The main feature of the ORIE Master of Engineering Program – and what sets it apart from other graduate-level OR programs – is a team-based engineering design project that provides students with an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned to a real-life situations: meeting with representatives from a corporation or other enterprise, analyzing a specific problem, and making a proposal for a solution, through an oral presentation to the sponsor and a written report.
Through their projects and in their course work, students are exposed to a wide-range in areas as diverse as decision support systems, foreign currency exchange rates, and risk reduction for credit card companies. In the process, students gain greater breadth and depth of technical knowledge and hands-on experience with mathematical modeling and the application of quantitative techniques to the design and operation of systems.
The Financial Engineering Concentration encompasses the design, analysis, and construction of financial contracts to meet the needs of enterprises. There is an increasing demand for professionals in this field, especially those trained in both the underlying mathematics/computer technologies and finance. ORIE’s excellent rack record of training students to meet that demand has been further enhanced by the launch of the Operations Research Manhattan, located in the heart of New York’s financial district, and the new Cornell Financial Engineering Manhattan (CFEM) offered through OR Manhattan. The internships offer graduate students an opportunity to gain Wall Street experience, while providing financial services firms with access to an exclusive talent pool and cutting-edge academic research.
The curriculum in Financial Engineering is difficult for students without a background in ORIE to complete in two semesters. For that reason, we have designed a three semester program to begin in fall 2007. Prerequisites are required for both the two and three semester programs and are detailed in the Master of Engineering Student Handbook.
"The Cornell M.Eng. in ORIE credential not only carries much weight here, but also has prepared me to enter the workforce confidently. I can see what I learned in and out of the classroom in a practical application." —Robyn Chung '99, Business Consulting Analyst
Learn more about the Financial Engineering Program requirements.
Explore the Master of Engineering Program of which the Financial Engineering Concentration is a part.
Meet some of our Master of Financial Engineering Students:
Asif Sheikh aas72@cornell.edu graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Science from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Delhi University, India. As an undergraduate, he worked in the field of grid computing and was awarded the University medal for the best project. After graduation, Asif joined Trilogy, an Austin-based software company, where he used his programming and quantitative skills to develop tools for automobile demand prediction (for Nissan) and car design optimization (for Daimler-Chrysler). Trilogy is currently in the process of filing two patents based on his work in these projects. During this period, Asif also ranked 7th in Google India Code Jam 2005, an Asia-wide programming competition organized by Google. Asif’s interest in financial markets, optimization and entrepreneurship directed him towards the FE program at Cornell University. Upon completing the program, Asif planned to apply his knowledge to the areas of derivatives valuation, algorithmic trading and financial innovation. In his spare time, he enjoys reading novels, playing soccer, and is an avid photographer.
Christopher Kakovitch cak39@cornell.edu graduated with dual degrees in pure mathematics and physics from Cornell
University in May 2006 and joined the Financial Engineering program. Prior to joining the program, Christopher was a summer researcher at the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD where he computationally modeled the quantum mechanical properties of nanotubes. He has over three years of computer modeling and simulation experience, which includes programming C++ code for Cornell’s particle accelerator. He joined the MFE program in order to apply his quantitative and technical skills to the theories and practices of finance and is pursuing a quant or research position in derivatives. Christopher’s interests include journalism, cooking, and skiing.
Karishma Kaul kk377@Cornell.edu graduated with honors from the University of Mumbai, where she obtained Bachelors in Engineering in Electronics Engineering. As an undergraduate, she worked on a variety of projects and assignments involving extensive programming, mathematical and computational tools e.g. enhanced model of microcontroller 8051, Morse code decoder. Her internship at Engineering Controls gave her an opportunity to employ her modeling and simulation skill set in the design, assembly, testing, troubleshooting and repair of complex electronic sub-assemblies and systems. She says that "enthralled by the dynamics of financial markets, I saw Financial Engineering as the perfect tool to leverage my strong technical background to the field of derivatives, fixed income, and risk management. In the future, I see myself finding innovative and effective solutions for the challenges faced by the ever changing and increasingly complex financial services." She has been an active volunteer for PETA (people for ethical treatment of animals) and CRY (child relief and you) for the past two years and loves traveling, reading and cooking.
Kerim Gokoz akg34@Cornell.edu completed his undergraduate studies at Bogazici University in Turkey, earning a BS degree in Industrial Engineering. After graduation, Kerim worked for one year in a consultancy company in Turkey. As a Project Engineer, Kerim worked in implementation of Quality, Environmental Health and Safety management system projects in various sectors ranging from construction to airport administration. Meanwhile he gained expertise on risk assessment methods on these issues. Upon completion of Financial Engineering Program, Kerim planned to apply his quantitative skills and work experience to financial risk management. In his spare time he enjoys photography, working out, and motor sports.
Joseph Kieran Tuttle jkt26@cornell.edu entered the Financial Engineering Masters program at Cornell University as an early admit in the fall of 2006. Finishing his Cornell undergraduate degree in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering early, he will finish both his undergraduate and master degree in four years. While at Cornell, he has been a teaching assistant for three semesters, helping with engineering accounting and optimization courses. Though he missed his freshman year due to a foot injury, he was a varsity athlete as well, playing on the Men’s Varisty Soccer team from 2004 – 2006. His work experience has been at Lehman Brothers, where he interned as an investment banking analyst in the summer of 2006 in the Media and Telecommunications industry group. After finishing his master degree, he returned to Lehman Brothers full time, hoping to work with derivative products in equity or debt capital markets.