Our Mission

We’re founded on the belief that all students should have the opportunity to learn about the underlying mechanisms of the public financial markets, with a focus on financial derivatives. We seek to equip students with the mathematical tools, theory, and intuition to quantitatively understand the complex forces behind the markets as well as foster curiosity through application-focused project groups.

Initiatives

Intellectual Curiosity

Beyond the curriculum, DGQT strives to instill a genuine interest in understanding the financial markets within our members. To that end, members will have the opportunity to receive regular market updates & analysis, hear from alumni panels, and learn from distinguished  guest speakers. Ultimately, our goal is to inspire our members to be curious about the markets that make up our modern economy.

Technical Growth

We aim to support the technical growth of all our members, regardless of their future paths. This is accomplished through a rigorous education curriculum that every new member participates in, covering the foundations of statistics & probability to an introduction of options pricing. In addition to the education series, technical development is further supported by a variety of distinct project cohorts, where members can deep dive into specific topics in the field of quantitative finance, from financial econometrics to algorithmic trading.

Mentorship & Community

While education is our primary focus, we are not solely academic. We also pride ourselves on the supportive community we’ve built up here and the initiatives we take to further it, from active mentorship to poker nights and team dinners. As part of our mission, we seek to build a space built on collaboration, where all members can reach their professional and personal  goals.

How is DGQT Organized?

Consistent with our commitment to expanding our education for all, DGQT has reorganized our program for the 2023-24 academic year! Our curriculum now has the following timeline:​

Autumn Quarter (2024)

We will host an 8-week education series introducing the basics and mathematical foundations of financial derivatives, open to all. This series will cover everything from an introduction in derivatives to basic probability to asset pricing, culminating in the Black-Scholes model. Lecture materials and additional problems will be uploaded weekly on our Education page.

Winter Break (2024-25)

Students who are interested in becoming a DGQT member and participating in the cohort groups will be asked to take a technical assessment on the material presented in the education series. Based on the results of the assessment as well as attendance to the lecture series, we will invite students to join us as members of the 2024 DGQT class.

Winter/Spring Quarter (2025)

Once members are chosen, the rest of the academic year will be composed of four main components:

  • Specialized technical cohorts allow members to explore topics they’re particularly interested in or find a completely new subject. They range from research-based cohorts (such as a deeper look into time series analysis) to project-based cohorts (such as building an algorithmic trading bot on commodity futures). Regardless, every cohort will produce a tangible result at the end of the quarter, with the goal of spending the last general meeting sharing and exploring what each cohort accomplished.

  • General meetings are expected to take place every other week and will be low-commitment, high-value opportunities to catch up with other members and learn. These meetings will range from alumni panel discussions and guest speakers (professors and PhD students) to simple study breaks.

  • Site visits to Chicago trading firms gives members exposure to the quantitative finance industry and profession, as well as provide an opportunity to expand their network.

  • Finally, community social events will be held throughout the year, bringing members together with a poker social, a cohort dinner, or just to hang out.

We hope you’re just as delighted as we are to see this redesign to our curriculum, and we’re excited to reaffirm our commitment to increasing students’ accessibility to the field of quantitative finance.