MSc Quantitative Finance & Algorithmic Trading

Overview

Advanced computational finance curriculum covering stochastic calculus, derivative pricing, high-frequency execution, and quantitative risk modeling. Durham University delivers this award fully online with world-class faculty, rigorous continuous assessment, and 100% tuition-free degree pathways (examination fee only). Transcripts and diplomas reflect rigorous academic excellence. You will learn through interactive problem-solving, case studies, high-impact research, and direct academic mentorship. The curriculum is continuously calibrated against leading professional and industry standards. MSc Quantitative Finance & Algorithmic Trading is taught as one award, not a list of unrelated modules. The published length is 24 months, and the credit total is 36. Students move from Stochastic Calculus & Continuous-Time Finance through Stochastic Calculus & Continuous-Time Finance; Python & C++ for High-Performance Quantitative Finance; Statistical Methods, Time Series & Econometrics; Derivative Securities & Asset Pricing Theory; Numerical Methods & Monte Carlo Simulation for Options; Algorithmic Trading Strategies & Market Microstructure, and finish on MSc Quantitative Finance Capstone Project & Backtesting Lab. Each course has a question, a method, and a submission. In this field, students define a measurable question, fit a method that can be checked, and report where it fails. Reading is a dataset description, a methods note, and one published evaluation. The artefact a marker expects is a project note with the question, the method, the result, and the limitation. The award is built so that a graduate can do the following in practice: Apply the methods of this award to a defined professional problem. Execute rigorous empirical and data-driven analyses to solve complex real-world challenges. Demonstrate executive-grade written and oral communication for stakeholders and global audiences. Teaching assumes the student can read a source, attempt a problem before the seminar, and revise after feedback. Attendance at live seminars is part of the design. The capstone or final course must use the methods of the earlier courses; a project that ignores them does not pass. The pages for each course name the topics that are examined. Those topics are the syllabus. A brochure line is not a substitute for them.

The programme carries 36 credits across structured modules. Delivery is 100% tuition-free aside from the modest examination fee. Transcripts use standard letter grades and GPA scales consistent with all Durham University qualifications.

Programme Structure & Delivery

Learning Outcomes

• ✦Apply the methods of this award to a defined professional problem.
• ✦Execute rigorous empirical and data-driven analyses to solve complex real-world challenges.
• ✦Demonstrate executive-grade written and oral communication for stakeholders and global audiences.
• ✦Lead cross-functional teams with ethical integrity, regulatory compliance, and strategic foresight.
• ✦Produce original capstone research or consulting projects that make a measurable impact.

Career Pathways

• ✦Specialist practitioner
• ✦Strategic Consultant & Policy Advisor
• ✦Research Scientist / Principal Analyst
• ✦Academic Scholar / University Educator
• ✦Enterprise Innovation Lead

Curriculum