Undergrad Finance Courses for an EE?

[Talal fe]

Dear All, I am a Junior in B.S. Electrical Engineering and have recently started considering applying to a financial engineering program. Since I have 3 undergrad semesters left, I will be able to take a maximum of 2 undergraduate courses in finance . Which 2 finance courses will you people recommend out of the following (in decreasing order of preference):

Financial Derivatives
Financial Engineering and Risk Management
Principles of Financial Accounting
Investments

Though I know I would have to go through the Hull book eventually, but which courses will provide me a good background to go through the book (and might look good on the transcript to MFE admission committee .... )

 

[euroazn]

First two, but are you sure you can take them without Investments as a prerequisite?

 

[Connor]

First two, but you may be better off taking more math or programming courses depending on what you have already taken.

 

[Talal fe]

First two, but you may be better off taking more math or programming courses depending on what you have already taken.

Well I am confused regarding the knowledge of differential equations required. I have taken IDE(not ODE) where we used analytical methods to solve first and second order differential equations, studied system of first order linear equations/fourier series etc. There is a sequel course to this named ODE the description of which is:

"Systems of ordinary differential, Well-posed initial value problems (i. e. existence, uniqueness, continuation and continuous dependence);
Special linear systems, Limit sets, Classical stability theory for nonlinear systems, Applications ( Lienard equation, The Pendulum)"

OR there is also a mathematical methods in engineering course being offered where they discuss ODE's, PDE's,Complex Numbers,perturbation theory(though i m not sure of its vigor). What do you say?

@euroazn: Yea no pre-reqs
Wow sounds like my perception tht I shud have a bunch of finance courses on my transcript was wrong. I guess I will take one of the two only...

 

[Connor]

I'm not an expert but generally hear that PDE is the way to go.

Having some exposure to finance is a plus, which is why you will read on these forums suggestions of passing CFA level 1 or self-studying finance. It is much harder to learn math/programming than finance, and these programs assume a certain level of math/programming knowledge/ability.

I think taking one finance course and another math course would be a better way to go. Maybe take Financial Derivatives.

 

[Ken Abbott]

Want to be useful in an entry-level job? Take a database course. Learn SQL. I know many people who got in the door as analysts and ended up going on to bigger and better things.