Master in Finance and Economics (MEF)

Graduates of this master course will receive advanced training in quantitative methodologies and tools suitable to interpret and analyze economic and financial phenomena and will be able to operate directly on financial markets or in international economic institutions. The study program is designed to provide students with a solid background through the development of topics of economic theory, analysis of financial markets and the theory of decision making. It includes study of financial markets from both the point of view of international law, history and economics.

The first year courses, common to both curricula, also provide capabilities in statistics, mathematics and computational techniques for the analysis of financial data and economic time series, also involving the use of latest generation software for Statistical Analysis and Calculus. The second year of the master program is organized in two curricula. The first curriculum, named Quantitative Finance, is aimed at preparing financial specialists capable of operating in the areas of pricing of derivatives, portfolio management, risk management and control in the financial sector intended in a broad sense.

The second one, named Quantitative Economics, is dedicated to the training of professional economists capable of operating at national/international, public/private institutions (including the academia) or at the level of central government in both the financial and economic spheres.

The master course in Finance and Economics aims at forming the following professional profiles:

Profile: Consultant and financial adviser. Functions: the professionals included in this category make suggestions for investment and give technical advice to managers on whom they depend functionally; assist the management of financial investments through the economic and financial analysis of market data; propose predictive models of economics, financial times series and provide guidance for the calibration of theoretical models using market data. Skills: baggage of theoretical knowledge and operational tools aimed at evaluating financial Investments, as well as financial and credit risks. Career opportunities: They operate in the office of financial management of banks, investment firms, investment funds, commercial and investment banks, financial intermediaries, for research and financial statement purposes. They also work as private consultants.

Profile: Operator and analyst of financial markets. Functions: the figures included in this category act directly on behalf of their company in the financial markets or as brokerage agents, also assist the company in the interaction with the regulatory authorities in the markets thanks to a thorough knowledge of the rules that govern them. Skills: baggage of theoretical knowledge and legal advise for the management of financial investments, the execution and management of contracts; ability to operate on traditional and digital markets. Career opportunities: They operate in the office of financial management of banks, investment firms, investment funds, commercial and investment banks, financial intermediaries, for research and financial statement purposes.

Profile: Academic researcher, or researcher in research-departments within economic and financial institutions, both national and international. Functions: the occupations included in this category exercise active research-functions of high responsibility in the fields of finance and economics within institutions and firms (both private and public, national and international). Skills: baggage of theoretical knowledge in the economic-legal-financial fields aimed at doing active research (both theoretical and applied) in economic institutions and private companies, or else in banking and financial institutions operating in national and international contexts. Career opportunities: They operate in universities, research-centers, research-departments of public/private firms, research departments of banks and similar institutions, or research-departments of international and governmental institutions.

The University of Milan is a public teaching and research university, which - with 8 faculties and 2 schools and a teaching staff of more than 2000 professors - is distinguished by its wide variety of disciplinary fields. A leading institute in Italy and Europe for scientific productivity, the University of Milan is the largest university in the region, with approximately 64,000 students; it is also an important resource for the socio-economic context of which it is a part. Milan is, in fact, the capital of Lombardy, one of the most dynamic and international regions in the European Union, a leader in the national economy that stands at the Italian forefront of research and development investments and commitment to technological innovation.

The University of Milan also possesses a remarkable artistic and cultural heritage that includes important historic buildings, inherited and acquired collections, archives, botanical gardens and the old Brera Observatory commissioned by Maria Teresa of Austria. The University’s departments are housed in important historic edifices in the center of Milan and in modern buildings in the area known as Città Studi (the City of Studies). Among the palazzos that house the University’s facilities are the old Ca' Granda (the big house) – a monumental complex from the 15th-century in the heart of the historical city centre - the 18th-century Palazzo Greppi designed by Giuseppe Piermarini – who built the Scala Theatre in Milan – and the 17th-century Sant’Alessandro College commissioned by the Arcimboldi family. The book collection , which is one of the richest in the region, is preserved in 47 libraries, while the APICE Centre collects rare and valuable book stocks and archives. The University also has a Choir and its own Orchestra, which actively contributes to the cultural life of the city and receives international acknowledgments on an increasingly frequent basis.