Mathematics of Economy and Finance (abbr. MEF) is a modern study program that prepares experts in the field of economics and finance with strong background in mathematics.
je moderne koncipovaný študijný program. Currently, it is the most demanded mathematical study program of the faculty.
Why economics and finance at FMFI? Because today's theoretical economics and financial calculations use mathematics very intensively. Or even better - you can't really do them without math.
MEF is a bachelor study program special in its well-balanced combination of three components:
- Strong mathematical background − The main courses in mathematics are Algebra, Matrix Calculus, Mathematical Analysis, Difference and Differential Equations, Numerical and Optimization Methods and Probability and Statistics.
- Basic and specialized knowledge of economics and finance − The basic courses in this section are Money and Banking, Corporate Finance, Microeconomics, Financial Mathematics, Macroeconomics, Game Theory and others.
- Skills in the use of computers and software − This is provided by courses such as Programming, Mathematical Software, Computer Statistics and others.
A special feature (not only in Slovakia) is the mentioned strong mathematical background. Students complete fundamental mathematical subjects in the first two years of their studies to the same extent as specialist mathematicians. Let us add that several experts from abroad envy us in this regard.
Career
The vast majority of EFM bachelor's degree graduates continue their studies in the follow-up master's degree program Mathematics of Economy, Finance and Modeling (MEFM).
Every year, several graduates of MEF/MEFM continue their PhD studies, both at our faculty, but also at the CERGE institute in Prague,
at the postgraduate school Institute for Higher Studies in Vienna and at other schools.
MEF graduates achieve exceptional results on entrance tests and are among the top students.
However, most graduates of MEF/MEFM are employed in financial institutions and insurance companies.
Regular employers of our graduates include, in particular, Slovenská sporiteľňa, the National Bank of Slovakia, the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic, the Institute for Financial Policy,
ING Bank, Slovenský plynárenský priemysel and others.
Information about the program
Program characteristics:
More information:
Recommendation from graduates of MEF study program
Stanislav Sekereš - Senior Manager, Corporate Financial Planning & Analysis at Dell Technologies; graduate of MEF.
”Studying Economic and Financial Mathematics at FMPI CU has given me a deep foundation in my working life, for which I am extremely grateful. This study program is unique, even from a global perspective, because it combines knowledge from the fields of finance, economics, applied mathematics, data analysis and programming. Thanks to such a wide scope and thanks to the detailed analytical thinking that I gained during my studies, I was able to successfully find positions in various interesting areas during my career. In macroeconomics at the Institute of Economics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. In the development of stock exchange analytical systems for Thomson Reuters. In creating financial analyzes and forecasts directly for the top management in Dell Technologies, one of the world's largest IT companies. Throughout my entire career, I have significantly benefited from what I have learned during my studies. Today's world is running by leaps and bounds towards robotics and automation. And I think the combination of programming, data analysis, and economic modeling is one of the most interesting things to study today. MEF provides just that. I highly recommend it.”
Igor Vilček - Chief Investment Officer at VUB Generali, pension management company; graduate of MEF.
”During my studies at MEF, as a great perfectionist, I considered several times that I would rather transfer to an easier school.
Today, however, I can retrospectively evaluate that studying at MEF was one of the best investments in my education.
If I have to characterize the knowledge gained at MEF, I would sum up it as follows: challenging, but versatile and very desirable.
The combination of math, finance and programming is in high demand in today's world dominated by high-value-added jobs.
In addition, thanks to the wide range of education, during your studies you can find out which of the three areas you are most interested in, and then pursue a career in science, finance or IT.
Studying at MEF opens the door to many jobs, and if that's not enough for you, then at MEF you will certainly learn to think very well and able to solve challenging problems (for example, my former classmate is currently a very successful and sought-after photographer, and thinking gained at MEF has helped him to optimally adjust the marketing strategy.)
Last but not least, graduating at MEF is already a good business card – in our company the mere fact that you have mastered the study at MEF, you automatically go through the preliminary round at the job interview.
So if it was not clear from the above, I definitely recommend. ☺”
Useful links
Selected achievements of students and graduates of MEF
At the international competition Artificial Intelligence in Environmental-Social-Governance Investing (AI in ESG Investing), which took place from March to June 2021, the team of Comenius University composed of
Natália Gibasová,
Lenka Košútová,
Adriána Leginusová and
Adam Martinka (all MEF students), after advancing to the European final, finished in excellent
4th place from 45 teams of EU universities.
