Universities / Carnegie Mellon University
Master of Science in Computational Finance (MSCF)
An interdisciplinary programme with heavy programming and machine learning content (Python, Kdb+, C++), stochastic calculus, and financial data science. Includes a mandatory summer internship and a team capstone with an industry partner.
What you’ll study
Core
- Fundamentals of Programming and CS
- Data Structures and Algorithms
- Financial Data Science I and II
- Machine Learning I and II
- Financial Time Series Analysis
- Simulation Methods for Option Pricing
- Stochastic Calculus for Finance I and II
- Fixed Income
- Algorithm Design and Applications for Computational Finance
- MSCF Investments
- MSCF Options
- MSCF Practitioner Course
- MSCF Business Communication I and II
Electives
- Cryptocurrency and Blockchain: Theory to Practice
- Advanced Derivative Models
- Natural Language Processing
- MSCF Deep Learning
- Risk Management
- Macroeconomics for Computational Finance
- Financial Optimization
- Asset Management
- Market Microstructure and Algorithmic Trading
- MSCF Machine Learning Capstone Project
Source: cmu.edu ↗
Before you apply
- Background
- Four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited US institution or equivalent
- Maths
- Calculus I and II; linear algebra; calculus-based probability
- Programming
- At least one semester of an object-oriented language (C++, Java, Python or C#); more preferred
- Tests
- GRE or GMAT required (one valid score)
- English
- TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo required for international applicants unless two+ years of English-medium degree study; minimum not stated
- Other
- Interview by invitation; three recommendations, resume, two 350-word essays and a 90-second video essay; $125 fee
Source: cmu.edu ↗
After graduation
- Employment
- 92% of graduates secured full-time employment in the US (as stated on careers page; class year not specified there; separate employment reports are PDFs not read). Page also states 100% received offers within 3 months of graduation (home page).
- Typical first roles
- Quantitative Research, Sales & Trading, Data Science, Portfolio Management, Risk Management, Strats and Modeling
Source: cmu.edu ↗
Want to see what employers ask for? Browse open quant roles.
Salary and employer names are in yearly PDF employment reports, which were not accessed. MSCF Fellowship awards up to $60,000 (partial).
Checked 6 November 2026 against the sources linked on this page. Fees, units and requirements change each year, so confirm them on the programme’s website before applying.
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