Advise on MFE programs in the Netherlands

[Takemikazuchi]

I'm considering either of these three MFE programs.
Tilburg University's Quantitative Finance and Actuarial Science.
Erasmus University's Quantitative Finance.
University of Amsterdam's Stochastics and Financial Mathematics. (They have a QF program but that is mostly Msc Finance)

QSUniversity rates Tilburg as number 1 in Econometrics in the Netherlands, followed closely by Erasmus.
Risk.net only mentions Amsterdam in their 2023 ranking, whilst mentioning both Erasmus and Amsterdam in 2022, Amsterdam was number 22 in their 2021 ranking. But I guess that is irrelevant now.


A few of the classes QF at Erasmus offers:
- Asset Pricing
- Bayesian Econometrics in Finance
- Quant Methods in Fixed Income
- Advanced Time Series Econometrics
- Portfolio Management
- Quant Risk Management
- Machine Learning

Stochastic Finance at Amsterdam on the other hand:
- Asymptotic Statistics
- Stochastic Integration
- Interest Rate Models
- Portfolio Theory
- Stochastic Processes for Finance
- Computational Finance

They also offer the possibility of a double graduate program, where you combine Econometrics with Stochastics and Financial Math. (150 EC's, of which 40 EC Econometrics and 74 EC Math).

And Tilburg's QF:
- Valuation and Risk Management
- Asset Liability Management
- Panel Data Analysis of Microeconomic Decisions
- Financial Econometrics
- Time Series and their Applications
- Operations Research and Machine Learning

By looking at these programs and their courses, which one would you advise a Dutchman to take? You may also keep international reputation etc. in mind.
I'd also like to hear it if going out of my way to apply for any other European program is recommended, like Munich, Paris-Sorbonne or ETH Zurich.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

According to the ads on BNR radio, Erasmus is the best in Benelux. It does look like a nice course at face value. Tilburg is econometrics.

Amsterdam is the most quantitativs of the three and is closest to the Zuid As. Maybe Utrecht might be worth investigating.

I would look into testimonials and maybe a chat with one of the profs.

What's your basic degree in?

 

[Takemikazuchi]

According to the ads on BNR radio, Erasmus is the best in Benelux. It does look like a nice course at face value. Tilburg is econometrics.

Amsterdam is the most quantitativs of the three and is closest to the Zuid As. Maybe Utrecht might be worth investigating.

I would look into testimonials and maybe a chat with one of the profs.

What's your basic degree in?

I believe their assertion is that RSM excels in the Benelux region, particularly in the fields of general Business and Economics, while possibly being less focused on Econometrics and Math. But please correct me if I'm wrong.

Currently, I'm pursuing a degree in Business Administration at RSM. Nevertheless, I plan to diversify my knowledge by enrolling in elective courses such as Matrix Algebra, Vector Calculus, and Linear Programming. Subsequently, I intend to pursue a pre-masters program in any of the three aforementioned subjects.

Utrecht's graduate programs appear to place less emphasis on quantitative aspects than the previously mentioned fields.

 

[Paul Lopez]

You lucky bean you get advise directly from @Daniel Duffy and he is as good as from the Netherlands too! I'd pay him a visit if I could.

Would love to get all my books signed.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

By looking at these programs and their courses, which one would you advise a Dutchman to take? You may also keep international reputation etc. in mind.

Confusing.
What is your ultimate goal?
I never hear the term MFE used in NL, at least not in the usual sense.

 

[Takemikazuchi]

By looking at these programs and their courses, which one would you advise a Dutchman to take? You may also keep international reputation etc. in mind.

Confusing.
What is your ultimate goal?
I never hear the term MFE used in NL, at least not in the usual sense.

I came across this term through Quantnet, of course.
As for my ultimate goal, I'm not certain yet. However, I have a strong interest in becoming a highly skilled quant and potentially working in the Zuid As.

