Alumni Testimonials

With many highly respected professors from both industry and academia, the Mathematics in Finance program at Courant is truly one of the best. I feel my training at Courant is extremely beneficial, because I have not only learned tremendously a lot on math finance but also built a broad network through the program. After the graduation, I got a desk quant position in UBS in emerging markets trading, which would have been a very difficult career advance without the training from Courant.
Shaohua Fan, Emerging Market Trading, UBS
Class of 2010

Rather than teaching the intricacies of every product or market, the Courant program emphasizes the development of rigorous quantitative framework.  This philosophy has helped me in my current position, where we trade spot and volatility markets for a multi-strategy hedge fund.  As global markets grow in complexity, the demand for quantitative skills will continue to increase.  The decision to study at Courant was a great trade. 
Geoff Duncombe, Quantitative Strategies, Goldman Sachs.
Class of 2004

The first impression for me when I was at the Mathematics in Finance program at Courant Institute was the strong interaction of the academic atmosphere with the real time industry surroundings.  Also, when I am on the street now, I can't emphasize enough how the quantitative learning from the school was valuable, and incomparable to the competing programs.  Even though I felt I was quite confident with my quantitative knowledge before studying at Courant, the program really helped me solidify what I knew, and build up my modeling and problem solving techniques.
Janghoon Kim,Vice President-Investment Management, Morgan Stanley
Class of 2004

As someone who wanted to get into the finance industry but had only an undergraduate degree in mathematics, the NYU MS in Math Finance program gave me the knowledge and skills to enter the industry and find an ideal job for me.  In the coursework and seminars, I was exposed to many different aspects of the industry in which mathematics plays an important role.  With detailed knowledge of so many quantitative roles in the industry, I was able to focus on the fields that interested me the most.  Through its stellar reputation and extensive connections throughout the industry, the NYU program enabled me to focus my job search and find a very suitable position.  The broadness of the program allows you to have a more complete understanding of investing, from the complexity of asset pricing to the importance of risk management to the interactions of different asset classes. 
Katherine Stallkamp Santiago, Quantitative Research, JP Morgan Asset Management
Class of 2004

I entered NYU with a quantitative background.  On top of the excellent academic training, the program offered me a very practical and comcrete approach to the financial industry.  Most of the courses are taught by industry professionals.  They do focus on real world problems that I now have to face every day.  Also, the job opportunities at the end of the Master's program are excellent.
Florian Nguyen, Vice President, Interest Rates Derivatives Trader BNPParibas New York
Class of 2006

While I came to the program with an initial training in Mathematical Finance and Stochastic Calculus, I was impressed with by the hands-on approach taken by the teachers at Courant, most of whom still enjoy remarkable careers in the industry.  The exceptional quality of the faculty, the rigorous selection of students with diverse backgrounds, the assiduousness that I experienced myself and that I saw in my fellow graduates - all these factors are why I now check the NYU Master of Mathematics in Finance resume book first when looking for people to hire! 
Benoit Bosc, Interest Rate Products Strategy Team - New York, Goldman Sachs & Co. 
Class of 2004

The Master of Science program in Mathemathics in Finance at Courant offered me a very practical view on concrete issues that are too often purely thought of from a theoretical point of view.  The Master's program was a perfect final step to enter into the world of quanitative finance.  It offered me a lot of opportunities that I would never have had otherwise, as it is so well connected with the finance industry in New York and everywhere else in the world. 
Benjamin Simatos, Fixed Income, Interest Rate, Currency, and Commodities Analyst, Goldman Sachs
Class of 2003

It's not until you leave the Courant Math Finance program that you realise how well prepared you are.  I've been asked on several occasions by team members, who have more years of practical experience than I do, to present to my team on topics that they had never been formally introduced to, but that I had been taught while at Courant.  One additional important advantage to Courant is the number of world-class full-time faculty and PhD students who consider math finance to be a primary research interest, and who remain valuable lifetime resources.  Finally, Courant really uses their top-notch network, both via alumni and practitioner fellows of the program, to open the best opportunities for placing graduates.  I know I was certainly a beneficiary of this network.
Avi Hyman, Quantitative Developer, Fixed Income Analytics, Structured Products, UBS Investment Bank
Class of 2004

The NYU program gave me invaluable insights at handling the critical quantitctive problems one faces in the hedge fund industry.  The more theoretical part of the curriculum gives solid scientific foundations to the rest of the courses.  The wide set of areas covered at Courant helped me to handle vastly different situations involving equity, credit, or fixed-income derivatives. 
Pierre-Emmanuel Evreux, Vice-President, Trader in Credit Group, Old Lane hedge fund
Class of 2002

No other program is as well-organized and properly combined as the NYU Mathematicsin Finance program.  It really shows you where the line is between academia and practice, and gives you a bridge you can cross over firmly.  Anyone who wants to feel something very palpable and application knowledge from mathematics, join the program; you won't regret it. 
Yoon Kwon, Director, Counterparty Credit Desk, Merrill Lynch
Class of 2000

As a part-time student who already had several years experience in the investment management industry, the program really helped me understand the mathematical foundations of financial theory and taught me valuable problem-solving and modeling techniques. 
Daniel Lam, Vice President, Quantitative Analyst, Credit Suisse Asset Management
Class of 2000

Before I came to the program I had a lot of strong quantitative skills but very little practical experience in applying tham to real world financial problems.  The program not only strengthened my quantitative/analytic tool box (i.e. computer programing, statistical analysis, differential equations), but its concentration on real world problems and its network of fellows with years of hands-on experience in the industry gave me the practical and intuitive knowledge necessary to work on real and useful problems in the finance industry.  Being able to understand real-world problems intuitively and quickly has really impressed my colleagues and bosses. 
Manoo Halati, Director, Global Credit Derivatives, Merrill Lynch
Class of 2000

My experience in the NYU Master's in Mathematics in Finance program was a colorful, intense, and technical walk through modern finance.  Although I do not use every shred of information from every course I took at NYU, there is one thing that I took away from the NYU program and use everyday; it is the thought process involved in financial decision making.  In my opinion, the NYU program taught and then honed sophisticated financial decision-making skills that could not be aquired in any other academic setting. 
Dave Perret, Vice President in US Dollar Interest Rate Options Trading, JPMorgan Chase
Class of 1999