When the University of Minnesota’s Master of Financial Mathematics (MFM) programme made its debut in last year’s Risk.net Quant Guide, co-director Laurie Derechin made much of the utility offered by its popular evening classes, for students and faculty alike. Plenty in both groups, Derechin explained, had day jobs, and appreciated the opportunity to study after clocking off. For 2020, the night courses have gained a new appeal: some students on the two-year programme haven’t been able to reach the US because of coronavirus restrictions, with many taking classes from their homes in China. That works well from a timing perspective, Derechin tells