COMPARE Columbia University MAFN vs University of Chicago MFIN

[tklryan]

Choosing offer for fall 2024. Which one is better if I'm planning to do quant or quant snt in the future? I'm an international student and I hope to work in US for a few years then get back to my country. Is Chicago Booth's course set up technical enough? And Who would be the new director for the columbia mafn program. Please give me some advice! Thanks a lot!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

There are too many unknowns to be helpful. Chicago MFin is enrolling its first cohort, so expect many adjustments, mistakes, and challenges in the first few years while they iron out the process.
Generally, an MFin program run by a business program is not technical enough compared to its counterpart, such as the Chicago FinMath. You are also sharing resources with their bigger, more established MBA program.
I don't know who will be the next director of the Columbia MAFN program, but given Prof. Lars's sudden passing, I expect the search to take some time. In the meantime, I'm sure there will be someone to run the program in the interim, hopefully @IzabelaRutkowski
Your goal will be to get a job right out of the program in the job type that will allow you transfer the knowledge back to your country.

 

[tklryan]

Understand! Thank you Andy!

 

[IzabelaRutkowski]

There are too many unknowns to be helpful. Chicago MFin is enrolling its first cohort, so expect many adjustments, mistakes, and challenges in the first few years while they iron out the process.
Generally, an MFin program run by a business program is not technical enough compared to its counterpart, such as the Chicago FinMath. You are also sharing resources with their bigger, more established MBA program.
I don't know who will be the next director of the Columbia MAFN program, but given Prof. Lars's sudden passing, I expect the search to take some time. In the meantime, I'm sure there will be someone to run the program in the interim, hopefully @IzabelaRutkowski
Your goal will be to get a job right out of the program in the job type that will allow you transfer the knowledge back to your country.

Thank you, Andy. Yes - we will soon start the search for the new director. Meanwhile, the program is supported by Prof. Mikhail Smirnov, who is the firmer director and also an instructor in the program. I run the non-academic/curriculum part of the program. You can read about our faculty here: MAFN Faculty We are expecting new members to join in the Fall, this list will be updated as soon as the instructors are cleared by the companies where they work during the day.

 

[tklryan]

Thank you, Andy. Yes - we will soon start the search for the new director. Meanwhile, the program is supported by Prof. Mikhail Smirnov, who is the firmer director and also an instructor in the program. I run the non-academic/curriculum part of the program. You can read about our faculty here: MAFN Faculty We are expecting new members to join in the Fall, this list will be updated as soon as the instructors are cleared by the companies where they work during the day.

Thank you so much!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Thank you, Andy. Yes - we will soon start the search for the new director. Meanwhile, the program is supported by Prof. Mikhail Smirnov, who is the firmer director and also an instructor in the program. I run the non-academic/curriculum part of the program. You can read about our faculty here: MAFN Faculty We are expecting new members to join in the Fall, this list will be updated as soon as the instructors are cleared by the companies where they work during the day.

New director for the program has been identified

Jaehyuk Choi on LinkedIn: I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as the director… | 10 comments

I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as the director (senior lecturer) of Columbia University’s Mathematics of Finance MA (MAFN)… | 10 comments on LinkedIn

www.linkedin.com

 

[finbcy]

Hey all!

I’m deciding between Columbia’s Mathematics of Finance (MAFN) and Chicago Booth’s Master in Finance (MiF). I’m open to both quant and traditional finance. Which program is generally better in terms of reputation, career outcomes, and overall value?

Would appreciate any insights. Thanks!

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Congrats on getting into both programs.
1) Please add your application timelines to the Tracker. Thanks for your contribution.
2) Columbia is mathematical rigorous. You can see its placement record over the years on QuantNet rankings.
Chicago Booth MiF is a brand new program which has not graduated a single student yet. It will take a few years to get a sense of how well they place the students.
Here is a review University of Chicago - Master in Finance - Reviews