Anderson School of Management – UCLA - Master of Financial Engineering

UCLA Anderson Master of Financial Engineering Program Structure

The UCLA Master of Financial Engineering (MFE) at the Anderson School of Management is a 15-month program, taught at the Los Angeles campus, merging education in quantitative theory and current business practices. Through the course of the program, students complete 70 credits worth of coursework, in addition to an Applied Finance Project (AFP) and an internship during the summer.

Curriculum

The MFE at UCLA Anderson is broken up by four separate quarters, with students completing four courses in each of the first two (fall and winter) quarters, respectively. In the third quarter (spring), students begin elective options in courses centered around financial engineering disciplines, completing any two of the following three courses:

• Financial Innovation
• Quant Asset Management
• Data Analytics and Machine Learning

In the fourth and final quarter, students complete the aforementioned applied finance project, which is completed within groups of four students. In the corporate-sponsored project, teams attempt to solve real-world issues in topics such “as quantitative trading strategies, portfolio management, risk management, hedging and derivatives valuation,” according to the MFE official website.

The student to faculty ratio for the MFE program is currently 3:1.

Class Profile

A total of 84 students are enrolled in the UCLA Master of Financial Engineering program at the Anderson School of Management. Around 34 percent of the class are female students.

As a whole, the average age of the class is 26-years old, with an age range of 21-45. The undergraduate GPA is 3.65, while the graduate GPA is slightly higher at 3.75.  The average GMAT total is 720. Prior to enrollment, the average work experience per student is around four years.

Career Statistics

UCLA MFE grads report a job placement rate of 94 percent within six months of earning the degree, with an average annual salary of $100,000.

Tuition, Scholarships, and Financial Aid

The total cost of the UCLA Master of Financial Engineering is $78,470. If factoring in the cost of health insurance, the total comes to $84,228.64. A non-refundable fee of $2,000 is required to hold a spot in the program after gaining admission, which is credited to the total cost. Cost of extemporaneous non-required expenses, such as room and board, travel, food, and other factors, raise the total expected cost to $98,768 for the first three quarters and $32,544 for the final quarter. In total, this comes to $131,312.

Federal Direct Loan (Unsubsidized), Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loan. private loans, and employment sponsorship can help provide funding for the MFE program.

Admissions

Applicants to the MFE program are expected to have experience in computer programming, using mathematical tools, statistical and econometric applications, a strong quantitative background, and a goal of obtaining a CFA. Work experience is expected but not explicitly required.

Along with a completed online application, the following must be submitted:

• Academic transcripts
• GMAT/GRE scores
• Two letters of recommendation
• A resume
• TOEFL/IELTS scores (if necessary for non-English speaking international applicants)
• Any professional designations
• $200 application fee (non-refundable)

Strong candidates will be asked to interview as part of the admissions process, by invitation only.

Application deadlines are as follows:

Round Two – March 1, 2020
Round Three – April 30, 2020

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