Financial Economics and Mathematics
Financial economics and mathematics is a degree for those who want to understand financial markets and institutions at the deepest level, combining the analytical foundations of economics and finance with the formal mathematical structures that modern quantitative finance depends on. Financial economics examines how prices are formed in financial markets, how risk is valued and traded, how corporate and government financing decisions are made, and how financial regulation seeks to manage systemic risks. Mathematics provides the rigorous tools, including probability theory, stochastic calculus, differential equations, and optimisation, that make it possible to model these phenomena precisely and to develop the quantitative methods that are at the centre of contemporary financial practice.
At the University of St Andrews, this four-year programme leads to an MA (Hons) within an academic environment with a long-established reputation for rigorous teaching. The flexible degree structure allows you to shape your studies across economics, finance, and mathematics, developing depth in the areas most relevant to your interests and ambitions. The programme includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in an international academic environment and to engage with financial economics from a different national perspective.
St Andrews' culture of shared intellectual inquiry and its small-scale, highly engaged teaching environment make it an unusually rich place to develop this kind of advanced analytical training.
Graduates from financial economics and mathematics programmes are exceptionally sought after in investment banking, asset management, hedge funds, central banks, insurance, and economic consultancy. The combination of rigorous mathematical training with deep economic and financial understanding is exactly what quantitative finance and economic research demand. Many graduates also pursue postgraduate study in financial mathematics, economics, or statistics, deepening their expertise for specialist research or senior professional careers.