COMPARE Master Programs Comparison: Which quant program to choose?

@pkp could you point me to the source of the quote please? I've chatted a bit with Jonathan, he is/was a part of the Financial Services Innovations Lab and is quite close to Dr. Chava it seems.
 
Also, while I guess it is true that its you who ultimately has to code, if you look at it from the point of view that you get to code, it may make a difference. It does for me. I'm not very much into pure math and need some CS stuff as well.

General question - does everyone doing an MFE want to be a quant?
 
As a CS grad, I often ask myself why I am interested in finance. I know it is challenging and interesting but it honestly baffles me that SDEs are paid more (in general). The top 1% quants might be paid bucketloads, but let's face it, 99% of quants aren't gonna be in the top 1%.

I personally feel like having decent CS skills + finance + strong math knowledge should be extremely high paying, but I think it is not the case. I am not sure why?

I also feel with the advent of cryptocurrencies, DeFi and the large amounts of data being harvested, CS skills will be necessary soon even in traditional finance. How much this will pay v/s a regular SDE at FAANG I do not know. Probably lesser. But I feel having knowledge of both will definitely help in the coming years.
 
I would say that NYU is more connected to the industry, but that may not matter. Getting jobs/internships really depends on you. Both are great schools, so reputation will not limit you.

Courant is a huge plus. I am more focused on fin math than fin tech, so Courant would be a big thing for me. If you aren't willing to dive deep into the mathematics, Courant will not offer much.

I have not really broken down the cost of the programs, but are you sure NYU is only 25k more expensive? NYU is outrageously expensive (not even considering additional costs for living). When I was considering applying, I remember the estimated yearly cost of attendance was something like 75k. A two year program would set you 150k in loans... Now maybe you have scholarships/grants, I don't know your situation. But for full loan, those interests rates are crazy.150k becomes $200k very fast.... I have lived in both the north and south, you will save an unthinkable amount of money living in Atlanta during school. If you are seriously concerned about cost (which you should be), GaTech easily wins that battle.

End of the day it comes down to you. If you like NYUs course better, go there (and vice versa). Don't worry about trying to gauge potential industry opportunities. That thought is hypothetical, you will be able to quantify its value. Attending one school over the other will never guarantee you a job...
 
jarryds said:
I would say that NYU is more connected to the industry, but that may not matter. Getting jobs/internships really depends on you. Both are great schools, so reputation will not limit you.

Courant is a huge plus. I am more focused on fin math than fin tech, so Courant would be a big thing for me. If you aren't willing to dive deep into the mathematics, Courant will not offer much.

I have not really broken down the cost of the programs, but are you sure NYU is only 25k more expensive? NYU is outrageously expensive (not even considering additional costs for living). When I was considering applying, I remember the estimated yearly cost of attendance was something like 75k. A two year program would set you 150k in loans... Now maybe you have scholarships/grants, I don't know your situation. But for full loan, those interests rates are crazy.150k becomes $200k very fast.... I have lived in both the north and south, you will save an unthinkable amount of money living in Atlanta during school. If you are seriously concerned about cost (which you should be), GaTech easily wins that battle.

End of the day it comes down to you. If you like NYUs course better, go there (and vice versa). Don't worry about trying to gauge potential industry opportunities. That thought is hypothetical, you will be able to quantify its value. Attending one school over the other will never guarantee you a job...
Click to expand...
I think the 75k is the two-year tuition? not yearly cost
 
Hi all, I have been accepted into both the above programs, UCLA MFE, and NYU MSMF, and I would like to get the opinion of the QuantNet Community. I aspire to work in quant research, trading, or structuring after I complete the post-grad. I would very much appreciate it if you could spare a moment and let me know your thoughts.

Now, I have also shared my research, ideas, and perceptions about these programs. Please feel free to correct me, or add your ideas.

Background
  • B.Tech. in Computer Science from a Tier-1 Indian College
  • Experience: 4 years at a BB as a quantitative engineer.
  • Skills: Programming, Algorithms, CFA-L1, etc.

NYU MSMF

Pros:
  • Great program reputation of NYU Courant
  • More rigorous curriculum
  • Location
  • Smaller class size
  • I have heard good things about their career services.
Cons:
  • Employment Stats after graduation seem a bit low(even though after 3-month stats are fine)
  • I am concerned as great as the program's theoretical foundations are, whether there is enough practical exposure.

UCLA MFE

Pros:
  • Associated with the Business School, I believe this provides a certain generality in work opportunities.
  • Coursework with applied projects and workshops is more practice-oriented.
Cons:
  • I felt the curriculum is slightly rudimentary, but broader in scope. I list this as a con because I feel that easier courses can be completed on online platforms. And I am, to an extent, certain about the type of work I want to do after graduation, so the broader coursework is not as advantageous to me.
  • Location. Even tho there are a ton of opportunities out West, I feel proximity to NY is still advantageous. Is this as big a factor in the post-COVID, better remote and long-distance functioning world? I do not know.
 
