Masters Degrees (Financial)

Understanding modern financial economics, which includes asset pricing, risk management, monetary policy and financial regulations for pursuing careers at, for example, banks, capital funds and finance ministries.
The spectacular growth of international capital markets is creating great opportunities. But, as the latest financial crisis has shown, this also entails major challenges for financial decision-makers and regulators of financial markets. The academic Master’s specialisation in Financial Economics is ideal for students who want to understand the workings of global financial markets, from asset pricing and risk management to monetary policy and financial regulation. It provides you with the necessary knowledge and skills set for careers in not just banks, investment funds, and financial exchanges, but also finance ministries or other governmental or non-governmental bodies of financial market oversight.

See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/fe

Why study Financial Economics at Radboud University?

- You will be part of a new generation of finance professionals, who not only understand traditional approaches in financial economics but who can also integrate modern behavioural and institutional aspects. This gives you a good understanding of the highly volatile behaviour of financial markets, including bubbles, crashes and crises.

- Besides offering a sound theoretical foundation, there is also plenty of attention for applying these concepts to real-world situations.

- You will be trained to think independently and critically about the way in which financial economics can be applied in your professional field and you will develop skills that will make a difference in the highly competitive global labour market.

- The specialisation pays special attention to global aspects of corporate finance, preparing students for an international career.

- Our lecturers are active in academic and applied research which allows them to incorporate the latest academic developments and applied issues. This will also enable you to actively participate in academic research in your Master’s programme.

- Professors and students interact in small groups, thus strengthening the academic atmosphere.

- Radboud University offers ‘Economics Plus’. Traditional economic models and business approaches are expanded with relevant knowledge from related disciplines such as psychology, teaching more in-depth knowledge that can be applied in today’s globalised world.

Ground breaking ideas

One of the most important aspects of this specialisation is to fully understand how financial markets work and what the possible implications are of measures taken to regulate them. How are asset prices of stocks, bonds, derivatives and other financial assets determined? How do markets deal with financial risk and how can we manage it? You are challenged to go further than simply understanding the concepts and to think creatively about ground breaking ideas of how to regulate constantly developing financial markets and new financial instruments. It’s about trying to get financial markets to work more efficiently, without exuberant bubbles and catastrophic crashes, and in support of a prospering world economy.

Career prospects

Employers are increasingly looking for a new generation of financial professionals, who understand more than the traditional concepts in financial economics and who can integrate this knowledge with institutional and behavioural insights to tackle a wide variety of problems. This Master’s specialisation will provide you with in-depth knowledge in asset pricing, risk management, monetary policy and financial regulations as well as behavioural finance. With this specialisation you will get the best possible understanding of how financial markets work and how to use your analytical skills to deal with today’s problems in financial markets.

Job positions

Our graduates have the necessary knowledge and skills to work for commercial banks, investment banks, and various types of stand-alone investment funds, as well as financial exchanges. Furthermore, careers in finance ministries or other governmental or non-governmental bodies of financial market oversight, such as central banks, the IMF and the World Bank, are also well within your reach. Due to our international approach, and by choosing the relevant electives, this Master’s can also prepare you for financial careers in multinational enterprises or large national companies.

Our approach to this field

The Master’s specialisation in Financial Economics primarily looks at financial markets, their behaviour, their regulation, and monetary policies. In this specialization we take a bird’s eye view and investigate global financial markets as a whole, for example, stock markets, commodity markets or derivative markets. But we also analyse the different classes of market participants, for example, banks, insurances, pension funds, activist investors and hedge funds. There are many topics that will be studied including bubbles and crashes in financial markets, exchange rate policies between countries and how they affect economic growth. But also measures that a government can take to minimise the risks that banks take, or financial innovations and how they can help to improve economic growth.

- Much more than traditional financial economics
We want to educate a new generation of finance professionals; ones who not only understand traditional financial economics, but can also work with modern institutional and behavioural insights. Financial markets are internationally integrated and often truly global. That is why at Radboud University, we also teach students how to be aware of the different institutional, cultural and psychological aspects in various financial markets. At Radboud University, we also know that psychological biases and emotions play a role in financial decisions. Therefore, a good understanding of financial economics includes knowledge about behavioural finance. Behavioural finance is a modern field in finance that uses psychology-based theories to explain financial decisions of individuals and how these can influence financial markets and create anomalies.

