UCB MFE Q&A with Berkeley Master of Financial Engineering Program

[Berkeley MFE Admissions]

Hello! Please use this thread for any questions regarding the Berkeley Master of Financial Engineering Program.

 

[aristegos]

Hello! I was curious if there are more electives than the ones currently listed for the Winter Quarter. There are only 3 courses currently listed on your website which is a lot more restrictive than the Autumn Quarter offering. Thanks

 

[Berkeley MFE Admissions]

Hi Aristegos,

Good question. There are indeed typically 3 electives offered in the final quarter of the program. The reason for this is students are executing their Applied Finance Projects during this term which is an immersive research project followed by a presentation to a panel of industry professional. You may supplement your elective coursework with an independent study under the supervision of one of our faculty if you are looking to further your studies in a specific area. You may also audit courses at other Berkeley schools and departments with instructor approval. Hope it helps!

 

[desperate_quant]

Hi. How much do the grades/Gre matter for admission at UCB ? Is it a strict criteria?

Most people who receive offer have very good grades. Also does bad grades of UG matter if one has improved grades in by completing a master's before joining UCB?

 

[youukeyyy]

Hi. After applying in round 1 and after the interview, how long does it take to hear back in the case that 1. you're accepted, 2. you're rejected, and 3. waitlist?

 

[Berkeley MFE Admissions]

Hi. After applying in round 1 and after the interview, how long does it take to hear back in the case that 1. you're accepted, 2. you're rejected, and 3. waitlist?

Hi,
The review process takes about 9 weeks. If a candidate is waitlisted, they may not receive a final decision until the end of the admissions cycle.
Regards,
Berkeley MFE

 

[Berkeley MFE Admissions]

Hi. How much do the grades/Gre matter for admission at UCB ? Is it a strict criteria?

Most people who receive offer have very good grades. Also does bad grades of UG matter if one has improved grades in by completing a master's before joining UCB?

Hi,
At Berkeley, we have a holistic review process. When it comes to grades, we will take into consideration the cumulative GPA and the grades of prerequisite courses you completed. If you have a low grade for a prerequisite course, we would encourage further preparation by retaking the course or further reviewing the materials. As for the test scores, we will take the highest score from each section. If you did not do well on the exam, you can retake it. Please note that grades and test scores are not the only factors in the admissions review process.
Regards,
Berkeley MFE

 

[kitkat]

Hi there,

Will new students (2024 Spring) be able to get UCB email before 2023 June?
I'd like to register for this event- having a UCB email will be helpful.

UC Berkeley’s Financial Innovation Conference

UC Berkeley’s Financial Innovation Conference

A look at the current trends in Financial Innovation!

www.eventbrite.com

Also are there UCB MFE-led conferences/symposiums?- some other universities have annual department conferences to get students/alumni together for research progress presentations and networking.

Thank you!

 

[Berkeley MFE Admissions]

Hi there,

Will new students (2024 Spring) be able to get UCB email before 2023 June?
I'd like to register for this event- having a UCB email will be helpful.

UC Berkeley’s Financial Innovation Conference

UC Berkeley’s Financial Innovation Conference

A look at the current trends in Financial Innovation!

www.eventbrite.com

Also are there UCB MFE-led conferences/symposiums?- some other universities have annual department conferences to get students/alumni together for research progress presentations and networking.

Thank you!

Hi,
Candidates who are officially admitted in R1 should have their official @berkeley email by June 2023.
We currently do not have any annual events at this time. The admissions committee will forward any relevant events or information as it comes.

 

[Alice Laurance Swift]

Hi, there，

I received a waitlist with a checklist.
I really love your MFE program so I began to work on the checklist as soon as I got it.
I finished one of these courses on Coursera and sent the certificate to the Admission team.
Thanks to the team's responsiveness and efficiency, the checklist was updated.
But I found an additional item was put on my checklist. That is engaged in the focused self-study of XXX.

What does the focused self-study on the checklist mean?
Do I have to take many more additional courses to statisfy the requirement of self-study?
How can I prove to the Admission Team that I am actually engaged in the self-study?
Did I receive it because I completed the checklist too quickly?

Thank you so much!

