lot of MFE people are being tapped for the same, especially in the good IB's based out of here [Singapore is a middle office hub]. What do you guys think about the quant dev career path? Is it a good option for MFE's given its actual quant dev in an IB and not some IT platform role? On a related note, I've found that MFE paths are getting constricted. Quant roles need a PhD minimum and getting trading roles with no experience previously is a joke. Any advice? Regards.

Hi Guys,

Just wonder what's the career prospect after MQF in singapore

Thanks
ShinjiOno

 

[ShinjiOno]

So to summarize - Not a great choice.

I'm especially interested as I'm graduating and the one thing going for me is strong C++ skills, which led to the QD job. I know you've been asked this a number of times, but with regard to the current market and the glut of finance professionals [MBA+MFE], what would you suggest as a good role to aim for amongst MFE grads with no experience in finance?

To give you an idea about the Singapore market [Half the discussion I have with classmates regards this so I can claim some knowledge of the same] -
1. Trading jobs are non-existant unless already close to front office.
2. Pure Quant analysis roles require a PhD minimum. Sometimes in a few cases i've seen, even thats not enough.
3. Most offers are for Dev/Programmer roles or core middle office such as the Risk teams in banks.
4. The min relevant experience cycle is almost impossible to break in this market as they prefer to take fresh undergrads in their grad programs for that rather than MFE passouts. We seem to be falling in a grey area between undergrads and MBA's.

What would you advise as a career path for someone looking to finally end up in a front office role [Cliched, I know, but isn't that the dream?]. Would a QD for a few years while looking be preferable or a middle office role at a Bank?

Alternatively, there are a number of software third party vendors recruiting MFE's for a variety of roles such as presales. Not sure if thats the way to go though.

I agree with the difficulty in separating trends from noise as it applies most in job selection. There's an awesome amount of noise generated regarding what looks good on the resume, most of which is crap. I'd appreciate a frank answer as to WHAT a fresh MFE grad should do?​

 

[siddhaarth]

Hi guys

I'm going to be joining the MFE program at NUS this year, and so far I was quite kicked about it... until I came across this thread. I've read previously on Quantnet that there isn't much clarity about the job prospects after an MFE in S'pore, and I thought that's probably down to the fact that they don't disclose their employment statistics (though it's anyone's guess why they don't). But this discussion is scaring me a bit.

I know that the markets world-over are pretty bad and good jobs certainly don't come easy, but I wonder if so many students, many of who are well into their careers, would still want to do an MFE unless there was something pretty positive about it.

I wonder if some current students of these programs could throw some light on the employment opportunities for fresh as well as slightly experienced (1-2 years) MFE graduates. Also, would anyone have an idea about the internship opportunities available in Singapore while pursuing this program? And if there are a few, then what kind of internship should one try to secure?

-Sid

 

[KB]

The timing of the courses, at least for SMU MQF, makes it difficult to fit an internship. The only period where you have an extended amount of time is after Term 1 (mid-Nov to mid-Jan) before you fly to London for Term 2. That's off-season for internships.

With that said, SMU helped several students to secure internships with a prop firm. Couple of us also sought out internship through personal networks.

 

[siddhaarth]

Thanks for the reply KB
I thought these programs are primarily offered part-time, so I assumed that most of the students still continue working. Shouldn't that mean that full time students should be able to pursue an internship?

Also, what would you think the job scene is like, especially if you had no 'personal networks' in S'pore before the course started?