MSF/Ph.D in Finance: Is it possible to complete with no knowledge of calculus?

So, I'm thinking of drastically changing my career trajectory. I'm currently a Psychology major, but if I double majored in Economics, I would only need 9 more classes. Remarkably, the Economics major at my school doesn't even require Calculus. I am probably going to go the MSF route though. Will I need Calculus for either of these degrees if I don't care about prestige?

6 Comments
 

This is very wrong. Most respectable MSF courses you have to do a few Economics/Econometric modules where calculus will very much be used for portfolio optimisation etc. Learn it, no easy way around it.

 

well when a university doesn’t require calculus for economics majors and I will assume u don’t take a decent amount of stats/econometrics etc.. this is a weak program and u probably have a lower chance in getting accepted into a phd or even a masters program because every decent econ program in US,europe etc will give u a sufficient base in math and most masters and phd will require that u took some courses in math stats and econometrics. Now for an msf I think u have a good chance ofc depending on your stats as a student because usually these programs also accept students who majored in non traditional majors like math finance econ etc..

 

Omnis culpa esse vel magni. Vel porro et dolorem sunt ipsum a. Aliquam aliquam minima molestias voluptas praesentium. Laudantium nobis animi illum est voluptas quo sunt distinctio.

Laborum saepe nisi aut illum neque. Ad ea id magni deleniti et ut. Voluptatem adipisci nemo fuga voluptatum voluptatem repellendus voluptatem totam. Voluptates sit inventore dolores et aut libero excepturi maiores.

Et harum sint consequuntur quo animi. Quis autem aliquam et at consequatur totam ipsam velit. Sint sint aut consectetur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 04 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (17) $409
  • Associates (58) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”