One of the Institute's three study paths
The researcher path
How to become a quantitative analyst or researcher who derives models. For graduate students and practitioners: derivations, estimation theory and the literature, ending in a written dissertation supervised in writing.
The path, stage by stage
Start with an Open course
Free, four to six hours. Introduction to Quantitative Finance and Monte Carlo Simulation are the natural starts.
Complete the Foundation mathematics
The Foundation Certificate: six courses of mathematics, linear algebra, probability, statistics and econometrics with Python. The researcher courses build on these, and each course page lists exactly which ones it requires.
Take Researcher courses
Three specialist certificates: derivatives pricing, quantitative risk management and machine learning for trading. The researcher courses in each end in a written, paper-style assessment.
Write the Fellowship dissertation
The Fellowship in Computational Finance is the four certificates together, ending in an 80-hour dissertation on a question you propose, supervised in writing by a member of the faculty.
The researcher path is for people whose job is to find out whether a model is right. It treats each method through its derivation and assumptions, asks you to estimate models on data and to state their limits, and assesses you in writing. It suits quantitative researchers, students preparing for graduate study, and practitioners who want to read the research literature without guessing. It is the route for anyone asking how to become a quantitative analyst who derives models rather than only running them.
Credentials on this path
- Certificate in Derivatives PricingDerivative pricing in seven courses and a capstone, from stochastic calculus to stochastic volatility and interest rate models: how options are priced, hedged, traded and calibrated to the market.
- Fellowship in Computational FinanceThe top credential on the researcher path. Twenty-one courses and a dissertation supervised in writing and examined by two faculty members.
Questions applicants ask
What does the Fellowship certify?
That you passed the proctored exam of every one of its 21 courses and wrote a dissertation examined by two faculty members. It is the Institute’s senior research credential, and each one carries a verification code.
What mathematics do I need to start?
Single and multivariable calculus and linear algebra at undergraduate level. Mathematics for Quantitative Finance reviews both with financial examples.