Pre-Program Courses

This is a 30-hour foundation course that equips students with the mathematical background necessary to understand the courses in the MFE Program. 

The course is recommended for those with an undergraduate degree and/or those with advanced degrees who need a refresher course in mathematics. The main challenge of the course will not be the math, but the mental framework needed to think effectively in financial terms. The course will be available online only.

Class details

• Instructor: Dr. Johan Walden
• Dates: December 7, 2021 - February 1, 2022
• Registration Link: MFE Math Foundations

Prerequisites

• Solid understanding of calculus, one dimensional and multi-dimensional
• Good knowledge of ODEs
• Exposure to PDEs
• Solid knowledge of linear algebra, including eigenvalues, elementary optimization, and linear systems

Recommended Reading

• Numerical Recipes in C by Press et al. (Cambridge University Press.)
• Introduction to Calculus and Analysis, Vol. I and II by Courant and John (John Wiley and Sons.)
• Introductory Statistics for Business and Economics by Wonnacott and Wonnacott (John Wiley and Sons.)
• The Money Market by Marcia Stigum (McGraw-Hill Trade) ISBN 1556231229
• Options Markets by Mark Rubinstein (Prentice Hall) ISBN 0136382053

Statistics for Financial Engineers is a 30-hour course that gives students the statistics and probability training necessary to understand the courses in the program. The course is recommended for those who need a refresher course in statistics. 

The primary objectives are to prepare students for the statistics demands of the MFE program and to give finance professionals the necessary statistical tools for analyzing and modeling the behavior of financial data. This course will build on the introductory statistics topics covered in the Math Foundations for Financial Engineering class. The course will be available online only.

The Statistics for Financial Engineers is a VEE Approved Course. 

Class details

• Instructor: Dr. Martin Lettau
• Dates: December 8, 2021 - February 9, 2022
• Registration Link: MFE Stats

This 30-hour course is designed as a first introduction to object-oriented programming in C++ for financial engineers, quantitative analysts, accountants, and other finance professionals.

The course focuses on programming skills required for pricing and risk managing financial instruments in equities, fixed income, and credit. The course will be available online only.

Class Details 

• Instructor: Dave Klein
• Dates: December 6, 2021 - February 10, 2022
• Registration Link: MFE C++

Programming Environment

Students are required to have access to a C++ program environment. Students are allowed to use whatever C++ environment is most convenient for them and it is their responsibility to ensure they can write, save and execute program. Often, part of an assignment submission will be multiple C++ files, so students should make sure that they can save C++ projects rather than write them solely online. Any C++ programming environment is fine for use if it supports C++ 17.

If you have questions, contact mfe@haas.berkeley.edu

This 30-hour course is designed as an industry-level Python- in-action for financial engineers, quantitative analytics, accountants, and other finance professionals. All who take the course can qualify the minimum coding requirement of a tech/quant interview/entry-level position. The course will be available only.

Class Details 

• Instructor: Frank Xia and Yang Guo
• Dates: December 6, 2021 - January 31, 2022
• Registration Link: MFE Python
  

Programming Environment

Students are required to have access to a Python program environment. Instructions will be given in the first lecture on how to install a Python development environment. Students are allowed to use whatever operating system is most convenient for them and it is their responsibility to ensure they can write, save and execute programs. 

If you have questions, contact mfe@haas.berkeley.edu