Work Placements
Students studying for an MSc in Mathematical and Computational Finance (MCF) are encouraged to complete their dissertation in conjunction with an internship in the finance sector.
Would you like to take on one of our MCF MSc students as an intern? Contact James Harris, our Industry Engagement Officer, by emailing @email.
On this page, you will find a high-level overview of the course, some guidance on what makes a suitable internship, and some mechanisms through which you can promote your internship opportunities with our students.
About the MCF MSc
The Mathematical and Computational Finance MSc course is a highly selective ten-month full-time course that equips graduate students with the mathematical and computational skills needed for a successful career in quantitative finance. The course has recently been named as the best quantitative finance MSc in the UK by QuantNet for the second year running. We expect approximately 70 students to start the course in autumn 2026.
In their first two terms in Oxford, the students study a range of topics which prepare them for careers in quantitative finance, including: financial derivatives, stochastic differential equations, numerical methods, statistics, deep learning, fixed income, C++, and Python. Then, in their third term from April to July, each student completes a dissertation on a topic related to quantitative finance. Previous dissertation topics have included: derivatives pricing models, advanced simulation methods, deep learning, algorithmic trading, risk management, credit risk and XVA, and portfolio optimization.
The students can either write their dissertation on a topic offered by a member of academic faculty here in Oxford, or on an internship in industry.
What makes for a suitable work placement?
Last year, we had students working for banks, asset managers, fintech companies, hedge funds, and market makers, to name but a few. The internship can either be part of an established off-cycle internship programme at your company, or something more bespoke.
The internship project will form the basis for the student's MSc dissertation that they will submit to the University of Oxford. Models, methods, results and analysis from the internship project will be included in the written dissertation. Ultimately, our students' dissertations are judged on the mathematical and financial content, plus the quality of presentation. A wide range of projects are therefore suitable.
If you think you have a suitable project, do get in touch by emailing @email.
Key dates for 2026/27
We strive to be flexible to accommodate suitable internships wherever possible. We specify a two-week window for the start of a work placement to ensure that students have sufficient time to work on their dissertation before the submission deadline. The other dates below are provided as guidance to help you align your recruitment timeline with our academic year.
- Monday 28th September 2026 - Students start the course
- Friday 26th February 2027 - Latest date students are expected to provide details on their internship to allow for academic supervisor allocation in early March
- Monday 19th April 2027 - Students start working on their dissertation
- Monday 19th April 2027 - Preferred internship start date
- Tuesday 4th May 2027 - Latest possible internship start date
- Monday 21st June 2027 - Students expected to send a full draft dissertation to their academic supervisor for feedback
- Friday 2nd July 2027 - Cohort dissertation submission deadline
The students are free to continue working after the cohort submission deadline, so longer internships are possible.
Our detailed expectations
We have produced a detailed guide to our expectations surrounding student internships. It covers frequently asked questions on supervisory arrangements, assessment processes, student visas, insurance, and health and safety.
Promote your internship to our students
We are very happy to help share internship opportunities with our students. For more information on any of the approaches to engaging with our students listed below, please do not hesitate to get in touch by emailing @email.
Share a vacancy to our mailing list
We are happy to share suitable internship opportunities with our students via email. To promote your opportunity, you will need to provide us will a few details by filling in this form.
Present at our induction event [New for 2026/27]
New for this year, we are organising an event to bring together a wide variety of financial organisations to present to our students. Each company will have the opportunity to present for three minutes. The flash talks will be followed by a drinks reception to network with the students.
Present at the Careers in Quantitative Finance Seminar
Every week in Michaelmas term (Oct-Dec), we invite a company to come along and present to our students at our Careers in Quantitative Finance Seminar. In the past, students have responded particularly well to anecdotes, case studies and open problems. How has your career evolved? What have you been working on? What are you working on now? Why does it matter? Why your organisation? How can the students get involved?
Attend a Careers Fair
Students on this course are encouraged to go to the Finance and Management Consultancy, and Jobs for Mathematicians careers fairs. These fairs - open to all Oxford University students, alumni and research staff - are organised by the Oxford University Careers Service.
Host a bespoke recruitment event
If you have an idea in mind for an event to engage with our students, we are very happy to explore alternative arrangements. Find out more about hosting an event here in the Mathematical Institute. [Linked webpage will be published soon. In the meantime, email @email.]