Quantitative Masters Rankings (2003-04) Summary PDF  | Print |  E-mail
Global Quantitative Finance Masters Program Rankings (North America - November 2003)

Summary


*Note that the full overview of INDIVIDUAL programs will be released shortly


We would like to stress that these surveys are not a reflection of brand name or the actual reputation of the university - although there is an inevitable linkage between the reputation of the university and the reputation of the program itself. The purpose of these rankings is mainly to provide individuals looking to enter the quantitative finance industry a resource for further education choices. As with many surveys, the degree of subjectivity is present and we do our best to incorporate our experiences and opinions with the results of the surveys received from 683 individuals thus far. This survey is unlike most other you have come across and we believe that as markets change, so do the academic institutions which fuel the global economy - therefore the rankings will be periodically updated based on the overall consensus received from the surveys and our outlook on these institutions.

 

If you feel that we have grossly misled the public with our information about a particular institution or if our views of the institutions look incorrect to you, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or post your thoughts on our forums and we will consider it as part of our update.

 

Our points system is based upon a number of criteria which was deemed as important in determining the quality of an institution in relation to quantitative finance careers - and by 'quantitative finance' we refer to a broad industry encompassing derivatives, fixed income, structured products, risk management and others which deal with the more mathematical side of finance.

 

A key point to note is that programs which are highlighted in the rankings, although may be outstanding in its own right may not be what one expects in this survey. As mentioned earlier, this survey aims to provide a ranking of programs based on suitability, and quality for those looking to gain knowledge and a foothold in entering the quantitative finance industry. Naturally the programs which we have considered act as possible paths for these candidates and although you may argue that any degree program can be considered, we focused on the ones which had direct measures for us to gauge.

 

Recently, we have received substantial input and suggestions / comments towards these rankings which we highly appreciate. A significant portion of these suggestions asks for detailing of the methodology used to rank the institutions within our survey.

We assess each program by several criteria as highlighted below:

 

Faculty

We based our internal rating system on the faculty as the quality of teaching is directly related to the quality of the program in general. Programs which have faculty who are 'internationally recognized' as a key academic are given greater weightings than otherwise. Our definition of internationally recognized may be vague but we believe that it is representative of an actual quality gauge. With significant exposure to the academic community and academic research, our team are familiar with many of the major researchers in the field of quantitative finance to base our weights upon. Innovation in field of study will also add greater points allocation.

Course Offerings

We believe in a diverse range of courses with a good balance between depth and breadth for students to gain a foundation within both the finance side of things as well as the quantitative aspects. Quality and quantity of courses should be well balanced and of a nature which reflects current market trends.

Proximity to Financial Centers

An often overlooked attribute, our points system also considered how well connected the students are to the financial centers of North America, particularly ones with major concentration of quantitative finance related firms. This enables a connection between the industry and the student even prior to graduation - a vital consideration in todays marketplace.

Reputation

Here, we gave a weighting towards the reputation of the institution by itself, and then considered the reputation of the degree program in question. Institutions which may not have a strong reputation itself may receive greater points weighting if the reputation of the program in the industry is seen as strong.
More Criteria may be considered in upcoming surveys

 

All data was collected through surveys sent out since July totaling 683 to this date. We expect this to grow shortly once the survey is publicly available on the site.