Overview
The Computational Finance certificate program is designed for working professionals and is delivered completely online. The academic credential earned is a certificate awarded by UW Professional & Continuing Education, which gives students the opportunity to participate in the same courses, taught by the same faculty and industry professionals, as those enrolled in UW degree programs – without the commitment of completing an entire degree.
For even greater flexibility, UW academic credit is available for students who are interested in applying to a degree in the future.
Learn the key mathematical, statistical and econometric foundations needed for quantitative management of financial investments. Study classical methods of portfolio construction based on volatility as a risk measure. Learn modern theory of portfolio optimization, examine how to minimize risk, discover how to balance alpha generation versus downside risk and study the latest risk budgeting techniques. Complement your foundational knowledge with training in open source R programming language for quantitative finance modeling and analysis.
What the certificate covers:
- Mathematics of fixed income, interest rates and terms structure
- Introduction to forwards, futures and options pricing and hedging use
- Linear regression factor models and their uses in finance
- Introduction to statistical analysis of financial data with R
- Advanced R modeling tools for financial time series and portfolios
- Classic mean-variance risk portfolio optimization and risk management
- Post-modern tail-risk based portfolio optimization and risk management
Prerequisites
The CF certificate courses are regular graduate courses from the first-year MS curriculum and are academically rigorous. In addition to subject matter proficiency requirements, all applicants are expected to hold a bachelor’s degree. Please Note: Students already matriculated into a full UW degree program are not eligible to apply for this certificate.
All applicants must show competency in the following content areas, either by previously completed academic or professional preparation:
- Advanced calculus
- Probability and statistics
- A programming language such as Java or C++, or in a math or a statistical programming language such as Matlab, R/S-PLUS
Curriculum
A Computational Finance certificate will be awarded to individuals who successfully complete the following three online courses from graduate-level CFRM curriculum for a total of 12 credits:
- Autumn: CFRM 501, Investment Science (4 credits)
- Winter: CFRM 502, Financial Data Science (4 credits)
- Spring: CFRM 503, Asset Allocation and Portfolio Management (4 credits)
Program Costs
Coursework in the Computational Finance certificate is a subset of the first-year MS curriculum, and all 12 credits are optionally transferable into the degree program for students who are later admitted to the MS if students elect that option at the time of initial certificate enrollment. For 2022-2023, CF certificate courses for online, non-degree students cost $1,085 per credit.
The complete CF certificate is priced at $13,020. Course tuition does not include UW mandatory fees assessed on a quarterly basis, such as registration and student technology fees. Course tuition also excludes textbooks. The all-inclusive price is approximately $13,620.
Financial aid is not available through CFRM or UW for non-degree programs, except for MS students required to take courses on a preparatory basis, who may be eligible for federal student aid. Outside scholarships, employer reimbursement, or private student loans may be used to cover expenses.
Schedule
Certificate students are not required to attend the live online lectures; recordings will be posted on the course website to review on-demand.
| Course | Term | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| CFRM 501 | Autumn Quarter | September - December |
| CFRM 502 | Winter Quarter | January - March |
| CFRM 503 | Spring Quarter | March - June |
Applying to the CF Certificate
Begin the application today!