MSC FINANCIAL ENGINEERING

Internships, Industry Insights, Career Support: How The MSc Financial Engineering Launches Finance Careers

For computer science graduate Wang Qianteng, moving into financial engineering felt like a natural next step rather than a career shift. As an intersection of mathematics, computer science, and financial theory, financial engineering offered a unique way to combine her two interests: building systems with technology and uncovering structure in financial markets.

“My computer science training helps me turn models into reliable tools to solve financial problems,” she shared. “In turn, financial engineering gives my technical skills a clear, applied focus within finance. Together, they form a coherent path that fits how I like to think and work.”

To advance on this path, Qianteng needed to build her financial knowledge and quantitative skills. A master’s in financial engineering proved to be the perfect platform to do so. One year on, her MSc Financial Engineering (MFE) journey at Nanyang Business School (NBS) has opened doors to industry opportunities, setting her on track to a fulfilling career in finance.

A powerful launchpad for a finance career

When choosing her master’s programme, Qianteng had one clear goal: launching her career in the finance industry. Beyond academic rigour, she was looking for a programme that would give her valuable industry exposure.

“NBS’s curriculum seemed both comprehensive and deep, with a clear progression from foundations to advanced topics,” she recalled. She was especially drawn to the optional internship module, which allows participants to embark on a six-month internship at the end of the one-year programme.

“This would help me gain hands-on experience before starting a full-time role, while offering flexibility in my graduation timing,” she explained. “Both of these are important at the start of a career.”

Qianteng was already familiar with NBS from her days as a computer science major at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). As an undergraduate, she had taken several NBS electives and been impressed by the learning environment.

“The thoughtful course design, the lecturers’ enthusiasm, and the strong career support left a lasting impression,” she said. “Having seen the quality of NBS up close, I was confident that the MFE programme would be rigorous and industry-relevant. That’s why it became my first choice.”

Turning challenges into growth – together

Coming from a computer science background, Qianteng found it relatively easy to pick up new programming tools and techniques in a financial context. The real challenge came during her classes in quantitative finance.

“Early on, the language and structure of mathematical frameworks like stochastic calculus felt unfamiliar,” she reflected. “The concepts were tightly interlinked, which made it hard to find a starting point.”

She soon learnt that the trick to mastering these theories was putting them into practice. With support from fellow course mates and professors, she was able to shorten her learning curve.

“Once I saw how the ideas showed up in pricing assignments and projects, the pieces began to connect,” she shared. “Working on problem sets, talking to lecturers, and discussing with classmates helped me to build intuition step by step.”

By the end of the programme, Qianteng no longer felt uncomfortable with quantitative finance – in fact, quite the opposite. “It’s an area I’m excited to keep exploring, and one where I know continuous refreshing and learning will always be part of the journey,” she said.

Looking back, she appreciates how the supportive nature of the MFE community has enabled her to grow – both inside and outside the classroom. One of her fondest memories is the programme’s annual ‘chillout’, which brings together current students, alumni, and faculty.

“The event was a rare chance to connect with MFE alumni and get to know our professors outside the classroom,” she shared. “The conversations were candid and ranged from career advice to internship tips and reflections on different paths. It truly strengthened my sense of community and clarified my next steps after graduation.”

Building career readiness through internships

Such fruitful conversations gave Qianteng insight into potential career paths after graduation, and the concepts she explored in class helped to sharpen her career goals. In particular, a module on Exotic Options & Structured Products piqued her interest in applying artificial intelligence (AI) to financial engineering.

When the time came to do her optional internship module, Qianteng sought out opportunities to further her interest in AI. NBS’s Graduate Studies Career Development Office (GSCDO) supported her internship search with recruitment events, regular check-ins, and one-on-one guidance from career counsellors.

“Their support made my search more efficient and helped me secure my current role,” she affirmed.

On the cutting edge of AI in finance

Currently, Qianteng is an AI Research Intern at Dymon Asia Capital, a Singapore-based alternative investment management firm. Her role focuses on building AI tools that support investment research and strategy development. Some of her key tasks include designing ETL (extract, transform, and load) pipelines to collect market data, and enhancing retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems to improve large language model (LLM) output.

“These components power an internal LLM-based market intelligence suite,” she shared. “With this suite, portfolio managers and analysts can rapidly drill down into data and move from questions to insights faster.”

While the work is demanding, Qianteng has honed the skills to deliver quality results. Her MFE journey strengthened her programming skills in the financial context, enabling her to build data pipelines and apply quant libraries for backtesting. Meanwhile, her grounding in quantitative finance enables her to frame problems correctly and connect model outputs to investment objectives.

Thanks to the MFE’s many hands-on projects, she now has the confidence to tackle real-world problems. “The programme’s project-driven approach equipped me with both the tools and the confidence to experiment with new techniques and communicate my findings to stakeholders,” she explained.

For Qianteng, there’s no doubt that this is a career path she wants to pursue in the future. “This internship has given me a front-row view of LLMs’ potential to augment the investment process,” she said. “I’m excited to continue developing responsible and high-impact applications.”

Ready to launch into the future of finance

As she wraps up her MFE journey, Qianteng believes the programme has “delivered on all fronts”. Her one-year experience has given her the practical skills, confidence, and connections to kickstart her finance career.

“The curriculum was cohesive and demanding, well beyond what I could have achieved through self-study,” she summed up. “Over this one year, I’ve built meaningful relationships that have grown into an active professional network. Finally, the optional internship has given me hands-on exposure and sharpened my career direction before graduation.”

For those breaking into the finance industry like Qianteng, the MFE programme is built to support your transition. With a rigorous curriculum, robust industry exposure, and dedicated career support, the MFE can be your springboard to launch a successful career in finance.

Find out more about the MSc Financial Engineering programme here.

Download MSc Financial Engineering Brochure