- Other specialisations of Economics
This specialisation looks at Finance from a market perspective and how financial markets can be regulated takes a broad view on markets. If you are more interested in Finance from a firm’s perspective and at its positioning within financial markets, we suggest you take a look at our Master's in Corporate Finance and Control. And for those wanting to know more about the trade relations between countries should take a look at our specialisation in International Economics and Business.

See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/fe

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The MA in Financial Journalism is unique in its international reach. Supported by the Marjorie Dean Foundation the course aims to develop the professional skills and knowledge needed to work in a multimedia environment.

Who is it for?

This course is suitable for journalists who want to specialise in financial journalism, and for individuals with a background in the financial sector who want to work as journalists. We welcome applications from UK/EU graduates or non-EU graduates with good English skills.

Objectives

The MA in Financial Journalism is unique in its international reach and includes the chance for overseas travel. The course teaches the skills needed for finance journalism. Supported by the Marjorie Dean Foundation the course aims to develop the professional skills and knowledge needed to work in a multimedia environment.

By the end of the course, students have had extensive education in reporting business and financial news.
Students develop interviewing, researching and writing skills using state-of-the art Bloomberg and Reuters terminals, and produce their own special and exciting coverage of the UK Budget.

Through the generous support of the Marjorie Deane Foundation for Financial Journalism, the MA Financial Journalism degree offers two unique features:
-A study abroad programme that subsidises student travel to study financial journalism in New York and Shanghai.
-Full tuition scholarship opportunities through the generosity of the Marjorie Deane Financial Journalism Foundation for both UK/EU students and overseas students from developing countries.

Placements

Many media organisations approach the MAFJ course with requests for interns. All students are encouraged to seek work experience while they study on this course.. Internships can be undertaken full-time during the six-week winter break and the summer, as well as part-time during the spring. This programme does not grant academic credit for any work experience undertaken. Some internships, particularly those by large media organisations over the summer, are paid. Examples of the kind work experience students on this programme have successfully arranged:
-Bloomberg
-Reuters
-BBC
-Financial Times
-CNBC
-Sky News
-CityAM
-Which Money

Additionally, there are two dedicated internships from Argus Media only open to City, University of London students, subject to a successful recruitment process.

Throughout the course there are opportunities for you to visit and gain inside understanding of the application process at a number of leading media organisations including: Reuters, Bloomberg, CNBC and the Wall Street Journal.

Scholarships

The Marjorie Deane Financial Journalism Foundation - Studentships
The Marjorie Deane Financial Journalism Foundation funds several full studentships exclusively for students who have been offered places on the MA in Financial Journalism. Students must be from an OCED country and a UK/EU resident, and have been made an offer to be eligible, and a separate application has to be submitted to the Course Officer for forwarding to the Foundation, who has the sole responsibility for awarding the studentships. The studentships can cover the full cost of tuition, and discretionary living costs, dependent on need

Marjorie Deane International Excellence Studentships
The Marjorie Deane Financial Journalism Foundation is also offering a few competitive studentships to outstanding students from developing countries who wish to study on the MA Financial Journalism course. The aim is to improve the standard of financial and business reporting around the world. Students from EU countries, or countries that are members of the OECD, are not eligible.
All other students who have been offered a place on the course are eligible to apply. The selection criteria are academic achievement and promise, relevant practical journalism experience, and the potential to make a difference in their home countries. The studentships can cover the full cost of tuition.

Academic facilities

In 2014 we completed a £12m development projects for our Journalism facilities. These facilities were developed in consultation with experts from the BBC and ITN, and were praised by the BJTC. Our facilities include:
-A television studio: enabling simultaneous multi-media simulated broadcast and a major expansion in the number of news and current affairs programmes produced.
-4 radio studios: enabling an increase in output and the potential to explore a permanent radio station.
-2 radio broadcast newsrooms: high-tech facilities that enable you to learn how to produce a radio programme.
-2 digital newsrooms: impressive modern facilities that enable you to learn the skills required to produce newspapers, magazines and websites.
-2 TV editing and production newsrooms: state-of-the-art facilities that enable you to learn about TV production.

Teaching and learning

The MA Financial Journalism is led by Professor Steve Schifferes, former BBC economics correspondent. Recent guest speakers have included Wall St Journal editor Gerard Baker, Bloomberg News editor-in-chief Matt Winkler, economist Jim O'Neill, the inventor of the BRICs idea (Brazil, Russia, India and China), and David Mulford, former US ambassador to India and Deputy US Treasury Secretary for International Affairs. Guest lecturers from the highly rated Cass Business School also provide tuition on specialised topics in business and financial journalism.

