The Stevens QF program has been designed to provide students with a thorough and rigorous foundation in this multi- disciplinary field. Students will be selected for strong quantitative aptitude, high motivation and work ethic, and a strong interest in the field of Computer Science, Business and Finance.
Over the course of eight semester terms, through approximately 135 credit-hours of course work, students may choose to follow one out of main “threads” in the QF curriculum.
Quantitative Finance Curriculum
Term I (17 Credits)
| CAL 103 | Writing and Communications Colloquium | 3 |
| | | |
| MA 121 | Differential Calculus | 2 |
| | Or | |
| MA 122 | Integral Calculus | 2 |
| | | |
| QF 106 | Fundamentals of Probability for Finance | 3 |
| QF 101 | Quantitative Finance | 3 |
| QF 103L | | 1 |
| MIS 110 | Creative Problem Solving in Computing | 3 |
Term II (18 Credits)
| CAL 105 | CAL Colloquium: Knowledge, Nature, Culture | 3 |
| | | |
| MA 123 | Series, Vectors, Functions and Surfaces | 2 |
| | Or | |
| MA 124 | Calculus of Two Variables | 2 |
| | | |
| CS 115 | Introduction to Computer Science | 4 |
| QF 102 | Basic Financial Tools | 3 |
| QF 112 | Statistics Quantitative Finance | 3 |
| QF 104L | | 1 |
| BT 290 | Business Career Seminar | 0 |
Term III (17 Credits)
| MA 221 | Differential Equations | 4 |
| CS 135 | Discrete Structures | 4 |
| QF 200 | Financial Econometrics | 3 |
| BT 200 | Financial Accounting | |
| QF 212 | Advanced Probability and Stochastic Processes for Quantitative Finance | 3 |
| | Physical Education | |
Term IV (16 Credits)
| QF 202 | Financial Time Series | 3 |
| MA 230 | Multivariate Calculus and Optimization | 3 |
| CS 284 | Data Structures | 4 |
| BT 321 | Corporate Finance | 3 |
| BT 244 | Microeconomics | 3 |
| | Physical Education | |
Term V (19 Credits)
| QF 301 | Advanced Time Series Analytics and Machine Learning | 3 |
| QF 435 | Risk Management for Capital Markets | 3 |
| CS 385 | Algorithms | 4 |
| | | |
| BT 325 | Financial Statement Analysis | 3 |
| | Or | |
| FIN 510 | Financial Statement Analysis | 3 |
| | | |
| QF | Concentration | 3 |
| MGT 300 | Business Communications | 3 |
| | Physical Education | |
Term VI (18 Credits)
| QF 302 | Financial Market Microstructure and Trading | 3 |
| QF 343 | Introduction to Stochastic Calculus for QF | 3 |
| QF | Concentration | 3 |
| QF | Elective | 3 |
| | Humanities Requirement 100-200 Level | 3 |
| | Science Requirement | 3 |
| | Physical Education | |
Term VII (15 Credits)
| QF 430 | Introduction to Derivatives | 3 |
| QF | Concentration | 3 |
| MGT 411 | Senior Design I | 3 |
| QF | Elective | 3 |
| | General Elective | 3 |
Term VIII (15 Credits)
| QF | Concentration | 3 |
| MGT 412 | Senior Design II | 3 |
| QF | Elective | 3 |
| | General Elective | 3 |
| | Humanities Requirement 300-400 Level | 3 |
Note:
CAL 103, CAL 105, and Humanities Requirement: Students are required to take two additional Humanities courses other than CAL 103 and CAL 105. One must be at the 100/200 level and one must be at the 300/400 level. Courses must cover at least two different disciplines.
PE 200: All students must complete a minimum of four semesters of Physical Education (P.E.) in non-repeating courses. No credit or grades are awarded for P.E. classes. Students can use up to four semesters of Varsity and/or Club sports to fulfill the P.E. requirements.
Choose from a list of approved science courses.
Choose a QF concentration from Accounting, Quantitative Methods, Computer Science or Finance and Economics
Choose from a list of approved QF electives.
Students must select one course from the following science courses:
| PEP 123 | Physics for Business & Technology I | 3 |
| PEP 111 | Mechanics | 3 |
| CH 115 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CH 281 | | |
| PEP 151 | Introduction to Astronomy | 3 |
| BIO 201 | Introduction to Biology for Non-Science and Non-Engineering Majors | 3 |
Students can select one of the following QF concentrations:
Accounting:
This thread draws on the advanced accounting curriculum and is designed to give an in depth look into the field of accounting. Students will begin with intermediate Accounting 1 and 2 and choose from electives that will focus on specialized areas in accounting.
Required Coursework:
Students select 2 courses from the following:
| ACC 421 | Auditing | 3 |
| ACC 431 | Advanced Accounting | 3 |
| ACC 352 | Federal Taxation of Business Entities | 3 |
| ACC 351 | Federal Taxation of Individuals | 3 |
| FIN 510 | Financial Statement Analysis | 3 |
| ACC 385 | Fraud Examination and Forensic Investigation | 3 |
Quantitative Methods:
This thread draws on the curriculum of Stevens’ Mathematics department and includes a minimum of one year of calculus, and one year of probability and statistics. Electives in this thread extend to more advanced calculus (multivariable, stochastic) and other quantitative techniques used in advanced financial applications.
Required Coursework:
| MA 232 | Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MA 331 | Intermediate Statistics | 3 |
| FE 530 | Introduction to Financial Engineering | 3 |
| MA 575 | Optimization Models in Quantitative Finance | 3 |
Computer Science:
This thread draws on the curriculum offered by the Stevens Computer Science department (in the School of Science and Engineering). It begins at the introductory level, building to a reasonable proficiency in C++, basic financial modeling tools and techniques, and an intermediate level of proficiency in web- based programming; beyond the required core. There are elective courses in fields such as data mining, machine learning and computerized trading platform architectures for students interested in developing advanced computer science capabilities.
Students select 4 courses from the following:
| CS 442 | Database Management Systems | 3 |
| CS 559 | Machine Learning: Fundamentals and Applications | 3 |
| FE 550 | Data Visualization Application | 3 |
| BIA 660 | Web Mining | 3 |
| CS 546 | Web Programming | 3 |
| FE 522 | C++ Programming in Finance | 3 |
| MGT 451 | Computational Models of Thought and Behavior | 3 |
Finance:
This thread draws on the Business & Technology Program. It encompasses the standard business and finance foundation disciplines such as accounting, economics, corporate and international finance and capital markets—as well as QF—specific topics such as financial engineering, risk management, and market regulation & securities law.
Required Coursework:
| BT 426 | Equity Valuation | 3 |
| BT 440 | Money, Banking and Financial Institutions | 3 |
Students select 2 courses from the following:
| BT 425 | Portfolio Management | 3 |
| BT 442 | Fixed Income Analysis | 3 |
| BT 454 | International Economics and Finance | 3 |
Economics
Students select 4 courses from the following:
| BT 343 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 3 |
| BT 344 | Intermediate Microeconomics | 3 |
| BT 436 | Game Theory | 3 |
| BT 454 | International Economics and Finance | 3 |
| MGT 451 | Computational Models of Thought and Behavior | 3 |