How safe of a bet is a top MFE/MFin (MIT/Princeton/CMU/Columbia/etc) for a position as a quant?

Do these programs regularly place into top quant funds (Two Sigma, Shaw, etc.)?

Also, would doing an MFE/Mfin straight out of undergrad allow you to go straight into a HF?

 

they just need someone who's handy with numbers and large data. the finance aspect can be learned on the job.

What we do in life echoes in eternity - Maximus Decimus Meridius
 
JHiros:

they just need someone who's handy with numbers and large data. the finance aspect can be learned on the job.

This is incorrect, at least in my experience.

Employers expect MSF graduates to be familiar with risk and credit modeling along with statistical programs and languages. I have been asked, on multiple interviews, about how familiar I am with credit models (KMV-Merton, Black-Cox), risk models (mainly VAR), Java, Rstudio, Matlab, Crystal Ball, etc. I have been asked about auto-regression, ARCH/GARCH, stochastic volatility, time varying Beta's etc.

As an MSF grad you're generally not applying to entry level positions and it's difficult to break into traditional IB, especially if you lack the relevant experience during recruiting. At the end of the program you're basically left applying to small boutiques that are highly specialized and that demand a lot from you. They also don't train.

“Elections are a futures market for stolen property”
 

Confusing post. MSF programs in general are corporate finance focused. Banking, credit analysis, Asset Management, etc. If you want a quant program I would suggest a degree that is focused in math, programming, stats, risk management, etc.

 

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