Successes of MEF students in the Research Challenge organized by the International Institute of CFA:
- Martin Siska, Michal Drgoň, Martin Maslan, Oliver Vladovič and Filip Blaho (2023, 1st place),
- Adriána Leginusová, Vivien Klučka, Jakub Čižnár, Lenka Košútová and Peter Ondrušek (2022, 1st place),
- Martin Bohdal, Viktória Komorníková, Richard Sokol and Michal Vester (2020, Bratislava, 1st place),
- Ivana Beňová, Filip Sprušanský, Natália Jurgová, Ján Pitoňák and Petra Havlíčková (2019, Prague, 2nd place),
- Juraj Hanuš, Mário Igaz, Jakub Hrbáň, Matúš Bagin and Adam Fajkus (2018, Prague, 3rd place),
- Richard Gramblička, Samuel Horváth, Michal Martoňák and Andrej
Remák (2017, Praha, 2nd place).
Successes in the competition of the Slovak Society of Actuaries (SSA) for the Best Actuarial Bachelor's Thesis:
Terézia Filová (2021, 1st place),
Martin Bohdal (2020, 1st place),
Erika Lettrichová (2020, 2nd place),
Antónia Ihnátová (2019, 1st place).
Successes of graduates of MEF in the follow-up master's study in the competition of Slovak Society of Actuaries for the Best Actuarial Master's Thesis:
Paulína Miškovová (2020, 1st place),
Nikoleta Lengyelová (2019, shared 1st place), Ján Murín (2018, 1st place), Tünde Tarcsiová (2017, 1st place), Veronika Starinská (2017, 3rd place).
Achievements of students and graduates of MEF in the Czech-Slovak Student Scientific Conference:
Matej Hladiš (2018, 2nd place),
Zuzana Girová (2018, 3rd place),
Martin Krátky (2017, honorable mention),
Karol Ďuriš (2015, 1st place),
Samuel Rosa (2014, 1st place),
Martin Hurban (2014, honorable mention),
Jakub Konečný and Michal Hagara (2013),
Jana Janková (2012).
Other student achievements during their studies:
- invited talk at the International Conference on Pattern Recognition in Tsukuba Science City: Jakub Konečný and Michal Hagara (2012, Japan)
- accepted contribution to the IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications: Vladimír Novák (2011, China),
- Adriana Lojschová and Tatiana Tekušová were selected for internship by the European central bank out of 400 candidates.
Other achievements of students and graduates of MEF in various competitions and awards:
- Young Economist of the Year Award (awarded by the Czech Economic
society to young Czech economists under 30): Peter Ondko (2011, 1st place)
- Academician Štefan Schwarz Award (awarded by the Union of
Slovak Mathematicians and Physicists to young Slovak mathematicians under 30): Samuel Rosa (2018, 1st place), Katarína Boďová (2011, 2nd place), Beáta Stehlíková (2010, 3rd place),
- The Karel Engliš Prize (awarded by the Czech Economic Society to young Czech economists under 30 for works dealing with Czech
economic policy): Branislav Saxa (2008),
- Rector's Award for Outstanding Master's Thesis: Jana Janková (2012, Asymptotic Properties of Support Vector Machines),
- Rector's award for excellent study results during the entire study: Jana Janková (2012),
- Award for the best dissertation thesis in the field of operational research, awarded by the Operational Research Society in the United Kingdom: Martin Takáč (pictured, 2014), his name was permanently engraved in
George Paterson's shield,
- National Bank of Slovakia Governor's Award for Master's Thesis: Tomáš Kabina (2014, 3rd place),
- Best talk prize at the SIAM National Student Chapter Conference: Martin Takáč as a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh (2012),
- Best Talk Prize at the School of Mathematics PG Colloquium: Martin Takáč as a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh (2012),
- INFORMS Computing Society Student Paper Award Competition: Martin Takáč as a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh (2012, 2nd place),
- IMA Leslie Fox Prize in Numerical Analysis: Martin Takáč as a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh (2013, 2nd place),
- Prize awarded by the Austrian National Bank to
young economists from Central, South-Eastern and Eastern Europe for working with
monetary and financial issues - Olga Radzyner Award: Adriana Lojschová (2003).
