Outline of Our Program
In 2005, the Department of Economics at Hitotsubashi University launched the Statistics and Finance Program (hereafter Stats & Finance; in Japanese, Toukei Finance). The program is primarily tailored to students aiming for careers in advanced research and development of financial instruments.
There are two avenues for students considering Stats & Finance.
We interview undergraduate applicants (with high academic achievement) during their junior year, and applicants in their first year of graduate studies at the time they enter MA Economics program in spring. Stats & Finance, a program within the Financial Engineering stream, consists of coursework, a research project and brief internship. Close consultation between the student and his/her supervisor is stressed.
Stats & Finance curriculum requirements are considered both demanding and rewarding. The rewards are especially evident in the placement of graduates: five alumni from each of the 2005 and 2006 academic years earned their MA in Economics and found desirable positions at the frontiers of the financial engineering industry.
In spring 2007, MEXT, the Japanese Ministry of Education, announced a large-scale funding plan to improve graduate education (“Support Program for Improving Graduate Schools of Education (JSPS)” ). The Department of Economics put Stats & Finance at the core of its proposal (translation of the proposal title: “Improving Financial Engineering Education in Economics MA Program”). MEXT approved our proposal in fall 2007.
Stats & Finance has grown rapidly thanks to the support of MEXT.
It now hosts 8 students in total: 3 first year and 4 second year in Master's Program, and 1 second year in Doctoral Program graduate students. 8 are situated in the Center for Financial Engineering Education, CFEE (Mercury Tower 4th floor, East campus of the university). Our programs have so far hosted 7 international students. Although the program is delivered mainly in Japanese, we plan to increase the number of classes taught in English.
We welcome you to explore the various activities of our program
and the Department. More complete information is currently available in the CFEE website in Japanese, but we hope you find these English language pages helpful. If you have questions after visiting this site, please e-mail any one of the faculty or visit us in person at the CFEE. In this exciting new program, you will find much of interest in the fast growing area of Financial Engineering.