I'm aware that in Europe, the reputation of the school may matter less than individual academic performance. Nevertheless, I believe that the quality of the courses offered is still an essential factor to consider when choosing a quantitative finance program. That's why I'm deciding between these three programs, especially if I plan to stay in the Netherlands.

 

[blrichard]

According to the ads on BNR radio, Erasmus is the best in Benelux. It does look like a nice course at face value. Tilburg is econometrics.

Amsterdam is the most quantitativs of the three and is closest to the Zuid As. Maybe Utrecht might be worth investigating.

I would look into testimonials and maybe a chat with one of the profs.

What's your basic degree in?

How's VU Amsterdam MSc in Econometrics, or the MSc in Finance with the Quantitative Risk Management specialization? I've gotten admission to both of those, VU had program structures I liked more than the others in NL, and to my understanding is located basically right in the Zuidas. But I don't see as much discussion on VU as compared to Tilburg or UvA or EUR. Is there a gap in quality of some sort that you know of?

 

[Daniel Duffy]

How's VU Amsterdam MSc in Econometrics, or the MSc in Finance with the Quantitative Risk Management specialization? I've gotten admission to both of those, VU had program structures I liked more than the others in NL, and to my understanding is located basically right in the Zuidas. But I don't see as much discussion on VU as compared to Tilburg or UvA or EUR. Is there a gap in quality of some sort that you know of?

I am not really familiar with these programs. I know more about US and UK degrees,
Do you want to work in a bank or in trading?
Amsterdam is quite small.

 

[QuantCoach]

You could also look into which programs feed more students into Optiver/IMC/Flow (which are all dutch I believe)

 

[blrichard]

I am not really familiar with these programs. I know more about US and UK degrees,
Do you want to work in a bank or in trading?
Amsterdam is quite small.

Ideally in quant research (or academia, but still need to iron out my interest there), as I understand Amsterdam has the most quant jobs in continental Europe? But also I know that the Dutch schools in general are quite strong in econometrics, and I didn't want to go into the debt of a US or UK degree. I'd try my best to get into a PhD in the US, if thats the route I want to go.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

Yes, econometrics seems to be quite strong. I am not an economist.
There is a big skills shortage here. Having said that, it is almost impossible to find somewhere to live. Amsterdam is booming.
The (extreme?) right-wing PVV got 37 votes at recent general election, mainly based on an anti-immigrant agenda..

 

[blrichard]

Yes, econometrics seems to be quite strong. I am not an economist.
There is a big skills shortage here. Having said that, it is almost impossible to find somewhere to live. Amsterdam is booming.
The (extreme?) right-wing PVV got 37 votes at recent general election, mainly based on an anti-immigrant agenda..

yeah, the political situation is one of my bigger worries, the PVV does seem to be quite extreme. I'm not as worried about finding somewhere to live, I applied for housing quite early and have been told that I will likely be okay since I applied in January (from what I gather, applying up until March is okay). The living problem will come after my first year there I guess. As I understand, Toronto's housing market is actually worse than Amsterdam, so unless I'm mistaken, I'm fairly accustomed to bad experiences trying to find places to live.

 

[Takemikazuchi]

Back on topic. I've decided that the Applied Mathematics degree at TU Delft with a specialization in Financial Engineering is the best QF program the Netherlands can provide, keeping nice rigor in Statistics and Mathematics and object-orientated C++ programming, combined with Finance of course. I'm also planning on doing a master's in Computer Science at TU.

 

[THIJSSIE]

You could also look into which programs feed more students into Optiver/IMC/Flow (which are all dutch I believe)

Could I ask how I would be able to see this? I'd love to take a look at the stats

 

[Arbitrary]

Could I ask how I would be able to see this? I'd love to take a look at the stats

LinkedIn search is your best bet

 

[Daniel Duffy]

You could also look into which programs feed more students into Optiver/IMC/Flow (which are all dutch I believe)

Don't want to scare you , but..
The political/work situation but it's all becoming a tad anti-immigrant.

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