Accelerated 4+1 MS in Financial Engineering Program

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Maximize your potential with Lehigh’s Accelerated 4+1 MS in Financial Engineering (MFE) Program.

 

About the Program

Acceleration

The 4+1 program offers Lehigh undergraduate students a pathway to complete the MFE degree within one year after earning their bachelor’s degree.

Undergraduate students with available space in their schedules can take and reserve up to 12 graduate-level (or equivalent) courses during their undergraduate studies, helping them finish the master's degree and join the workforce within one year!

Tuition Savings

Lehigh University undergraduate students can reserve up to 12 graduate-level courses towards a master's degree, which can provide significant tuition savings by reducing the number of credits taken during your your graduate studies.

Undergraduate students who do not reserve graduate-level courses will be awarded a 20% tuition discount on the graduate tuition only. This award will be disbursed in equal installments across the period of graduate study. Additional merit-based scholarships may be available for top performers.

Flexibility

Undergraduate students can enter the Accelerated 4+1 MFE program at any time during their undergraduate degree pursuit. However, early adoption of the accelerated program is more likely to guarantee completion of the master’s degree in Financial Engineering in a one-year timeframe.

 

Ready to start your journey?

 

1. Admission to the 4+1 Program

All Lehigh undergraduate students interested in the accelerated program must submit the 4+1 form.

After submission, the College of Business Graduate Program Office will contact you to answer any questions and help guide you through the next steps.

Once you are formally accepted in the 4+1 program, a faculty advisor from within the program will be assigned to help you navigate the course requirements.

 

2. Coursework

This program is open to all Lehigh undergraduate majors and prospective undergraduate students that incorporate the following coursework into their undergraduate degree.

Required Prerequisite Courses

All prerequisites must be met prior to starting the program.

  • Calculus I
  • Calculus II
  • Probability and Statistics
  • Investments

Strongly Recommended

Other highly recommended, but not required, coursework includes Calculus III, Linear Algebra, Financial Accounting, Corporate Finance, and Optimization. Note that students with equivalent courses from an undergraduate degree program that is part of the required MFE coursework will be given credit for fulfilling the field requirement and will be permitted to replace the credits from the list of approved electives. The program director(s) must approve courses for each student’s choice of electives. The MFE Program will still require 36 credit hours.

Typically, students studying in the following BS/BA disciplines would qualify:

  • Economics
  • Engineering (all types, but especially Industrial and Systems Engineering)
  • Finance
  • Mathematics (all types, but especially Applied Mathematics or Statistics)

This list of BS/BA degrees is not meant to be exhaustive. Other disciplines would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

 

Pathways for Qualified Majors

IBE Studentscontact your IBE Program Director

Choose your major below to view your 4+1 pathway to a master's in Financial Engineering.

 

Acceleration During Undergraduate Studies

Undergraduate students with room in their schedules may have the opportunity to take and reserve graduate-level (or equivalent) courses during their undergraduate study. A maximum of 12 graduate-level credits is permitted to be reserved toward the 36 credits required in the MS in Financial Engineering curriculum. The catalog page provides details on how undergraduate students may petition to enroll in graduate-level courses. These courses are then to be reserved by submitting a petition for the graduate degree. Graduate-level courses may NOT be used to fulfill ANY undergraduate requirement. 

 

Important Information for Spring Entrants to the MFE Program

In order to complete the MFE program in one year, Lehigh undergraduates who are applying to start the MFE program in the spring term must enroll in ISE 426 and reserve it towards the MFE graduate degree while they are still undergraduate students. ISE 426 is a prerequisite for ISE 447, Financial Optimization, and ISE 447 is only available in the spring semester. If ISE 426 can not be taken during your undergraduate study, the length of study for the MFE program will be 18 months.

 

Information on GA/TA Positions

Due to the increased number of credits per semester within the accelerated one-year master's track, undertaking half-time (20 hours per week) Teaching Assistantships and Graduate Assistantships may not be possible. Quarter-time positions (10 hours per week) may be possible by petition. Other options for allowing more assistantship hours would include extending the length of study or reducing the number of graduate credits enrolled in each term by reserving courses that will count towards the MFE degree during the undergraduate work. 

 

3. Guaranteed Admission to the MFE Program

Any Lehigh undergraduate student graduating with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and who has taken the minimum prerequisite courses would automatically be admitted into the MFE Program for the start of the next semester after completing the requirements for an undergraduate Lehigh degree

Undergraduate students must upload a resume in the graduate application portal, confirming their intention to continue into graduate study. The admissions deposit is waived.

Please note that the program of study and availability for the master's program may change prior to your transition to the graduate program, and you will follow the requirements of the catalog year in which you formally become a graduate student. Should the program of interest become unavailable, you will be provided advising and options to pursue further academic work with Lehigh in your area of interest. 

 

Questions? Contact our staff.

Graduate Programs Office
Email: business@lehigh.edu
Phone: 610-758-4450