Course summary

Our MSc in Finance (Finance and Investment) is designed to immerse you in a challenging and exciting subject that has the potential to create life-changing opportunities for people and institutions across the globe. You will develop essential skills and knowledge in finance and investment that employers around the world are constantly seeking and you will also build an understanding of the advanced analytical and technical capabilities required by world-leading PhD programmes. This knowledge will be delivered within the context of our core values of fairness in how we experience the financial world and equality of access to financial services. The 12-month full-time programme comprises a combination of core and optional modules, culminating in a practice-based business project or a research-based dissertation depending on the learning direction you choose. Core modules include derivative markets, portfolio management, financial risk management, security analysis, econometric methods and advanced financial theory. The option modules give you the opportunity to tailor the course to your specific interests and career goals. This course is taught by specialist academics and is affiliated with the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA), the leading global association for investment professionals and the accepted benchmark around the world for technical excellence in financial markets. The School has made a significant investment in database resources, giving you access to live and historical data from providers including Bloomberg, Capital IQ, Thomson Reuters, DataStream and Orbis. These state-of-the-art databases give you the opportunity to interrogate the financial records of millions of companies worldwide and add valuable insight to your research. Participation in our MSc in Finance (Finance and Investment) will set you on the road to a stimulating and fulfilling career in finance or financial research by equipping you with the necessary skills and experience taught to the highest academic standards within an exciting learning environment. Course structure Core modules: Derivative Markets develops your ability to critically review this specialist subject in preparation for deeper study in the area of risk management. It will also enhance your knowledge and understanding of the nature and uses of financial derivatives. Portfolio Management develops your knowledge and understanding of the subject and its key features including asset allocation and portfolio composition. The module covers current theoretical and empirical research in the field of portfolio theories and its implications on alternative portfolio composition and management strategies.   Financial Risk Management develops your understanding of how risk can be managed by financial derivatives and about the issues that surround their use. You will develop skills in analysing academic literature relating to risk management, these skills will be crucial for dissertation research.  Security Analysis examines areas including investment banking and companies, common stocks, accounting information, earnings estimations and analyst forecasts. You will also develop skills in analysing academic literature relating to security analysis, these skills will be crucial for dissertation research.  Econometric Methods is designed to provide you with the knowhow to carry out empirical research in economics or finance and to understand the more advanced econometric techniques that will be taught in the second term. Advanced Financial Theory offers stimulating and rigorous training in modern financial theory and in the most important current research with an emphasis on application of finance principles. You will also develop an advanced understanding of normative and positive research in financial theory together with the related descriptive and empirical evidence.

• Dissertation*