Read what some of our former students have to say about the IMQF program:

Aleksandra Drobnjak

(class of 2005, Serfiex, S.A. in Madrid)

"I graduated from the Faculty of Traffic and Transport Engineering, University of Belgrade with a B.S. degree in hand. I was quite enthusiastic about starting my career at once and helping to revive the transportation system in Serbia with the bright ideas and knowledge I had obtained. However, there were no job openings in the poorly developed air transportation market. So, I passed the official SEC course, got a license as a professional trader on the Belgrade Stock Exchange and started to work as a broker. Subsequently, I worked as a financial analyst, after which I found myself building up my expertise in an equity department. Nevertheless, it was not until I started to study at the IMQF program that I realized that my career path had changed and that I liked the direction in which it was developing. With its competitive educational program, excellent teachers and interesting students, IMQF filled me with brand new optimism and enthusiasm to keep learning and moving ahead. It helped me develop the quantitative skills I was lacking in analyzing the financial market, filled the holes in my knowledge of economics and provided an opportunity to share my thoughts with brilliant people. Don’t think it is easy to study at IMQF: you will be inundated with homework, constantly pushed to use your brain, be engaged in projects and learn more and more. But the rewards you will get for all your hard work will be priceless – for the rest of your life, you will have great classmates to draw upon as friends, support from your teachers and knowledge extensive enough to make you a nice career. Or, as one might say in 'brokerage' vocabulary, the education you will get at the IMQF program will 'outperform' all others; however, to maximize the  'yield' and to minimize the 'risk'of not passing the exams, you have to “invest” in different aspects of your 'knowledge portfolio'."

Ivan Kalafatić

(class of 2005, a mathematics/computer science major, joined a hedge fund in London)

"Before enrolling in the IMQF program, I graduated in the field of mathematics and computer science and worked as a programmer on several projects. When I decided to return to school for a masters degree, I was looking for a program that would take my career to the next level. I was interested in finance and economics and wanted to expand my knowledge in that direction but also to be able to use the knowledge and skills I had already acquired. IMQF proved to be all that and much more. I received extensive knowledge about economics and finance that I did not have before. What is more, I got to apply my knowledge in mathematics for solving and modeling to new and exciting problems. Beside the excellent faculty, for me, the best feature of the IMQF program was the good balance between theory and practice. Upon completion of the IMQF program, with the help of one of the IMQF faculty, Professor Indjic, I got an internship at a London based hedge fund."

Dragana Cvijanović

(class of 2005, a computer science major)

"A computer science graduate of University College London, I was working as a business analyst in an IT company, Finsoft Ltd. The company specialised in providing financial software solutions to major investment banks in the city.  From the very first day in the office, I was attracted to finance, a field not yet known to me at the time. My undergraduate education in computer science at University College London made me realise that though computer science and software engineering appealed to me, my interests lay in finance and economics, a world which was quite interesting and challenging to me. Hence, thanks to an odd meeting with one of the faculty members in London, I joined the highly competitive, International Master in Quantitative Finance program at SECCF. My revived interest in academic study was blessed with the enriching experience that I received as a Masters student at SECCF. Surrounded by intellectually engaging individuals from diverse backgrounds, and taught by some of the most active researchers in the field, I developed an intense love of academic pursuits in finance and economics, especially in the area of real estate finance and alternative investment. With generous moral and practical support from several faculty members, I was recently offered a place in one of the top Ph.D. programs in finance at the London School of Economics, as well as at the Tanaka Business School at the Imperial College London. Also, guided by the unrivalled enthusiasm and passion for the subjects that came from our professors, together with a several other students I became a member of the research team at the Centre for Advanced Economic Studies (CEVES) in Belgrade. Furthermore, close collaboration with one of the faculty members on a hedge fund related project was recently rewarded with a bursary from the London Business School.
Although the program requires a lot of hard work and long hours, the times that I had with my classmates are unforgettable. Among like-minded people equipped with a variety of experiences, not only did I learn in the classroom, but outside of it as well. The last year was not only about studying and developing professionally: it was about gaining colleagues and friends for life."

Nebojsa Trajic

(class of 2004, upon completing the IMQF program joined the Risk Management Department of Raiffeisen Bank, Belgrade)

"My main reason for selecting the IMQF program was my desire to get a job in one of the top financial institutions in Serbia. At that time, I was working as a programmer, with no connection to economics or finance. Since my undergraduate degree was in mathematics, I toyed with the idea of applying my math knowledge to the area of finance, so the IMQF program attracted me immediately. My background in math was instrumental to my success in the IMQF program, but I had to overcome a large gap in terms of my lack of knowledge in finance and economics. I imagine that it was an equal but different kind of challenge for people who had a prior background in finance or economics but whose quantitative skills were not as developed. Thanks to the excellent professors we had, all of us who put in sufficient effort were able to succeed in the program. The IMQF program gave me a very solid understanding of quantitative finance as well as the opportunity to get a job in the world of finance. I now work as a risk analyst at Raiffeisen Bank in Belgrade, and, thanks in large part to the knowledge I gained in the program, I am very comfortable with my duties. While the program was quite demanding, I learnt a lot and it enabled me to make a career change, which made it worthwhile. The director of the program was very involved in helping me find a job in the area of finance, and I am sure that I was this successful mostly due to the IMQF leadership help."

Jelena Mijatovic

(class of 2004, a business major, currently runs her own dairy business)

"Having a B.A. (Hons) diploma was a good starting point in my family business career (a dairy plant - Valletta). As the business prospered, I felt that I needed some further education in order to set high standards and expand the knowledge I could apply to my business. I learned about the IMQF program from a friend of mine and what attracted me the most was the financial topics covered by the program. The knowledge I gained in the IMQF program has given me the ability and the confidence to implement contemporary finance methodology in my daily business. In this program, you learn how to understand, comprehend and apply various models for valuating projects and companies, corporate finance and investments. Prior to the IMQF program I was not confident in advanced math, but I easily overcame this thanks to the great dedication and practical advice given to me by the teaching staff. I highly recommend this course to anyone wanting to upgrade their knowledge in finance – regardless of educational background or current profession."

Danilo Lalovic

(class of 2004, an electrical engineering major, working for EPS, Serbian Power Utility)

"Here in EPS (Serbian Electricity Monopoly), I have been involved for a while now on a business development project, on the technical side. The project is a multi-million dollar one and involves complex negotiations with a foreign partner. Thanks to my IMQF training, recently I was given a position of greater responsibility. Now I oversee the business side of the project as well. The skills I developed as an IMQF student are of tremendous help in my everyday work."

Marijana Ciric

(class of 2004, an economics major, who, upon completing the IMQF program, joined the Risk Management Department of Raiffeisen Bank, Belgrade)

"Before starting the IMQF program, I had very basic knowledge of finance and a solid understanding of statistics and mathematics. During the masters program I developed an intense interest in finance, and expanded my knowledge about it greatly. You can be sure that, beside the time taken up by your job and study, you will have little time for yourself, for your friends, or for sleep. However, at the end of the program you will see that all your hard is really worth it. You will become a true expert in the challenging and rewarding field of finance. Most of all, you will learn how to effectively solve complex business problems. This program is an excellent opportunity to test your limits and then expand them!"

So join us, and let us help you shape a brighter future for yourself!