Professor Mario Levis says the UK job market is crying out for people with a solid quantitative background who are trained in the specific needs of the financial sector.
As a result, a new course in quantitative finance, slated for a September start date, is designed to meet the increasing employment demand for people with strong quantitative expertise in a multitude of positions in the world’s financial centers, according to its sponsor, Cass.
The MSc in Quantitative Finance focuses on the implementation of advanced quantitative techniques in equities and fixed income management. Together with the MSc in Financial Mathematics, with its focus in mathematical analytics, and the long established MSc in Mathematical Trade and Finance, with its emphasis on derivative products, Cass now provides comprehensive coverage in one of the fastest growing employment areas.
The course will offer those with a strong quantitative background hands-on experience of the particular computing skills and problem solving used everyday in large financial institutions. In addition to providing rigorous theoretical foundations the course offers intensive training in a range of computer applications including C++, Mathematica, Matlab and VBA.
“In recent years we have witnessed a sharp increase in the use of modeling and quantitative techniques,” says Levis, an Associate Dean of Specialist Masters Programs at Cass. “A recent European survey suggests that almost 75% of asset managers interviewed have seen an increase in the use of quantitative methods in the investment decision-making process and a growing percentage of assets managed by quantitatively run funds.”
“European asset managers appear to be catching up fast with their US counterparts in the breadth and depth of usage of quantitative models. This creates exciting employment opportunities in risk management, performance measurement, development and implementation of trading strategies and market analysis,” Levis adds.
Professor Levis says Cass is in an ideal position to lead in this whole area. It has one of the world’s largest and strongest finance faculties which benefits from its setting on the doorstep of the City, the Bloomberg dealing room and extensive finance electronic databases.