The Master of Science Program
The Master of Science in Financial Engineering (FE) is a 33-credit program designed to provide the skills required to operate at the cutting-edge of financial engineering in today’s financial services industry. Separate tracks make it possible to pursue careers in financial markets and corporate finance, in financial technology, in computational finance or in actuarial science. The program is rigorous, demanding and selective.
The Computational Finance Track emphasizes both financial quantitative theory and practice, bridging the two and using both the fundamental concepts of finance and the stochastic and optimization methods and software in finance. This track is meant for those individuals with a strong desire to become quantitative financial managers or to pursue applied finance research interests in cutting-edge investment science, trading and in financial risk management. Techniques such as quantitative finance, financial econometrics, stochastic modeling, simulation and optimization are part of a set of financial tools applied to the many problems of derivatives and options finance, arbitrage trading algorithms, asset pricing, credit risk and credit derivatives, developing new derivative products and the many areas where quant finance has a contribution to make. Graduates of the Computational Finance Track will be qualified to work in pricing financial risk and their management, in credit risk and their derivatives, in cutting-edge institutions, in quant hedge funds and in research and advanced product development departments of financial and consulting firms.
The School of Engineering’s Master of Science in Financial Engineering brings together four key areas: finance and related business disciplines, quantitative analysis (mathematics and statistics), information technology (telecommunications and computer science) and management. In addition, it provides an opportunity to attend to the many areas of business and management where finance is an essential element.
The financial and practical component of the educational program has been further strengthened by developing a large and versatile body of adjunct faculty consisting of leading financial market practitioners from major Wall Street firms and international professors’ affiliates. These adjunct faculty members work closely with NYU SOE’s full-time faculty emphasizing both applied and theoretical research in bringing to financial engineering students a greater sensitivity to the needs and the demands of financial markets and the management of financial services and institutions.
ADMISSIONS
The Master of Science in Financial Engineering at the School of Engineering is very highly selective. All applicants must present transcripts from all colleges and universities they have attended as well as GRE (Graduate Record Exam) test scores; there are no exceptions to this rule. Applicants who have undergraduate average above 3.0 or a master’s degree and also have a GRE quantitative score that is superior and a verbal score that shows competence in English are considered for admission.
For the GRE, the institution code is 2668; a department code is not necessary. Additionally, the applicant must have sufficient proficiency and aptitude in mathematics. This may be demonstrated by grades earned in relevant course work and/or standardized examinations. This criterion is not entirely objective and will be established by the Academic Director. Applicants who meet the above criteria are by no means guaranteed admission, which is also based on a competitive performance of applicants.
Two letters of recommendation are also required for admission. The student must demonstrate a proficiency in the English language as measured by verbal scores on the GRE or successfully complete a series of ESL courses in order to commence formal study. The Graduate Certificates associated with the Financial Engineering Program have the same application requirements and prerequisites as the Master of Science degree.
Applicants requesting admission for study only in a particular course or group of courses are given Special or Visiting Student Status, which permits registration, generally for a limited duration, in those courses indicated by the approval of admission. Registration is limited to 6 credits per semester. If additional courses are desired after the end of the specified period, a new admission request must be filed through the admissions office. Special Status students who later apply for and are accepted to the master’s or certificate program may transfer up to 9 credits taken while on Special Status. Special Status students are expected to complete the GRE exam before applying for admission to MS FE or any associated Graduate Certificate. The GPA earned as a Special Status student will be used as part of the admissions decision in place of the undergraduate GPA.
Individuals interested in applying for admissions to either the Master of Science in Financial Engineering or the Graduate Certificate Program please visit the Graduate Admissions. The site has a downloadable application and information on tuition and financial aid.