 

[Berkeley MFE Admissions]

Hi, there，

I received a waitlist with a checklist.
I really love your MFE program so I began to work on the checklist as soon as I got it.
I finished one of these courses on Coursera and sent the certificate to the Admission team.
Thanks to the team's responsiveness and efficiency, the checklist was updated.
But I found an additional item was put on my checklist. That is engaged in the focused self-study of XXX.

What does the focused self-study on the checklist mean?
Do I have to take many more additional courses to statisfy the requirement of self-study?
How can I prove to the Admission Team that I am actually engaged in the self-study?
Did I receive it because I completed the checklist too quickly?

Thank you so much!

Hi,
1) A focused self-study means you need to review the course materials and ensure you have a good grasp of the topic. You can use MIT OCW as a guide to help with your self-study.
2) No, unless your checklist has other courses listed.
3) You will provide the admissions team with a monthly status update.
4) Candidates who received the focused self-study are those who already completed a course in the area but need a refresher.
If you have further questions, you can email us at mfe@haas.berkeley.edu or join our live Q&A office hours on Wed 9-10am or Thurs 3-4pm PT.
Regards,
MFE

 

[Alice Laurance Swift]

Thank you.

 

[traderwannabe]

Hello,
Does the 6-8 week period estimated for application review counts since my submission, since the last recommendation letter received or only since Round deadline?
Also, interested to hear about the "waitlisted" status. Is there any guarantee that if the candidate perform every task requested he will be admitted?

 

[Grey]

Hello,
I recently applied to the UC Berkeley MFE program and had a few questions about the application process.
Firstly, I was wondering if you could provide some insight on the typical timeline for receiving updates after the interview, like how many days it normally takes.
Additionally, if my application is not accepted, will I receive an explicit notification, or should I assume that no updates mean that I was not selected? Thank you for your time and assistance.

 

[Berkeley MFE Admissions]

Hello,
Does the 6-8 week period estimated for application review counts since my submission, since the last recommendation letter received or only since Round deadline?
Also, interested to hear about the "waitlisted" status. Is there any guarantee that if the candidate perform every task requested he will be admitted?

Hi,
Our review process takes about 8-9 weeks and this would be from when your application is complete.
If you have specific questions about your application status, please contact us at mfe@haas.berkeley.edu. You can also join our weekly office hour sessions, more details are available here.
Regards,
MFE

 

[Berkeley MFE Admissions]

Hello,
I recently applied to the UC Berkeley MFE program and had a few questions about the application process.
Firstly, I was wondering if you could provide some insight on the typical timeline for receiving updates after the interview, like how many days it normally takes.
Additionally, if my application is not accepted, will I receive an explicit notification, or should I assume that no updates mean that I was not selected? Thank you for your time and assistance.

Hi,
If you have specific questions about your application status, please contact us at mfe@haas.berkeley.edu. You can also join our weekly office hour sessions, more details are available here.
Regards,
MFE

 

[quantmage]

Hi,

What are some approved online courses to satisfy the math requirements for Partial Diff Eq and Numerical Analysis as well as the C ++ and Machine Learning prereqs. I am deficient in these areas and plan on submitting my app by the July round, but I want to show admissions that I am at least working toward this long before I would enroll were I to be accepted.

Thanks!

 

[Phil Xu]

Hi,

What are some approved online courses to satisfy the math requirements for Partial Diff Eq and Numerical Analysis as well as the C ++ and Machine Learning prereqs. I am deficient in these areas and plan on submitting my app by the July round, but I want to show admissions that I am at least working toward this long before I would enroll were I to be accepted.

Thanks!

You can check this preparation checklist: MFE Preparation Resources.
Good luck.

 

[gen_engineer]

Hi Team,

Thanks for doing the QnA!

I've seen a few Berkeley students do a summer internship AND a winter internship.

1. What is tha % of INTERNATIONAL students who do this?
2. What about their summer term courses? Are those done online? Can they drop 1 or 2 courses and do those over another term instead?

 

[Berkeley MFE Admissions]

Hi,
If you would like an immediate response to your questions, then join our weekly Q&A on Wednesdays from 9-10am or Thursdays from 3-4pm. For more ways to connect with our admissions team, visit our contact us page.