MS in Financial Engineering (MSFE)
A 33-unit multidisciplinary Viterbi master's drawing on engineering, business and economics, built around probability, stochastic processes and financial engineering mathematics. Students add finance electives and a machine learning or analytics course, with an optional thesis or directed research.
What you’ll study
Core
- GSBA 548 Corporate Finance
- ISE 563 Financial Engineering
- EE 503 Probability for Electrical and Computer Engineers
- EE 512 Stochastic Processes
- EE 518 Mathematics and Tools for Financial Engineering
- EE 590 Directed Research
Electives
- FBE 543 Forecasting and Risk Analysis
- FBE 555 Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management
- CSCI 567 Machine Learning
- DSCI 552 Machine Learning for Data Science
- ISE 529 Predictive Analytics
Source: viterbigradadmission.usc.edu ↗
Before you apply
- Background
- Bachelor's degree (or in progress); most applicants hold engineering, CS or finance degrees
- Tests
- GRE not required for 2027 applications
- Other
- Transcripts, resume/CV, personal statement; recommendation letter optional
Source: viterbigradadmission.usc.edu ↗
After graduation
- Salary
- 2025 average reported salary US$117,450 (voluntary survey, not full class)
- Typical first roles
- Software Engineer, Quantitative Analyst, Actuary, Data Analyst, Model Validation Analyst, Investment Analyst
- Employers
- Amazon, Core Value Capital, State Farm Insurance, Tencent, Galaxy Derivatives Capital Management, Hames Investment, Goldman Sachs (2024), WorldQuant (2024), Guggenheim Partners (2024), EY (2024)
Source: viterbigradadmission.usc.edu ↗
Want to see what employers ask for? Browse open quant roles.
STEM-eligible (OPT extension). Core list is the DEN@Viterbi planning list. Cost of attendance PDF: https://viterbigradadmission.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-2027-Tuition-and-Fees-33.pdf (amounts not read). Separate USC MS in Mathematical Finance exists in Dornsife.
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.