Preparatory materials for incoming students
The first term of the MSc in Mathematical and Computational Finance has a busy timetable with lectures and classes, and in parallel you will most likely want to be applying for internships. Some preparatory work is strongly advised.
Dates of term
The year at Oxford University is split into three terms: Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity.
The dates of term can be found here.
The first week of “full term” is often referred to as “Week 1”. Weeks are considered to start on Sundays and are indexed sensibly using the integers (i.e. Week N+1 is the week after Week N).
You will need to be in Oxford for the start of your course at 9am on Monday of Week -1 of Michaelmas term.
Recommended reading
Probability, statistics, and differential equations are the foundations of quantitative finance. Although you will have lectures in probability, statistics, and differential equations in your first week of study, it would be beneficial to read up on these key areas before you arrive in Oxford.
Lecture notes
We recommend working through the course material (lecture notes and problem sheets) for the following Oxford undergraduate courses:
Additionally, you may want to study B8.1 Probability, Measure, and Martingales for a rigorous mathematical understanding of probability.
Books
We recommend the following books:
- Stefanica, D. et al. (2019) 150 most frequently asked questions on Quant interviews. 2nd edition. New York: FE Press.
- Chapters 1-5 of James, G. et al. (2022) An introduction to statistical learning: with applications in R. Second edition. Boston: Springer.
Internships
Work experience is essential to obtain a full-time job in the finance industry. Most banks and financial institutions use internships as pipelines to their graduate schemes.
The deadlines for applying for internships in the finance sector are generally early in the academic year. Many banks and large financial companies have application deadlines in early autumn. We recommend that you start searching and applying for internships before you arrive in Oxford.
Job applications
You are encouraged to undertake an “off-cycle” internship during Trinity term and base your MSc dissertation on your internship work. Suitable internships should start in Week 0 or Week 1 of Trinity term, and extend up to (or beyond) the dissertation submission deadline in Week 10 of Trinity term. We will provide you with further guidance on writing your dissertation as part of an internship once the academic year begins.
Of course, if you are interested in working in the finance industry, you should also consider applying to summer internships that start after the end of the course.
The Oxford University Careers Service website has lots of advice to help with job applications and career planning. You may find this webpage with sector specific advice on securing employment in the finance sector particularly useful. In addition, once you are enrolled, you will be able to book 1-to-1 appointments with a career adviser.
Engaging with companies
There will be several opportunities for you to engage with companies visiting Oxford. If you have not already, we recommend creating a LinkedIn profile to maintain a connection with the people you meet while networking professionally.
We run a weekly Careers in Quantitative Finance seminar, where quantitative finance companies come and present the interesting work they do and give insight into what careers are available to you. Often the visiting company will arrange an informal networking session after the seminar with drinks and snacks. The Careers in Quantitative Finance seminar series represents a fantastic opportunity to interact with people working in the finance sector, and as such we strongly recommend that you attend.
The Careers Service also organises several careers fairs throughout the academic year, which represent good opportunities to meet representatives from a wide range of companies looking to recruit Oxford students. There are two fairs in Michaelmas that may be of particular interest to you: The Finance and Management Consultancy Fair and the Jobs for Mathematicians Fair.