Martin J. Whitman School of Management’s M.S. in Finance Program Achieves STEM Designation

The Whitman School

The Martin J. Whitman School of Management’s M.S. in Finance program has been designated as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program, effective May 15, 2017. This marks the second graduate program at the Whitman School with the STEM designation; the M.S. in Business Analytics program also is STEM.

“Business schools play a critical role in preparing students for success in STEM fields,” says Donald Harter, associate dean for master’s programs. “Many of the degree programs at the Whitman School include the development of these types of skills and we are pleased to have our coursework designated as STEM.”

STEM also plays a key role in helping students land jobs after they graduate.

“Many of our students are international students who study under the student visa program,” says Harter. “Graduates from STEM programs are granted up to three years of Optional Practical Training (OPT) to facilitate job placement, longer than programs without the designation.”

Whitman’s M.S. in Finance program, ranked #30 in the country by TFE Times, is a nine- to 18-month curriculum that prepares students to be leaders in the dynamic, fast-paced world of finance. The program’s core courses explore the nature of capital markets as they relate to organizational goals and provide an understanding of how broad principles of finance and quantitative methods can be applied to create investment strategies.

Its STEM designation is based on its curriculum, which is designed to develop and enhance analytical and quantitative abilities of students, as well as an increasing emphasis on data-driven decision making, from how to extract and manage large data sets to visualizing and modeling data to draw meaningful inferences.

The flexible program allows students to customize their degrees by taking quantitative elective courses in areas such as derivatives, econometrics, financial modeling, financial statement analysis, programming and time series analysis. With a state-of-the-art trading room, students have personal access to current market data, live news feeds, software for analysis and other resources used by professionals in the field, including Bloomberg terminals and Factset data through Whitman’s Ballentine Investment Institute.

“Our M.S. in Finance program goes well beyond the classroom to ensure our graduates are prepared for careers in finance,” says Tom Barkley, director, M.S. in Finance program and professor of finance practice. “Many of them prepare for Bloomberg certification and professional exams, such as the CFA, FRM and CAIA designations. Many more participate in case and analysis competitions and Wall Street Prep Seminars.”