Stony Brook University - Master in Quantitative Finance

When reviewing a university program, I like to focus on three main points: quality of education, career opportunities, and cost.

1) Education: This is probably where the program is at its best. Most of the coursework you will see at Stony Brook is well chosen. The program is definitely math oriented, focusing on some more intense coursework. There are a few courses for me that fell flat during the degree. Keep in mind that graduate education is what you make of it, you could probably go through this program without learning anything if you wanted. Most of the professors are pretty solid, a few of which standout. They are incredibly helpful and will spend a lot of time helping you out.

2) Career Opportunities: This has been the most publicly debated point. Unfortunately these programs do not come with a guaranteed full time offer, so I can't confidently tell you that going to Stony Brook will get you the job you want. I would argue that career services could be doing more for their students. There were some opportunities when I was there that I was able to take advantage of (student assistantships, research) that I believe was critical for my career path. I think what people struggle with here is their inability to lead themselves through these processes. Someone who is capable of getting themselves where they need to be for interviews, networking, etc. will put less blame SBU's career services department. Do not expect Stony Brook to hand you an internship. I believe there were some programs that forced internships on students, not sure how well that worked out long-term.

Side note here, I would be cautious with employment opportunity based discussions that have taken place over the last few years. The job market is horrible for everyone at the moment. We should use this as a test case for MFE programs. Compare it to a portfolio manager - it's easy to be up when the market is good, downturns tell who is finding an edge. I kind of imagine a lot of these programs were just riding the high of the late-2010's/early 2020's hiring spree.

3) Cost: Another huge strong section for Stony Brook. I've been a student before - I understand how difficult it can be to put money in perspective. It is really easy to say something like: "well I have loans, this is just part of the process, I will figure out how to pay it off when I graduate." Do not fall into this trap. The reality in life is some people can afford 100-120k graduate programs, some can't. Do not overspend in grad school with the expectation that you will make up for it quickly.

I would be honest with yourself when you pick a program. If you are good at managing the larger picture, Stony Brook could be a good option. If you require a more personal touch (aka hand holding), this may not be the best pick.