For Penn undergraduates curious about the forces shaping modern financial markets, the Quant Finance Academy (QFA) aims to explore the field firsthand. Open to undergraduates across Penn, this free, non-credit workshop series occurs in the fall of 2026 in five installments developed by the faculty directors of the Wharton School’s Dr. Bruce I. Jacobs Master of Science in Quantitative Finance (Jacobs MSQF) program.

QFA will introduce students to the ideas, analytical tools, and ways of thinking that drive quant finance. Led by Jacobs MSQF faculty who teach in Wharton’s graduate programs, QFA’s application-focused sessions aim to demonstrate how quantitative methods can help solve real-world financial and investment problems while also fostering interdisciplinary engagement among all participants.

An Introduction to Quant Finance

QFA participants will explore applications across five core areas of quantitative finance. Jacobs MSQF Deputy Director Stephan Dieckmann will lead the inaugural QFA installment.

“Fixed Income Securities is one of the required courses in the Jacobs MSQF curriculum, and it is quantitatively rigorous — really a paradise for students who enjoy quantitative finance,” says Dieckmann, who anticipates that QFA participants will discover just how practical the subject can be in relation to a wide range of fields.

“My hope is to show students how something that can look quite complex in financial markets becomes much more understandable with the right quantitative framework, and how that understanding can help us identify interesting investment opportunities,” he adds.

Throughout the workshop series led by Wharton faculty in finance, additional installments will include Foundations of Asset Pricing with Jessica Wachter (Dr. Bruce I. Jacobs professor in quantitative finance), Investment Management with Jules van Binsbergen (Nippon Life professor in finance), and Data Science and AI in Finance with Winston Dou (associate professor of finance). Closing out the workshop series will be Capital Markets with Jacobs MSQF Director David Musto, who will offer an overview for students to understand the economic role and function of capital market instruments.

“It’s a moderately quantitative course focused more on economic frameworks and intuition than on computation,” notes Musto of the full graduate-level course inspiring his QFA workshop installment. “Some of my students are aiming for quant jobs and some of them are heading to consulting and banking and want a working knowledge of the different securities they’ll encounter.”

The QFA series will also offer participants a chance to meet peers from across Penn. It will appeal to students from a broad range of academic backgrounds, including mathematics, business, engineering, computer science, statistics, economics, and physics, as well as those in finance and other fields with related interests in how quantitative problem-solving applies to financial markets.

A Pathway for Further Exploration

By making the series accessible to students regardless of year, major, or prior coursework, the Quant Finance Academy offers an advantageous path to experiencing Wharton’s approach to quant finance. Participants can use the program to determine whether the field — and potentially further study through the Jacobs MSQF program — aligns with their interests and long-term career goals.

“We want students to leave with greater confidence in their ability to engage with quantitative finance and a sense of whether it is something they may want to explore further,” says Musto,  “whether through additional coursework, career opportunities, or potentially the Jacobs MSQF program itself.”

An Open Invitation

Students who attend at least four of the five sessions and complete the associated quizzes will earn a Quant Finance Academy Certificate of Completion. The Jacobs MSQF program will also note participation for those applying to Jacobs MSQF in the future.

Executive Director of Graduate Admissions Blair Mannix, who has overseen admissions for Jacobs MSQF since the program’s inception, notes that no previous finance coursework or experience is required.

“Anyone can attend,” emphasizes Mannix. “QFA will serve as a very strong pipeline to the Jacobs MSQF program,” she adds with regard to the series’ open-door policy for undergraduate students across Penn.

Interested students can now register for the Quant Finance Academy, running from Oct. 21-Nov. 18, 2026, and enrollment will be limited by classroom capacity. For more information on session details and registration information, visit the Jacobs MSQF Quant Finance Academy.