The Lehigh University Masters in Financial Engineering was brought to my attention a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to write a post about it because the school doesn’t have a traditional MSF program and I thought this might be of interest to anyone considering the university, but not particularly interested in the schools master in management program. Over the years I have gotten more and more questions on more quant focused MSF programs, most likely a result of schools driving for STEM certification. While my site mainly focuses on the traditional, corporate finance focused financial masters, I always want to provide update information that I think can help my readers.
Lehigh University Masters in Financial Engineering Overview
The program is 30 credit hours in length and can be completed in one years time. Students will share classes with PhD students at times so I would expect the academics to be rigorous. It is STEM designated which is of importance to most international students nowadays. There is an industry advisory council comprised of industry professionals that help the program provide relevant and real world educational experience. The MFE is also associated with the Global Association of Risk Professionals (“GARP”).
Class Profile
- Average GPA – 3.36
- Average GMAT – 668
- Average GRE Q score – 164
Career Outcomes
The Lehigh Masters in Financial Engineering has been around since 2005 so there is a lot of placement information as well as alumni in the financial industry. This is always a benefit as it will help students find jobs in the industry in conjunction with more traditional recruiting avenues. Over the years students have found employment at the following companies:
- Goldman Sachs
- General Electric
- Deloitte & Touche LLP
- PWC
- State Street
- Haver Analytics
- KMK Consulting
- Open Door Capital
- JPMorgan Chase
- Omni Markets
- Shanghai Stock Exchange
- China Renaissance Bank
This is just a sampling of firms as this program has been around for nearly 15 years. A more fulsome picture can be found here.
Admissions
Application deadlines for international students are April 15th. Domestic students have a little more time and can apply by July 15th. Applying much like other programs; you need a resume, references, the GMAT exam, transcripts, TOFEL or ILETS and a video submission.
Tuition is $1,500 per credit hour (so $45,000 in total tuition), plus living expense. The school has a number of scholarships to help offset this cost. One plus is housing is very cheap in the Lehigh Valley.
Miscellaneous
The school does a good job of promoting the program and providing value added events for students. Every year there is a Quant Financial Engineering Conference (typically in November. There are a number of certificate programs students can complete to enhance their degree. All students must complete a capstone program, which marries academics with real world problems. The school also has a robust Linkedin Group for MFE students. This should greatly help in the networking aspect of the job search.
Hope this helps and please keep checking back for additional updates.
Here is a link to the Lehigh University Masters in Financial Engineering Program
