Career Prospects

Michelle Lam
Goldman Sachs

Being a part of QFRM has been my great pleasure. With the support of both the Business and Science faculties, we can enjoy increased benefits and opportunities. The lectures build our strong mathematical and logical thinking skills, and the events strengthen our personal skills and allow us to expand our networks. Personally, the professors supported me to attend exchange studies at two top universities in the USA and China. All of these opportunities have allowed me to gain valuable experiences and a good start to my career.

Felix Chan
Microsoft

QFRM provides the best environment for students to grow because you can learn from both Business and Statistics perspectives. I had several internships in commercial and public sectors, thanks to the training and guidance I got from the departments. Besides academic and working experiences, studying abroad will definitely help prepare you for future challenges. I went to the University of St. Gallen for exchange and went backpacking in several European cities. However, I was not satisfied with doing the same thing after my graduation. I tried to be different and all these track records paved the way for my work at Microsoft, a global software company.

Kelvin Ng
Deutsche Bank

Having been a QFRM student for four years in my university life, I am glad to say that I have achieved more than I expected. Throughout my university life as a QFRM student, I joined one exchange programme, completed a few internships and absorbed useful knowledge and skills in finance and risk management.

My overseas exchange experience was a rewarding one. It was an unforgettable journey and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. With the support of our department, I was also able to complete a few internships, which provided insights into the industry. Finally, the demanding yet rewarding courses in QFRM provided us with a solid theoretical background and practical applications to the business world.

I would say the programme is one of the best programmes for students aiming for a career in finance and the risk management industry.

Bosco Lam
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited

The QFRM programme is an all-round curriculum that provided all of the necessary skills and opportunities for me to explore the financial industry. I received rigorous financial and mathematical training through lectures and projects during my 4-year study. Meanwhile, I participated in various trading competitions, case competitions and internships, which allowed me to put my programming skills and the financial theories I learnt to use. Working at HKEX is highly dynamic, especially with its growing business opportunities and its mission to shape market development. It is a place where you meet professionals from all over the world and work on the cutting edge of the financial market.

Cheung Fuk Shing
BlackRock

My three-month summer internship experience in one of the largest asset management companies, BlackRock, was extremely enriching and provided me with practical experience in the financial markets. Working with other experienced traders in the iShares Capital Markets team, I was responsible for monitoring flows of ETF and presenting them to the management board. I also wrote pitching reports explaining investment opportunities to clients, and illustrating trading strategies. The internship helped me understand more about passive investment, and gave me further insight that will assist my career development in asset management business.

The QFRM programme provided me with good, solid knowledge in both finance and statistics, and gave me many opportunities to experience things like case competitions and exchanges to enhance my soft skills. I am proud to be a QFRM student.

Jonathan Kwok
JPMorgan

QFRM is the best programme for building practical knowledge combined with solid quantitative skills. Along with strong career support and cross-faculty benefits, I have made a number of long-lasting friends who are all quite intelligent and supportive. Three of us, including me, joined JPMorgan as summer interns in its Risk Management division. By applying our classroom knowledge to reality, all of us have grown significantly, and I was lucky enough to secure a full-time position. Beyond my studies, I went on two exchanges: UC Berkeley in California and Sciences Po in France. By seizing these chances, I’ve left my footprints in over 20 countries. Isn’t it amazing?

Robin Zhao
Deutsche Bank

My university life can be summarised by several keywords: QFRM, friends and hostel, exchange, internship and fun.

As business foundation students at CUHK, we are free to decide on our major in our second year. QFRM is definitely a good choice compared with other programmes, with its combination of finance courses and other quantitative mathematical and statistical courses that prepare students for a broad range of opportunities.

I spent my five university years at New Asia College and lived in Chih Hsing Hall, which is a great hostel with an excellent view and friendly staff, and I have also met some of my best friends here.

QFRM students enjoy a distinctive advantage in exchange opportunities, as we are eligible to apply for the exchange programmes offered by both the Business Faculty and the Science Faculty.

QFRM students can also take advantage of career guidance services from both the QFIN and the RMSC programmes and receive more information about internship and graduate jobs.

