<p>Can anybody provide some insight on this major? Outside of the req's, which if I am not mistaken requires one to DM in both finance and math, or major in finance and minor in BOTH math and econ, is the concensus on this program positive?</p>
<p>Very hard! A lot of hard math! Not to be rude but you go to community college and you probable dont have the math background for this program(Calc 1 2 3). I think 16 kids graduated last year. You have to ask yourself if it is worth it or not. From your other posts, it looks like you also applied to McIntire? What GPA do you have? </p>
<p>Back to the real question, no its not a Finance and Math DM. Its Quantitative Finance and Math DM you need COB 300 for a finance major.</p>
<p>Haha. Quite alright. If I accept under this major I would most likely end up taking 3 years due to the course-load (i.e. lack of upper-level math course-work taken). I certainly feel as though it would be worth it, sounds very interesting.
I did apply as well to UVA, but applied for econ/math to CAS rather than McIntire bc I have not yet met their foreign language req’s to enter McIntire (though I have covered everything else), therefore would have been virtually guaranteed rejection.
GPA is currently 3.84, 62 credits graded.</p>
<p>McIntire doesn’t have a language requirement to get in, only to graduate, is what I thought? I think that you should go out to JMU and talk to a QFin major before deciding what to do. I find Physics very interesting but that doesnt mean its the best fit for me. You have to know your limitations. Its not that the upper level math that will be hard it will the the classes the are only for QFin majors that will be hard. You have to apply the math in real world situations which does sound interesting, but again if it was easy everyone would be doing it. Good Luck</p>
<p>After speaking w/ adm reps at UVA, they informed that you CAN be admitted to McIntire prior to completion of Int. level of foeign language, BUT you must complete this pre-req PRIOR to enrolling in courses w/in McIntire. Who knows, maybe I was given a bit of a fib.
And thank you for the input. I never said it would be “easy,” but that it sounds as though it would be interesting, something I personally would prefer to do than say, psychology (just an example for my personal taste).
I know that I could do the work, that is not the issue; the concern at hand is how well is this program taught, how would it be any different than simply doing a DM in both finance & math anywhere else, etc. I personally have not noticed many uni’s with a quantatative finance program. Thanks.</p>
<p>The program is taught like any other program, you stick with the same kids through out. The professor who started the program saw how many IBs were going to VT and giving their engineers jobs so he came up with the QFin program. Its different because it is more specialized towards IBing then anything you would learn in Math or Fin alone. I think that Princeton and Columbia are the only two on the east coast with programs similar to QFin. If you dont get into UVA QFIn is the way to go.</p>
<p>Hello, I am glad to see that you are interested in the QFIN major. It is a very rigorous degree that demands a strong aptitude in mathematics, and a strong interest in finance. Specifically, your finance work will go beyond that of a basic finance major. Compared to most finance majors, you will cover the basics of valuation, capm, accounting, etc in your first 2 years. You will dive into more advanced concepts such as deriving ito’s lemma, learning about black-scholes, and also learning how to create various programs to value options. (i.e more advanced financial concepts)</p>
<p>This major is a good way to develop a strong financial and mathematical background. This is one of the key things that would strengthen your background if you choose to pursue a career as a banker, trader, or any of the above. It is also a very recognizable program in several avenues.</p>
<p>The qfin class is rather small, with roughly 15-20 kids per graduating class. The primary feeder for the qfin major is in the securitization field. As you know, this is a very weak field at the moment, and there is not too much visibility to where it is headed. However, the skillset that you learn is very applicable to any other aspect of finance. </p>
<p>With this degree, and proper networking, you will be able to leverage yourself to a few BB, and several boutiques and middle market firms. In addition to having the QFIN major, it is extremely easy to add on a Mathematics Major and a Financial Economics major. I know for most people would not be able to say that they were a “triple major” in a field that is designed for a graduate-level audience.</p>
<p>However, I want to stress that being a qfin major is not easy. As a result of going to JMU, it is tougher to break into the financial services industry. This is an issue because a recruiter has to develop an argument when choosing a 4.0 from Harvard, or a say 3.5 from JMU. The qfin degree, in a way, is an equalizer. (given the proper networking, qualifications, etc)</p>
<p>If you have any other questions feel free to pm me. I did not know what you were looking for so it was difficult for me to answer this question.</p>
<p>Hope it helps.</p>