The course includes two online production days on the UK Budget and Autumn Statement, producing a web-based special report, and radio and TV production weeks.

This pathway is taught by professors, senior lecturers and lecturers, with industry practitioners as Visiting Lecturers, and a number of key industry visiting speakers

Activities include lectures, practical work in groups and individually, personal tutorials, and independent learning. Assessments vary from module to module but include coursework, practical work both in groups and individually, a Final Project, and essays.

Modules

By the end of the course, you will have had extensive training in the best professional practice of reporting business and financial news, working across television, radio, print and online media.

You will develop professional skills in:
-Interviewing
-Researching
-Writing news stories and features

You will develop an understanding of how to obtain and use key economic and financial data, using state-of-the art Bloomberg terminals. You will have a firm grounding in corporate, financial and economic reporting, the ability to understand and manipulate financial data and to critically analyse announcements by companies and government departments. You will also complete a final project which demonstrates their ability to write a longer piece of written journalism or a broadcast video to a professional standard.

All of our MA Journalism students must undertake underpinning core modules in Ethics, Rules and Standards and a Final Project.

Teaching hours are between Mondays to Fridays during working hours, and occasionally outside those times.

Core modules
-Ethics, Rules & Standards
-Journalism Portfolio
-Editorial Production
-Final Project
-Key issues in Financial Journalism

Electives
-Introduction to Data Reporting
-Journalism Innovation
-Reporting Business
-Reporting Finance

Career prospects

Three quarters of our Alumni are still working in London, with others located in major financial centres like New York, Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Singapore. In 2014, nearly all our students had received job offers within three months of graduating from the programme.

Recent graduate destinations include:
-Financial specialist PR
-Chief Sub-editor at Financial Times
-Sub-editor at Financial Times
-TV Producer at Bloomberg
-Press Officer at Commonwealth secretariat
-Financial Advisor for the Financial Times group
-Blogger for beyondthebrics at Financial Times
-Financial Times, production desk
-Hedge Fund Manager
-Intern at Reuters London,
-Billionaires Reporter at Bloomberg,
-Reporter at Argus Media,
-Researcher/Reporter at Financial Times Hong Kong (MandateWire)
-Freelancing for the Financial Times (Scheme Xpert, Pensions Week, Money)and EuromoneyFXNews
-Reporter at Silu (http://www.silu.com)

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Take advantage of one of our 100 Master’s Scholarships to study Financial Management at Swansea University, the Times Good University Guide’s Welsh University of the Year 2017. Postgraduate loans are also available to English and Welsh domiciled students. For more information on fees and funding please visit our website.

The Master's (MSc) in Financial Management is designed for students from any background who are interested in moving into a career in finance. Modules on the Financial Management programme include: corporate finance, financial modelling, international financial markets, quantitative methodologies, and corporate governance and ethics. Financial Management graduates will also develop a sound understanding of the role and importance of accounting information in the financial management of complex organisations.

Key Features of MSc in Financial Management

- A full conversion programme that may be completed in a single year
- Does not require accounting, finance or any quantitative study to be completed at undergraduate level
- All modules are taught by our world-class faculty who have a breadth of industrial and academic knowledge
- Swansea is 1st in Wales for world-leading impact - 60% at 4-star level (REF 2014)
- A wide range of professional accreditations to accelerate your career depending on the optional modules you take
- Access to the School of Management investment and trading simulation room to support in-depth understanding of finance in practice
- 93% of Swansea students in employment six months after graduating
- High contact time – our modules come with a lecture (in class sizes capped at approximately 150 students) and seminar/tutorial (in class sizes capped at 30) every single week
- Fully refurbished facilities – we have invested half a million pounds in a recent refurbishment to our student facilities
- Scholarships available for outstanding students
- Swansea is 3rd in the UK for international ranked research outputs (REF 2014)

The Financial Management programme combines the academic theory of finance with a strong practical perspective closely related to the world of finance, facilitating a sound understanding of finance and associated areas.

