MSc in Finance and Investment

This programme is designed to provide you with a thorough grounding in the theoretical and practical sides of finance. It contains compulsory elements in Asset Pricing, Corporate Finance and Quantitative Methods and offers optional units in areas including Derivatives, Investment Management and International Finance. The programme provides excellent preparation for careers in investment management, financial research, trading, consulting and corporate finance, and for further academic study in Finance.

The programme is suited for individuals with good undergraduate degrees in Economics or Accounting and Finance, but a pathway through the programme also exists for those with more scientific backgrounds (e.g. An undergraduate education in Mathematics, Engineering or Natural Sciences). The programme structure is also flexible enough for you to specialise in that area of finance which suits you best.

Core units

• Asset Pricing
• Corporate Finance and Financial Statements
• Quantitative Methods for Finance and Investment Econometrics

You must also select one of the following:

• Applied Economics
• Economics for Finance and Management
• International Financial Accounting and Management*
• Microeconomics

*You must take this unit if you wish to take Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation as an option in the second semester.

Optional units

You are required to choose four units from the following list of options:

• Advanced Corporate Finance
• Banking
• Cases in Financial Management
• Credit Risk (subject to approval)
• Derivatives
• Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation*
• International Finance
• Investment Management
• Quantitative Finance

*International Financial Accounting and Management is a pre-requisite for this unit

Third Term and Summer

The MSc is completed with a research-based dissertation. This involves identifying and analysing a research question in finance under the guidance of a member of staff. The dissertation gives you an opportunity to explore an original problem, source and process the relevant financial data, analyse that data and learn to draw appropriate conclusions. The results are presented in a final report of up to 15,000 words.