Quant Guide 2021: New York University (Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences)

The Courant Institute’s MS in Mathematics in Finance is a consistent high achiever in Risk.net’s Quant Guide. This year, it appears in third place, behind Princeton University and neighbouring Baruch College.

Like many of its peers, the three-semester MS, directed by clinical professor of mathematics Petter Kolm, is smaller this year: there are 27 full-time students in the latest intake, versus last year’s figure of 46. They’re outnumbered by an increased number of teaching staff: 37, compared with last year’s 33. Further, 34 of this year’s instructors have an industry affiliation – a key metric for the Quant Guide rankings.

Courant’s sister programme at New York University’s (NYU) Tandon School of Engineering places a similar emphasis on retaining instructors from the financial services: 61 of Tandon’s 67 teaching staff are industry affiliated, or 91%.

Courant also reported both an uptick in median graduate salaries and a drop in fees. The median starting salary is now $103,700, versus last year’s $97,000. The mean figure has held steady at a competitive $115,000, still among the highest in this year’s guide. A figure of $83,000–$85,000 was given for tuition fees last year, while students will see a drop in price this year to approximately $73,000–$76,000.

The programme has also gone through a variety of coronavirus-related changes, like many others in this year’s guide. All summer internship placements were moved online, and 100% exams will be conducted remotely. NYU also mounted an ongoing testing effort, as well as requiring campus attendees to complete daily Covid-19 ‘screener’ questionnaires via the university’s mobile app.

View this institution’s entry in the 2020 guide

View other universities and a guide to the metrics tables