I am still an undergrad but this is my opinion if I was you. Courant is a well respected school for mathematics. I am not sure why people worry about how practical program is in an industry who looks for extremely smart people. Applying a concept is up to you. If you can't look at a math concept and apply it to a real life problem then all you are doing is regurgitating knowledge.

Also, getting a job is the most important thing (And much harder than getting into any school). While there are remote roles, I think being in a financial center is better than being in California. After your first role you can look for remote positions.

So in my opinion NYU us better, and NYC is better than LA so I would go for NYU. (You should consider money but I am unfamiliar with your situation/scholarships). Good luck!
 
Both schools are excellent.

To put some light on the location part, I can confirm after talking with multiple people, alums, recent graduates, and the career team at UCLA that the location is not an issue for job opportunities. You can speak to the admission team at UCLA if you have any specific doubts. Also, Alyssa (Executive Director MFE) has completed her team for MFE, and they have four career coaches.

I believe it depends on the profile you want to end up in about employment stats be at NYU or UCLA. The stats have multiple factors that might not reveal a clear picture.

I wouldn't want to say objectively which school is better. Before accepting an offer, I suggest talking with the MFE team regarding academics, career opportunities, and other factors at both schools.
All the best!
 
@chintanpatel can you please elaborate on what you mean by this? "I believe it depends on the profile you want to end up in about employment stats be at NYU or UCLA."

Are you implying that there is a difference in the profile one could pursue from both degrees?

@finkv I hear what you're saying, and I do not disagree with the fact that if we can't apply a theoretical concept in practice, then it is sort of pointless.
 
Personally, I would choose Courant over UCLA.

Living in NY is a big plus in my opinion. NY is a great city to explore. I study at Columbia MFE and I go downtown to drink on average twice a week. The smaller class size is nice. It gives it a more cohesive cohort experience. I think apart from socially, the smaller class size doesn't matter. If you want to get to know your professors you still can in a class size of 100+ and I do not know how much 'personal attention' career services will give you. I am also a math nerd and think I would enjoy the classes there.

And not to discredit UCLA, which is a great school, I know graduates from their last class working for as large IBs, S&P, Blackrock, and Jane Street. One of my best friends just graduated UCLA MFE! You hit it on the mark that since UCLA is tied with Anderson their students get a lot more resources put towards them despite their class size. We have only one dedicated career service member for FE as a comparison. UCLA also has great sports teams to go watch while you are there.

Chintan is correct to say that it's hard to objectively say which is better. Both programs Can create strong quants/traders it really depends on what environment you want to be in and what you do during it. I know a FE degree is a professional choice but try not to think myopically. An FE degree is way more than what you learn in the classroom. It will be the peers you meet, the professors you look up to, the city you get to explore, the place you like to study, and the pride that comes with being a Bruin or a Bobcat.

Good Luck!
 
Last edited:
If you have questions about the Courant Math Finance program, I'd be happy to help. I think the responses so far are all very good. I will say that I think being in NYC can be an advantage for in-person networking.
 
Yeah, it is true you'll have the advantage to be in NYC for in-person networking. I suggest you talk with the admission team and the alums of the schools (i.e. current students, recent graduates, and past graduates) for better clarity. Also, could you ask the general questions in this thread, the CourantMathFinance team would reply on it for everyone to know. 😃

And by profile I meant the job profile. For example: Quant Trader or Quant Researcher/Analyst. The numbers are noticeably different among them.
 
Andy Nguyen said:
I just want to mention that we have reviews of CQF by their delegates
quantnet.com

Review of Certificate in Quantitative Finance (CQF) program

This review was submitted on 1/24/2010 by a student who studied in the certificate program from 1/2010-6/2010 Can you tell us a bit about your background? University Gold Medalist in Information Technology, Linux Kernel Developer, Was working as analyst in Lehman Brothers and knew the basics of...
quantnet.com quantnet.com
And reviews for over dozen MFE programs
www.quantnet.com

Resources

www.quantnet.com www.quantnet.com
Click to expand...
I am not able to access the reviews. Please help
 
Hey there, wanted to get an idea of the strengths of both programs and specifically, which one is better for a fresh undergrad - from the job perspective and the environment in both schools.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Hey folks,

Luckily I got offers from the top 2 in my list.

My heart goes to UCB MFE, and below are my thoughts. Would appreciate any thoughts/feedback!

Pros for UCB MFE (in contrast to U Chicago)
- a consistently high ranking, with a much higher placement average $
- inside Haas School of Business

Cons for UCB MFE (in contrast to U Chicago)
- no tuition wavier, plus a bunch of precourse to pay extra ~$5000
- not in Chicago

I can justify the cost part for the choice of UCB MFE because this is a life-time investment... Not being in Chicago is a disadvantage, but perhaps being arguably no,1 on the west coast is a counter?

Online reviews have been pretty positive for both programs, but UCB MFE appears to be better.

Thank you!
 

Similar threads

Andy Nguyen
Rutgers to Launch Third Quant Master Program
Replies
9
Views
12K
binomial-torrent
binomial-torrent
Back
Top Bottom