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Quantitative Finance

Introduction

The Master’s specialisation in Quantitative Finance is aimed at talented and motivated students with an interest in studying finance from an econometric point of view. Given the quantitative nature of this Master’s specialisation, students are expected to have a strong interest in (and prior knowledge of) statistics, mathematics, and econometrics.

Quantitative analysis has become an essential ingredient in the everyday practice of financial companies. Strategic decisions that require quantitative support are many and diverse, including portfolio management, derivatives pricing, and risk management. Due to increased data availability and computing power, it has now become possible to provide such support to decision-makers. To do this in an adequate manner, however, is not straightforward. The complexity of the problems calls for finance professionals with a strong quantitative background and solid knowledge of financial theory.

The need for finance professionals with excellent quantitative skills is increasing and will continue to grow in the near future. The Master’s specialisation in Quantitative Finance aims to provide high-quality training to enable graduates to pursue careers in the financial industry, or to excel in science. Graduates are able to apply existing quantitative techniques and econometric models to complex real-world financial problems. Furthermore, graduates are trained to develop and apply new models if required.

Facts

Below you see an overview of the key facts of the Master's specialisation in Quantitative Finance:

Curriculum

Below you see an overview of the curriculum of the Master's specialisation in Quantitative Finance:

The Master’s specialisation consists of seven core courses, a seminar course Financial Case Studies and a Master’s thesis distributed over five blocks of eight weeks each. The core courses help students to get acquainted with a wide range of topics that are essential for econometrics and finance. Many core courses include empirical assignments, with the aim of developing the necessary skills for applying the econometric techniques in practice.

During the course Financial Case Studies small groups of students do an applied research project under supervision of a staff member. The topics for these research projects come from the financial industry. The last two blocks of the programme are devoted to the Master’s thesis, which can be theoretically-oriented or practically-oriented. Practically-oriented theses are usually combined with an internship or traineeship. The thesis is written individually under close supervision by one of the staff members of the Econometric Institute.

For more information about the specialisation please go to this website and select your specialisation.

Application and Admission

The application and admission procedure differs for Dutch university students, HBO students and international students. Please click on this link and then choose to which group you belong and you will be directed to the correct application and admission procedure.

Career prospects

Graduates have excellent career prospects, both in the Netherlands and abroad. Despite the recent turmoil in financial markets, demand for well-educated quantitative financial economists has remained high or has even increased. Excellent career opportunities exist within banks, asset management institutions, hedge funds, insurance companies, pension funds, private equity houses, consulting firms, and regulating bodies such as central banks.