Modules

Modules on the Financial Management programme may include:

Principles of Finance
International Financial Markets
Financial Statement Analysis
Quantitative Financial Analysis
Principles of Law for Accounting and Finance
Financial Modelling
Corporate Governance & Ethics
Contemporary Issues in Finance
Project Management
Principles of Corporate Finance
Contemporary Issues in Finance
Advanced Corporate Finance
Financial Market Efficiency & Behavioural Finance
Development Finance
Business Planning and Theory of Entrepreneurship
International Management
Business Analytics
Data Mining

Accreditation

The MSc Financial Management has been awarded the following ACCA exemptions:

F1 - Accountant in Business

F2 - Management Accounting

F3 - Financial Accounting

This means that graduates of our MSc Financial Management will be exempt from three out of nine of the ACCA ‘Fundamentals’ examinations. Financial Management students graduating from this programme can now leave Swansea as part-qualified accountants and just have to sit the remaining eleven.

Careers and Employability

We have an excellent track record of placing our graduates including those from the Financial Management programme with major multinational companies and our graduate employment rate is 92%.

From the moment you arrive at the School of Management as a student on the Financial Management programme we will work with you to help you build your skills and experience to enhance your career prospects. During your time with us you’ll have the chance to:

- Undertake a work placement or internship through the Swansea Paid Internship Network (SPIN) or ‘Week of Work’ initiative
- Work and network with employers from a range of national and multi-national companies through our visiting speaker programme
- In conjunction with the International Development Office, undertake an Internship in India, with a company such as GE, Thomson Reuters, 3M, Private Equity or Kanvic Consulting
- Boost your skills and meet employers during our biannual Employability Week
- Complete the Swansea Employability Award
- Participate in one of our student challenges and competitions, such as the Branding Challenge, and CIM student competition ‘The Pitch’

School of Management

The School of Management at Swansea University is building on long-established foundations as one of the UK's top providers of Management, Accounting & Finance and Economic education.

The School of Management's vision is to make a difference to society and the economy locally and globally through excellence in research-led teaching that has resulted in the School being ranked 17th in the UK for research impact* and 26th in the UK for research excellence, all working towards continuing our trend of becoming one of the top business schools in Wales and the UK.

Environment:

The School of Management comprises over 150 staff and more than 2000 students studying at the new £450million Bay Campus, with the School of Management building itself providing truly world-class facilities with an impressive communal Atrium, new teaching rooms, meeting room and IT equipment.

School of Management, alongside the Great Hall, also proudly offers high quality conferencing and event capacity all within half a mile of the M4 corridor, that has already attracted several high profile and key events during the short time that the Bay Campus has been open.

Ambition:

Through its enterprise and innovation activities of business engagement the School plans to focus on three global challenges: Health & Wellbeing, Digital Society and Sustainable Economies. The School of Management's aim is to deliver world-class education through collaboration, innovation and fresh thinking, and we pride ourselves on the outstanding student experience on offer here at the School of Management ensuring a rich learning environment, while also developing our staff in line with Swansea University's wider ambition to anchor and underpin everything we do with a core set of values.

Opportunity:

School of Management aspires to be known globally as a centre for educational excellence, working in partnership with other Swansea University departments and organisations to create joint programmes that reflect the skillsets required by an evolving workplace.

*THE Research Excellence Framework 2014: Institutions ranked by subject

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Financial institutions have been forced, by the globalisation of trade and finance, to engage in the international financial market. This specialised Masters degree focuses on international banking and financial system development for enhancing economic performance. It is ideal if you want to pursue a successful career in investment banks, multinational banks and domestic banks of your country.

The programme will enable you to offer flexible solutions to complex problems such as the recent financial crisis. Without a knowledge and understanding of international banking theory, practice and procedure, policy makers and finance managers cannot take the strategic steps required to restructure financial systems, in order to operate effectively and efficiently in this new and evolving environment.

The MSc Management and Development of International Financial Systems will empower you to play a valuable role in this exciting field, by developing your skills in the areas of banking, finance and strategic management, with particular emphasis on the international dimension.
The course combines academic rigour with a policy orientation. The varied backgrounds of our teaching team and their range of research and consultancy activities, ensure an appropriate blend of academic and practical perspectives. The course also invites input from practitioners in national and international roles at major financial institutions.

The MSc Management and Development of International Financial Systems at the University of South Wales is a unique programme designed to address the shortage of skilled manpower at a strategic level in the Financial Sector of emerging and transitional economies.

This is a unique programme which combines management, development and finance simultaneously. The varied backgrounds of the teaching team and their range of research and consultancy activities ensure an appropriate blend of academic and practical perspectives. The programme also invites input from practitioners of major financial institutions with national and international roles.

