Testimonies

Since its first incarnation, the Quantitative Economics Master Programme has fostered several generations of students that, with the connections these students have made since finishing the program, have already created a vast worldwide network. Students have also formed the QEM Alumni Organization, they are part of the Erasmus Mundus Students and Alumni Association and of a Facebook Group where they can be contacted. With about 700 applications per year, the successful Master students of Quantitative Economics Master (QEM) come from 49 different countries which can be seen from the map below.

Oksana Bashchenko, Ukraine QEM student 2014/2016 Ph.D. student at Swiss Finance Insitute		I'm very thankful to the QEM program for the opportunity to study in two European Universities and to get an excellent preparation to continue my research in doctoral studies. Besides the perfect academic background, this program gave me a chance to meet new international friends and immerse myself in Spain and France. It was an unforgettable and life-changing experience.
Davide Pietrobon, Italy QEM student 2013/2015 Investigador postdoctoral at Université de Genève		The QEM program has been an incredible experience for me, both from providing high-quality graduate education and enriching my personal life. I had the chance to meet a vast number of professors and peer students from all over the world, learn economics from some of the top world researchers in the field, live in several unique places in Europe, and get acquainted with different cultures and lifestyles. The QEM program is an all-around life-changing experience.
Oyakhilome W. Ibhagui QEM student 2010-2012 Quantitative Rates Strategist at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) World Bank Group		I graduated from the QEM MS programme in 2012 and thankfully benefited from the generous Erasmus Mundus Scholarship that fully covered my studies for two years. Over the 2 years, my mobility track was Bielefeld, Paris, Venice, and Venice. So, I spent my last 2 semesters in Venice and enjoyed every bit of it.  Attending the QEM MS programme is something I would describe as “the proof of the pudding is in the eating”. I was fortunate to have other competing funded offers in 2010, particularly an offer to pursue a theoretical physics Ph.D. in the US, which I was seriously considering. But after speaking with QEM staff members, I somehow changed my mind and decided to attend the QEM programme. In hindsight, I would say the decision to participate in the QEM programme was indeed the optimal one because it opened several opportunities that turned out to be entirely consistent with the long-term goals that I would formulate shortly after. I also got a chance to meet new people from around the world and to tour some of the finest cities in Europe. The QEM programme provided me with intense training in modern economics, both theory and empirics. My first encounter with university-level economics was during my first semester in Bielefeld. It was a very rigorous exposure to economics. This was later expanded during my second semester in Paris, which was excellent. My last 2 semesters in Venice offered me a good foundation in academic research. In fact, the training in Venice developed my skills in financial econometrics and exposed me to behavioral finance theory. Overall, the skills I gained during the QEM MS programme have been instrumental to my subsequent professional and academic success.  One important thing for prospective students to note is that the QEM MS courses are taught at the Ph.D. coursework level. So, if you are a prospective QEM MS student with a BS in economics, make sure all is well with your mathematics before you embark on the QEM journey. But rest assured that the training you will get as a QEM student will set you up for success when you embark on an economics Ph.D. anywhere in the world or choose a job in an industry that values high competence in econometrics, quantitative analytics, economics, and finance.