A NEW post-graduate programme in financial mathematics being offered in Singapore by the University of Chicago aims to produce a new breed of numbers-savvy finance industry professionals.

It is the first time the 11-year-old Master of Science programme is being offered outside the United States.

Currently, 65 per cent of students taking the course at the US campus are Asians.

The university set up an Asian campus for its Graduate School of Business in Penang Road seven years ago.

The new one-year course, to kick off in September, will initially take in 15 students.

It will cover foreign exchange, management of financial assets, applied mathematics and other topics.

The programme will be identical to that offered in the US, and will be taught by faculty from the university's departments of mathematics, statistics and economics, along with experienced financial professionals.

Lectures in Chicago will also be televised live, so students in Singapore will be able to participate with their counterparts in Chicago.