B.S. in Financial Mathematics and Statistics

This is a joint major between the Department of Statistics and Applied Probability and the Department of Mathematics, with the cooperation of the Department of Economics. It is intended for students who are interested in the applications of mathematics, probability, statistics and modern finance. To be admitted to this demanding major, students must complete all pre-major courses with a 2.5 or higher grade-point average. Computer Science 10 or 5 (any section) is excluded as part of the pre-major grade-point average computation. Entrance into the pre-major does not guarantee admission into full major status. Upon satisfactory completion of pre-major requirements, students may submit a Change of Major petition to be accepted into full major status.

Scholarships in Financial Mathematics and Statistics
The Robert and Barbara Lowes Scholarships in Financial Mathematics and Statistics is awarded each year to talented undergraduate students enrolled in the major and in their junior or senior year. The scholarships range from $1,000 to $3,000. For more information, contact Juliana Espinosa, or click here.


Pre-major requirements (40 units):
Econ 1 and 2
Math 3ABC
Math 5ABC
Math 8
Engr 3 or one course from Computer Science 10 or one course from CS 5AA-ZZ.

Upper-division requirements consist of 52 units, including 40 units of required courses:
Econ 104A Microeconomics
Math 104AB Numerical analysis
Math 124AB Partial differential equations and Fourier series
Pstat 120ABC Probability and statistics
Pstat 130 SAS Base Programming
Pstat 170 or Math 170 Financial analysis (new course)

The 12 units of upper-division electives can be chosen from:
Econ 104B Intermediate microeconomics
Econ 105 Intermediate Macroeconomics
Econ 134AB Financial management
Econ 140B Introduction to Econometrics

Math 104C Numerical analysis
Math 108AB Linear algebra
Math 117 Methods of analysis

Pstat 131 Data Mining
Pstat 160AB Applied stochastic processes
Pstat 171 Compound interest
Pstat 173 Risk theory
Pstat 174 Time series

Recommended Schedule

The following requirement guidelines are for students transferring to UCSB:

1. If a student transferring to UCSB has two or more mathematical finance pre-major courses to complete at UCSB, the student must complete these courses with a GPA of 2.5.

2. If a student transferring to UCSB has only one pre-major course to complete at UCSB, the student must complete this course with a minimum grade of C+ and complete one upper-division major course required for the major with a minimum grade of C.

3. If a student transferring to UCSB has completed all the pre-major courses, the student must complete two upper-division courses required for the major with a minimum grade of C in each course.

All students must meet with a faculty advisor to discuss career opportunities and upper-division course electives. Admission to the major will be granted only after this meeting has been documented on advising form available in the Department of Mathematics. (For this purpose, any tenure track faculty member in the Departments of Mathematics and Statistics and Applied Probability may act as the faculty advisor.) Student records will be housed in both departments. The Staff Undergraduate Advisors will develop a system to insure both offices have copies of all student records.

E-mail Monica Guzman for more information

Outside Links

Careers in Finance