Master of Science - Quantitative Finance

Plan Description

The UNLV Lee Business School Master of Science in Quantitative Finance (MSQF) will be a 10-course (30-credit) program that can be finished in 12 months.

The program will provide advanced education and training on core finance knowledge and skills at the graduate level, with special emphasis on quantitative methods in finance and new financial technologies. These quantitative methods include mathematical finance theories as well as statistical and computer-program-based techniques to manage and analyze large financial data sets. Examples of finance theories are those related to capital structure, capital budgeting, valuation, stocks, bonds, derivatives, and portfolio management. Examples of empirical quantitative methods are programming and modeling skills using SAS, Stata, Excel, Python etc. to manage and analyze large databases of financial and investment information.

Students will be able to choose from a menu of electives to prepare themselves for careers in corporate finance, investment management, and the application of technology to financial applications.

The purpose of the program is to prepare successful finance professionals who are capable of utilizing the latest technologies to perform sophisticated financial analysis and management.

For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes, please visit the Degrees Directory.

Plan Admission Requirements

Application deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

Students must:

1. Meet the general requirements for admission to graduate instruction at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as described by the Graduate College.
2. Complete the prerequisite (or equivalent) courses listed below with at least a B grade.
   1. Principles of Finance (FIN 301/MBA 765)
   2. Financial Accounting (ACC 201/MBA 761)
   3. Microeconomics (ECON 102/ECON 302/MBA 769)
   4. Two statistics courses (ECON 261 and ECON 262 or ECON 441)
   5. Two calculus courses (MATH 181 and MATH 182) or one calculus and one linear algebra course (MATH 181 and MATH 330). ECON 440/640 is an alternate way to satisfy the calculus prerequisite. Students who have not met the prerequisite requirements may be granted conditional admission at the discretion of the department.
3. Conform to regulations outlined by the Graduate College of UNLV regarding the TOEFL or other equivalent certifications of English fluency. 
4. Satisfactory GMAT or GRE scores. Preference is given to applicants with GMAT scores above 550 (or the GRE equivalent).

Complete the Graduate College application online and submit a nonrefundable admission application fee. Mail official transcripts to the Graduate College. 

For information on Conditional Admission, please refer to the Admission & Registration section of the Graduate Catalog.

All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements. 

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements

Plan Graduation Requirements

1. A minimum of 30 credit hours of program course work (excluding prerequisites) is required with an overall GPA of at least 3.00 for the course work that is part of the M.S. Quantitative Finance program.
2. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.