Empowering futures with Financial Engineering.
Villanova University's Financial Engineering Curriculum provides top-quality financial engineering courses and industry experience to help our graduate students excel in their careers and tackle complex financial challenges with confidence. Students compliment their traditional engineering career path and develop big data analytic skills as well as build a foundation in financial theory to propel them to top managerial roles in their chosen industry. In addition, students become astute managers of their personal finances.
Propel your career with Financial Engineering.
Prepare yourself for management. Understanding how companies make decisions will help you become a more valuable employee, better manage company resources, and ensure that the company is investing in the right technologies.
Develop a niche skill set and differentiate yourself to employers. Practical hands-on projects demonstrate to future employers your ability to put theoretical concepts into practice.
Develop big data programing skills that can be used in any industry and apply them in creating either new investing techniques or analytics to improve business operations.
Financial Engineering Courses
Our courses are designed to prepare students for successful careers in traditional engineering as well as in finance. Dr. Miller focuses on helping students learn and apply theoretical concepts into practice with hands-on learning. Join us and take the first step towards a more promising future in career path of your choice.
1. Course Offerings
Course Offerings is a comprehensive list of all the courses that are available for students to enroll in at Villanova. These offerings include a variety of subjects and levels, ranging from introductory courses to advanced and specialized ones.
ME - 7020 Financial Engineering I - 3 Credits
- Objective: Introduce the graduate students to the multi-disciplinary field of financial engineering and provide examples of practical applications across different business types. Second, develop a foundation in financial theory to support decision making at the corporate and individual level. This foundation will provide clarity for the rationale behind corporate decision making as well as better prepare the graduate student for both management positions within a firm and managing their own personal finances. Lastly, develop big data programing skills to enable graduate students to integrate and apply methods from engineering, financial theory, computer science, statistics and applied mathematics.
- Next Class Summer 2026 Sessions (June-July)
- Wednesday nights, once a week: 6 PM to 9 PM Online
ME - 8010 Financial Engineering II - 3 Credits
- Objectives: Introduce the graduate students to more advances investment products (derivatives) and strategies. Students will gain experience in validating technical tools in finance, build upon their big data programing skills and develop innovate financial products or investment strategies.
- Next Class Spring Semester 2027
- Wednesday nights, once a week: 6 PM to 9 PM Online
ME - XXXX Financial Engineering III - Industry Sponsored - 3 Credits
- Objectives: Collaborate with firms to develop a project that will enable firms to solve real world problems to save money and/or drive new revenue through big data analytics.
- TBD Spring/Summer/Fall Contact Dr. Miller
- Thursday nights, once a week: 6 PM to 9 PM Online
Reid Miller, Ph.D
Financial Engineering
- Dr. Miller has over 20 years of investment advising and consulting experience as well as over 25 years teaching at Villanova.
- As founder and president of an investment advising firm, MillerGroup Investments, LLC, Dr. Miller is a key, hands-on provider of strategic advice and disciplined financial planning, enabling clients to exceed their current sales growth plans.
- Dr. Miller defines financial engineering as a multi-disciplinary field involving methods of engineering, financial theory, computer science, statistics and applied mathematics. In the broadest sense, individuals who use technical tools in finance may be called financial engineers, while in the strictest sense it refers to individuals with doctorates in Finance, Engineering, Computer Science, or Mathematics & Statistics who devote their research efforts to developing innovative financial products and strategies.
Research Interest
- Quantitative investment strategies designed to deliver enhanced risk-adjusted returns
- Big data analytics to improve business operations
- Business cash flow arbitrage
- System dynamic applications for optimization of distribution of supply-chain logistics
Professor Experience
Education
- Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, 1999
- Town Fellow graduate from the Wharton Business School
- M.S. University of Pennsylvania, 1994
- B.S. University of Vermont, 1993
Professional Experience
- Adjunct Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Villanova University
- President, MillerGroup Investments, LLC
- Partner, ENGIN Partners, LLC
- Various Finance and Commercial Roles, Merck & Co., Inc. 2001-2011
- Co-Founder, MillerGroup Consulting, Financial Engineering Consulting Firm, 1999-2001
Areas of Expertise
- Increasing the understanding of traditional and non-traditional risk management techniques
- Addressing misconceptions on the use of derivates
- Creating efficient portfolios and advancing risk-return management strategies in portfolio theory
- Corporate Financial Planning: providing strategic advice and leading a disciplined planning process enabling companies to exceed their current sales growth plans
- Collaborating with firms on their business planning process and turning company cost centers into profit cents that will contribute to business' bottom line and further drive innovation
Contact
We are dedicated to providing high-quality education, training and professional experience for the next generation of data scientists. If you have questions, would love to answer them.
Villanova University Financial Engineering
800 E. Lancaster Ave., Drosdick Hall 220, Villanova, PA 19085