How To Become A Quantitative Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a quantitative analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Nate Peach Ph.D.

A Quantitative Analyst, or a 'quant' as they are known in some communities, is a statistical and mathematical expert who uses the knowledge and methods from both subjects in order to do financial and risk assessment and management. A quant often chooses to specialize in a certain area of finance or, rather, quantitative analysis, such as trading, or risk management, or investment management.

They usually create and implement models to be used by companies, and create and maintain or search already existing databases, in hopes of collecting enough information to find a pattern or clues for what might come. They use various financial and analysis tools, apply systems, and work with teams of mathematicians, analysts, and IT professionals on various projects. They are often also hired as consultants.

A person hoping to begin work as a Quantitative Analyst will generally need to have a Master's degree in Quantitative Finance, Mathematical Finance or Engineering, or Operations Research, or a similar subject.

What general advice would you give to a quantitative analyst?

Nate Peach Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Economics, George Fox University

Try to stay optimistic. You've invested your time, energy, and money on a precious degree. The pandemic has not changed the value of the skills you've acquired. What it has done is to make it challenging to find a job for the moment. Things are weird right now. Many companies are redesigning their hiring practices, which is bound to cause challenges for job seekers. The skills that you developed as an economist are precious to employers, be diligent in your job search, and you will be rewarded with a great career.

ScoreQuantitative AnalystUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $101,197

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.10%

Asian 14.09%

Black or African American 5.64%

Hispanic or Latino 7.67%

Unknown 4.50%

White 68.00%

Gender

female 20.47%

male 79.53%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a quantitative analyst

Explore quantitative analyst education requirements

Most common quantitative analyst degrees

Bachelor's

53.1 %

Master's

36.0 %

Doctorate

9.1 %

Start to develop specific quantitative analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Python	13.38%
SAS	8.20%
Risk Management	7.21%
Model Development	4.70%
Statistical Models	4.65%

Complete relevant quantitative analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New quantitative analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a quantitative analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real quantitative analyst resumes.

Research quantitative analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage and update early engagement processes daily through SharePoint.
Develop C++ codes and unix shell scripts in linux environment.
Perform extensive data and statistical analysis using advance packages like SAS to provide business solutions.
Develop predictive models using logistic regression and CHAID to target existing and prospective customers for catalog mailing events and online campaigns.

Prepare your quantitative analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your quantitative analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a quantitative analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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