Bachelor's Degree in Quantitative Finance
Quantitative Finance is about more than analyzing stock portfolios; it is at the heart of all modern financial strategies and operations.
The discipline spans the management of pension funds and insurance companies to the control of operational risks for manufacturing and consumer products companies and how to model the behavior of financial markets. The QF bachelor's program at Stevens emphasizes business, math, finance and computer science, preparing you to understand and seize new opportunities across industry categories. You’ll become an expert at using the unique tools of the trade in our high-tech financial systems lab, and will get Bloomberg certification as a freshman. And demand from industry is insatiable — since its inception, virtually 100 percent of the program’s graduates have secured high-paying jobs on Wall Street and beyond within six months of commencement.
Additionally, the Stevens QF program has been accepted into the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program. Universities with this recognition incorporate at least 70 percent of the CFA Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK), making them well positioned to sit for the CFA exams.
Students who graduate from the Quantitative Finance program are able to manage financial assets and risk for firms on Wall Street and beyond, ranging from risk management, to investment banking, to financial modeling.
Lessons in the Quantitative Finance major are fused with practical experience and access to leading financial organizations in nearby New York. Students will be exposed to a strong quantitative component, including two years of calculus and a supplementary year of advanced financial mathematics.
Quantitative Methods Core
MA 121 / MA 122 Introduction to Calculus / Calculus 1A
MA 123 Series, Vectors, Functions and Surfaces
MA 124 Calculus of Two Variables
MA 221 Differential Equations
MA 230 Multivariate Analysis & Optimization
MA 232 Linear Algebra
QF 112 Statistics for Quantitative Finance
QF 343 Stochastic Calculus for Financial Applications
Computer Science Core
CS 115 Introduction to Computer Science
MA 134 Discrete Math
CS 284 Data Structures
CS 385 Algorithms
Quantitative Finance Spine
The unique, eight-course Quantitative Finance spine is a sequence of integrator courses that combine the skills and disciplines from other components of the curriculum.
ECON 200 Financial Econometrics
QF 101 Introduction to Quantitative Finance I
QF 102 Introduction to Quantitative Finance II
QF 202 Introduction to Financial Time Series
QF 212 Adv Probability and Stochastic Processes for QF
QF 301 Advanced Time Series Analytics and Machine Learning
QF 302 Financial Market Microstructure and Trading
QF 430 Intro. to Derivatives
MGT 411 Senior Design Research Project I
MGT412 Senior Design Research Project II
Quantitative Finance Concentration
Students choose four courses in the area in which they wish to concentrate. Among the opportunities for this concentration:
Accounting
Required courses
ACC 311 - Intermediate Accounting I
ACC 312 - Intermediate Accounting II
ACC 535 - Accounting Data Analytics and Information Systems
Complete at least 2 of the following courses
ACC 421 - Audit and Assurance
ACC 431 - Advanced Accounting
ACC 351 - Federal Taxation of Individuals
FIN 510 / ACC 510 - Financial Statement Analysis
ACC 552 - Tax Compliance and Planning for Business Entities
FIN 555 / ACC 555 - Retirement and Estate Planning
ACC 585 - Fraud Examination and Forensic Investigation
Data Analytics
Required course
BT 466 Data Analytics
Complete at least 3 of the following courses
MGT 370 Human Centered Design
MKT 417 Market Analytics & Research
MGT 422 Decision Making
MKT 435 Social Media and Network Analysis
CS 442 / CPE 442 Database Management Systems
CS 546 Web Programming
CS 559 Machine Learning: Fundamentals and Applications
BIA 568 Management of AI Technologies
BIA 660 Web Mining
BIA 674 Supply Chain Analytics
FA 550 Data Visualization Application
FA 595 Financial Technology
MIS 401 Deep Learning and Large Language Models for Business Analytics
MIS 450 Sports Analytics
Quantitative Methods
Complete at least 4 of the following courses
MA 575 Optimization Models in Quantitative Finance OR FA 646 Optimization Models and Methods in Finance
FE 610 Stochastic Calculus for Financial Engineers
FE 630 Portfolio Theory and Applications
FE 621 Computational Methods in Finance
FA 541 Applied Statistics with Applications in Finance
FA 631 Investment, Portfolio Construction, and Trading Analytics
FA 590 Statistical Learning
Computer Science
Complete at least 4 of the following courses
BIA 660 Web Mining
CS 442 / CPE 442 Database Management Systems
CS 546 Web Programming
CS 559 Machine Learning: Fundamentals and Applications
FE 522 C++ Programming in Finance
FA 550 Data Visualization Application