Fiona Chou
Bank of America, Merrill Lync

Four years ago, a little girl was struggling with her JUPAS choices up until the last minute, feeling extremely lost as she tried to strike a balance between academic work, internships and extracurricular activities. Today this girl is graduating, ready to enter society.
If I were to make my choices again, QFRM would still be my top priority. Although the coursework is demanding, it prepares us with solid analytical and soft skills that are prerequisites for developing a career in finance. One could not get a better mix of training and exposure elsewhere. During the study, I managed to undertake an exchange in the US, complete summer internships in investment banks and a hedge fund and, most importantly, make many lifelong friends who motivated and inspired me all the way through.
Had it not been by the support of the Faculty, my time at university would not have been so fruitful.

Lorraine Zhao
Goldman Sachs

During my time at university, I treasured the chances available to go outside Hong Kong and explore the world. In my first year, I visited Scotland and attended an English Enhancement Course at the University of Edinburgh. Over the second summer holiday, I took part in an exchange programme with students from Tsinghua University. Both of these exchange experiences enabled me to better understand the wider world and cultivate a mind-set that embraces different cultures and values. This is essential to prepare me for work in an international company. In addition, I gained valuable experience in my last internship. Working with supervisors who had different styles taught me how to adapt to various working styles and how to prioritise tasks when schedules are tight. In job interviews I was frequently asked how I worked under pressure, and my internship experience provided valuable lessons regarding this. As a QFRM alumnus, I am very grateful of having joined the programme and learned technical skills and life values. The rich resources provided by the university have enabled me to aim higher in planning my future after graduation.

Henry Lin
Crédit Agricole CIB

The QFRM programme is an intensive course of study that offers solid knowledge in accounting, portfolio management, financial theory, programming and various statistical techniques. All of these studies have given me a greater understanding of and insight into the finance industry. In this programme, I’ve acquired highly useful knowledge concerning the classic Black Scholes Merton Pricing Model, Machine Learning, FinTech and various other hot topics in the industry. During my studies, with help from the programme office, I joined in various case competitions, became an exchange student at a prestigious university in Canada and connected with various industry practitioners. All of these experiences have broadened my horizon, enriched my university life and made me better prepared to join the industry.

In QFRM, you can always find helpful programme directors, career advisors and supportive staff. More importantly, you can always find a group of friends with common interests who are aiming for the same goal.

Wai Li Teng
Ocean Global Capital Management

As an international student, I have found CUHK a comfortable home throughout my fruitful university experience. It is certainly safe to say that the university has much more to offer than just academic excellence. From my part-time barista job in my freshman year to an overseas exchange programme in the Netherlands, I found that CUHK was always there to provide a wide array of opportunities, with an emphasis on promoting whole-person development. Furthermore, having enrolled in the QFRM programme, I was excited to learn not only pure theory but also hard skills to leverage my knowledge in real-life situations. This kind of real support is, in my honest opinion, the principal aspect that gives CUHK students the edge in career advancement.

Ryan Liu
Wells Fargo

QFRM is an interdisciplinary programme that has equipped me with strong numerical acumen and solid financial knowledge. The curriculum is perfectly balanced between theory and real-life application, and it paves the way for prosperous careers in sales and trading, investment banking, investment management and many other fields. During my senior year, I went for a semester exchange to UC Berkeley, where I rekindled my passion for statistics and finance by meeting various scholars from around the world. After spending a summer at Wells Fargo Securities, I started working full time at the credit trading desk. Nothing beats the intensity and adrenaline of the fast-paced market!

Dickson Yip
Hong Kong Monetary Authority

It is my pleasure to be a student in the QFRM programme, where I have received rigorous training in quantitative skills and technical knowledge, participated in a yearlong exchange programme in the US and worked with several companies as an intern. Throughout my four-year study programme, I have received tremendous support from my home departments – not just academic support, but also career and personal development advice.

QFRM is more than just an academic programme. It is a platform that has connected me, a student, to the greater society. Being part of the working class now, I am very grateful that I have been well trained in the technical knowledge of finance and the soft skills required in the workplace. Looking back at myself when I just started college, I still cannot believe how much I have grown under the guidance of the QFRM programme.