Course summary

Organisations in the financial management sector require industry professionals with specialist knowledge of financial markets and expertise in investments, financial instruments and risk management. The one-year MSc Finance programme is tailored to these industry requirements, and is designed to give you the crucial skills you will need to launch a successful career in finance. Our students come from a wide range of disciplines, including quantitative subjects. If you meet minimum performance criteria during your first term, you will have the chance to train for and sit the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level 1 professional exam during the programme. Upon successful completion of your masters, you will also automatically secure Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) exemptions from most of the Fundamental level papers depending on your module choices during the second term. We will teach you about the principles of financial markets and foundation finance, using real-world data and examples. You will have the chance to explore the fascinating areas of corporate finance, advanced investment management and financial econometrics. To help address the industry’s skills gap and give you a competitive edge in the jobs market, you will also have the opportunity to develop key transferable job market skills such as data analysis, and computer programming (using Python, R, Stata, MATLAB, and SAS); and will receive training in industry-standard data platforms such as Bloomberg and FactSet. Your dissertation is a chance to really shape your future career path. Dissertations are managed in streams and you will be invited to presentation sessions by the stream leader. You will then choose from either empirical asset pricing, accounting, CFA level 1, or corporate finance. You will attend lectures and computer lab sessions designed to introduce you to the key literature and research methods on which your dissertation topic is based. Throughout your programme, you will have access to the Management School’s dedicated career support. Advisers will help shape a one-to-one plan to play to your strengths and help your advancement. Many of our graduates have moved on to work in international accountancy firms such EY, KPMG, Bloomberg and city firms in London and beyond. A PhD is another route forward, enabling you to deepen your knowledge. Course outline In the first term, from October to December, you will take four core modules (Quantitative Methods for Finance, Foundations of Finance, Principles of Financial Reporting, and Financial Markets). Each module is split into two parts. The first part takes place over the first three weeks of the term and provides a solid introduction to the topics covered in the second part. In addition, you will have a two-week module on Financial Databases and career sessions spread out through the term. During your second term from January to March, you will take four assessed modules. From May to July you work on your Masters dissertation, with guidance from your academic supervisor. During those months, you will attend lectures and computer lab sessions designed to introduce you to the key literature and research methods on which your dissertation topic is based. You will continue to work on your dissertation throughout the remainder of the summer, submitting your dissertation in September, at the end of the Masters programme. A number of dissertation streams are available including:

• Advanced Topics in Investment Strategies, Mutual Funds and Hedge Funds

• Advanced Topics in Corporate Finance

• Advanced Topics in Accounting

• CFA Dissertation Stream