Graduate Studies Blog

NANYANG Financial Engineering

A NANYANG BUSINESS SCHOOL FAN: FIRST AN ACCOUNTANCY DEGREE, NEXT A MSC FINANCIAL ENGINEERING

Yu Wenjin graduated from Nanyang Business School (NBS) with a Bachelor of Accountancy in 2015. Two years later, she enrolled in NBS’ Master of Science in Financial Engineering (MSc Financial Engineering). Since graduating from the programme in 2019, Wenjin essentially has two Nanyang Technological University (NTU) degrees under her belt.

So, what makes her a huge fan of NTU’s NBS?

For one, Wenjin has high regard for the school’s faculty. “Sit in on the lessons and you can tell there is a first-class faculty in NBS,” she says. “They’re so knowledgeable. More importantly, they’re extremely dedicated educators. Apart from equipping us with the theoretical knowledge, they also spent a lot of time showing us how we can apply it to solve real-world problems.”

Wenjin emphasises that NBS students should leverage the school’s strong alumni network that is “willing to share information, experience and resources” “You’re never alone in your NBS journey. The alumni and the Career Development Offices are helpful if you need advice on developing yourself. They’re very enthusiastic in providing guidance—especially when MSc Financial Engineering participants are seeking job opportunities in the market,” continues Wenjin.

Wenjin began her career as a risk analyst in financial institutions and continues to hone her skills in the field, particularly in credit risk.

“I decided to pursue the Nanyang MSc Financial Engineering because I wanted to improve my statistical and programming skills,” she says. The programme is very different from the accountancy degree, she explains, where the former focuses on financial market products, statistical modelling and mathematical theories. “That is why I advise potential students of the programme to build up their foundation in mathematics and programming,” she adds.

Armed with an accountancy degree and the data-oriented MSc Financial Engineering master’s, Wenjin’s career opportunities widen and she broadened her search upon graduation.

She soon clinched credit analyst roles in large companies like Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas.

“The Nanyang MSc Financial Engineering has definitely escalated my career progression,” Wenjin says. “For my current role as a credit analyst in BNP Paribas, the programme prepared me with a strong foundation in equity derivatives, credit derivatives and structured products. The programming skills I picked up are also helpful. I’ve been able to reduce manual processes and improve work efficiency.”

Two courses Wenjin has found especially useful for her work are Equity Portfolio Management and Bond Portfolio Management. “My team and I often need to conduct due diligence on hedge funds or asset managers to assess their credit risk. These two courses helped me to better understand their investment strategies and the potential risks involved,” says Wenjin.

Wenjin chose to opt-out of the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) term in the U.S.A and completed more electives in NBS. Added Wenjin, “it was more intensive, as I had to complete the electives within a short period of time but they were definitely useful electives!”

Quick tip: Prepare yourself mentally and emotionally.

“Build up a strong foundation in mathematics. Have good time and stress management, as Nanyang MSc Financial Engineering courses are quite intense.”

 

For more information about the Nanyang MSc Financial Engineering, visit www.mfe.ntu.edu.sg.