Master of Science in Financial Economics

Master of Science in Financial Economics

Program Information

Master of Science in Financial Economics

The Master of Science in Financial Economics is a full time program requiring four semesters of study, covering fall and spring terms, at Columbia Business School. Students complete a minimum of 16 graduate level courses, including a research seminar where they work on an industry focused research project.

A compulsory summer internship of at least six weeks is required. This may involve working in a company or serving as a research assistant to a faculty member. The internship is ideally aligned with the student’s research seminar topic.

Transfer Credit Policy

Columbia Business School does not accept transfer credits toward the MS in Financial Economics degree.

Eligibility Criteria

Before starting the program, admitted students must have completed the following advanced undergraduate level courses:

  • Probability

  • Statistics

  • Microeconomics

  • Calculus I, II, and III

  • Linear Algebra

Due to the mathematical rigor of the program, all admitted students must successfully complete a Math Camp refresher course conducted jointly by the Economics Department and the Business School PhD Program. This course takes place in late summer before the first semester begins.

Required Courses

PhD Level Courses

  • Microeconomic Analysis I

  • Microeconomic Analysis II

  • Finance Theory I

  • Introduction to Econometrics

  • Financial Econometrics II

  • Aggregate Behavior and Asset Pricing

  • Empirical Asset Pricing I

  • Corporate Finance Theory

  • Empirical Methods in Corporate Finance

MBA Level Courses

  • Capital Markets and Investments

Other Requirements

  • English language course for selected students

  • Thesis seminar

Elective Courses

PhD Level Electives

  • Empirical Asset Pricing II

  • Models and Methods of Continuous Time Finance

  • International Finance

MBA Level Electives

  • Options Markets

  • Behavioral Finance

  • Advanced Derivatives

  • International Financial Management

  • Fixed Income Derivatives

  • Security Pricing: Models and Computation

Application Deadline

  • Regular Decision: 05 January 2017

Class Profile

Entering Class of 2016

  • Applications received: 669

  • Applications admitted: 29

  • Acceptance rate: 4 percent

  • Class size: 9

  • Average age: 25

  • Male to female ratio: 11:1

  • Average GMAT quantitative percentile: 75 percent

  • Average GMAT verbal percentile: 93 percent

  • Average GMAT total score: 730

  • Average GRE quantitative percentile: 95 percent

  • Average GRE verbal percentile: 75 percent

  • Average TOEFL score: 110

  • Average GPA: Not available