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UofChicago-MSFM vs MSCS - work experience in VC/PE

Joined
4/27/15
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Hello All,

I have applied and gotten into University of Chicago's MS Financial Mathematics and MS Computer Science. I applied for two very different as much as similar reasons, and I am having a hard time decide which program to go with. I am hoping to get some comments/advice regarding it:

Apology for being all over the map....

Short version: CS is more broad and flexible and can do MSFM jobs...while MSFM is more specific and enhances Stat MS

Edu: MS & BS in Statistics ; BS Economics (more like Operational Study)
Work Experience : ~5 years in Data Analytics/Financial Market Research aka Data Analyst dealing with Venture Capital/Private Equity data.
Mostly work with R/Excel/SQL...not the sharpest tool when it comes to programming...Learning C++ and enhancing higher level language coding ability.
Hoping - to make a move into quant jobs - algorithms / portfolio management/risk management (ideally with exchanges...very interested in CME) OR more analytics

Since I have a good amount experience working with VC/PE data and my company/manager has a few relations with investment firms, i was thinking of staying in the same realm. MSFM would enhance my finance knowledge and also be a good complement to my Stat background - portfolio management/investment analyst/risk analyst.

vs

CS - broad and flexibility if I get out of the financial services industries. Have interviewed as a data scientist in the past and gotten pretty far with big companies. Struck down often because my lack of IT knowledge/coding ability (i m working on it...) Plus..CS can also allow me to stay in finance and do quant jobs or go back being a data analyst or do search analytics (also interested).

THANK YOU!
 
Last edited:
Do the CS... and if they let you pick electives, take as much data mining and machine learning as possible.
 
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