Finance
Required courses
FIN 426 Equity Valuation
FIN 440 Money, Banking and Financial Institutions
Complete at least 2 of the following courses
ECON 454 International Economics and Finance
FA 595 Financial Technology
FIN 425 Portfolio Management
FIN 442 Fixed Income Analysis
FIN 526 Private Equity and Venture Capital
Fintech
Complete at least 4 of the following courses
FA 590 Statistical Learning OR CS 559 Machine Learning: Fundamentals and Applications
FA 591 Blockchain Technologies & Decentralized Finance
FA 690 Machine Learning in Finance
FA 646 Optimization Models and Methods in Finance OR MA 575 Optimization Models in Quantitative Finance
FA 595 Financial Technology
Economics
Complete at least 4 of the following courses
ECON 343 Intermediate Macroeconomics
ECON 344 Intermediate Microeconomics
ECON 436 Game Theory
ECON 454- International Economics and Finance
MGT 451 Computational Models of Thought and Behavior
ECON 401 The Future of Work in the Age of AI
ECON 305 Sports Economics
Finance and Business Core
ACC 200 Principles in Financial Accounting
FIN 321 Corporate Finance
MGT 290 Business Career Seminar
ECON 242 Economics
FIN 510 Financial Statement Analysis
MGT 300 Business Communications
QF 103 Basic Financial Tools
QF 104 Data Management in R
SUCCESS Core
Required:
PRV 101 First Year Experience
Frontiers of Technology
Choose 3 elective courses:
PRV 201 AI and Machine Learning
PRV 202 Data Science and Analytics
PRV 203 Biotechnology
PRV 204 Sustainability
PRV 205 Quantum Technology
Arts and Sciences Core
The arts and sciences core is a distinguishing feature of a Stevens education, and helps students hone talents such as written and oral communication and teamwork, while gaining a broader perspective on the world around them through courses in literature, political science, history and the social sciences.
HASS 103 Freshman Writing
HASS 105 CAL Colloquium
Two Humanities courses - – one upper-level course and one lower-level course
Enhance Your Degree
The School of Business offers a variety of business minors designed to help you further diversify your studies. Please note, as a business student, you cannot receive a minor in the same field as your concentration or major.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can you describe the Quantitative Finance major in one sentence?
The Quantitative Finance undergraduate major combines finance, mathematics, computer science and data analytics to prepare students for highly technical careers in financial markets and financial services.
What type of coursework is incorporated into the Quantitative Finance program?
The Quantitative Finance curriculum has a strong quantitative focus and includes calculus, probability, financial mathematics, programming, data management, financial modeling, derivatives, financial market microstructure, trading and risk management. Students can further specialize through concentrations including finance, fintech, computer science, data analytics, economics, accounting and quantitative methods.
Students also receive extensive hands-on experience in the Hanlon Financial Systems Center and can earn Bloomberg certification beginning in their first year.
Are there student organizations Quantitative Finance students can get involved in?
Quantitative Finance students can participate in the Finance, Investment Banking and Advisory Society, Stevens Student Managed Investment Fund, Stevens Consulting Club, Stevens Women in Business and Phi Beta Lambda, among other organizations.
How can I finish my bachelor’s degree in three years and use the fourth year to earn a master’s degree?
Stevens has developed a three-year bachelor’s degree plan for eligible students who enter with 24 or more college credits earned through AP and dual-enrollment coursework in high school.
With careful academic planning and by applying eligible incoming credits toward degree requirements, students may be able to complete their undergraduate degree in three years and use their fourth year to pursue a master’s degree, creating the opportunity to earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in just four years.
What are the outcomes of Quantitative Finance graduates?
Virtually 100% of Quantitative Finance graduates have secured positions on Wall Street and beyond within six months of graduation with an average starting salary of $89,800 for the Class of 2025.
Graduates are prepared for careers in areas such as risk management, investment banking, financial modeling, trading, asset management and quantitative analysis.
Where are Quantitative Finance graduates employed?
Stevens Quantitative Finance alums work throughout the financial industry, including at major Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs, UBS, BlackRock, Bank of America, Prudential and JPMorgan Chase, as well as financial technology companies and startups.