The first international postgraduate course of its kind, MSc Management and Development of International Financial Systems has proved popular among policy makers, practitioner bankers, financial institutions and international organisations in a number of emerging countries.

You will study in Atlantic House which is part of our Cardiff campus and is situated at the heart of Cardiff’s Business Enterprise Zone.

See the website http://courses.southwales.ac.uk/courses/468-msc-management-and-development-of-international-financial-systems

What you will study

Throughout your studies you will develop an understanding of the theoretical frameworks for designing and analysing financial systems in developing, transitional, merging and market economies. You will review the banking services and their relevance as a driver of economic development and poverty alleviation. You will also examine the challenges of delivering innovative services in view of the internal and external changing environment.

Modules include:
- Comparative Study of Financial Systems in Developing Countries
- Multinational Operations in Finance and Banking
- Accounting Research Management and Methods
- Corporate Governance
- Corporate Finance
- Issues in International Management
- Business Venturing
- Dissertation

Modules are subject to change.

Learning and teaching methods

Teaching methods range from lectures, group discussions, case study workshops, individual investigative projects, a variety of audio and visual methods and field trips.

Separate induction and dissertation preparation sessions will also be held.

Teaching is primarily research led, your interests will be aroused and expanded prior to the dissertation period.

Work Experience and Employment Prospects

This course is designed to equip any student intending to work in the financial sector of developing and emerging countries with the concepts and tools to cope successfully in the rapidly changing world of financial instruments and markets.

From finance directors to investment bankers, our recent graduates have attained positions within a variety of local, national and international organisations.

Other possible career options include:
- Fund Manager
- Development banker
- Private client relationship manager
- Project finance analyst
- Risk Management in banking
- Regulatory bodies and consultancy.

Assessment methods

You will usually have to complete coursework as you progress, and normally sit exams at the end of each academic year.

Facilities

The MSc Management and Development of International Financial Systems offers outstanding facilities and a supportive environment in which Accounting and Finance students can flourish. From a fully equipped learning resource centre and a state-of-the-art trading room powered by leading industry software from Thomson Reuters to interactive teaching spaces.

The Accounting and Finance Advice Clinic is also based in Atlantic House, utilising specialist expertise within the University to provide free financial advice to the public and small businesses. The Clinic provides opportunities for Accounting and Finance students to gain experience in an applied setting, enabling them to gain and enhance the transferable skills they’ll need when entering the workforce.

Career Potential

This course is designed to equip anyone intending to work in the financial sector of developing and emerging countries, with the concepts and tools to cope successfully in the rapidly changing world of financial instruments and markets. From finance directors to investment bankers, our recent graduates have attained positions within a variety of local, national and international organisations.

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Description

Study for an MBA Banking and Finance Master's Degree at one of Europe's foremost Banking and Finance Schools. At Bangor, we offer a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in the areas of banking and finance. The MBA Banking and Finance is designed for candidates with degrees or relevant business backgrounds, who wish to develop their expertise and further their professional careers. The MBA programme provides a more practical postgraduate course to complement our long established MA course in Banking and Finance and our distance-learning MBA with Manchester Business School.

A primary objective of the MBA Banking and Finance is to develop knowledgeable and capable executives to move quickly to key positions in the financial services sector. The programme will provide executive training at an advanced level covering the latest developments in the management of banks and financial services firms.

We have long held a strong international reputation in the study of banking and finance. Our long established and highly successful MA programme has run since 1973 and over this period we have also had a strong PhD programme where research typically focuses on banking and financial sector issues. Postgraduates have enjoyed a mix of both theoretical and practical elements covering contemporary developments in the banking and financial field. The MBA aims to extend and develop advanced training relating to the practical managerial issues faced by modern financial service firms.

The main aim of our full-time MBA is to introduce a much stronger practical emphasis focussing on the strategies and financial management of financial firms. Your MBA will give you practical insight and skills in a range of strategic and management areas in financial services. We invite practitioners to share their views and experiences. Case studies and contemporary issues figure highly in the programme.

The School has a lively group of staff, who are always willing to share their knowledge and expertise. Your teaching staff at Bangor are active researchers, combining high levels of expertise with a desire to extend their subject area, and, most importantly from a postgraduate viewpoint, an enthusiasm to encourage others to develop their academic, financial and business skills.

We are pleased that you are considering joining the MBA Banking and Finance programme. If you decide to do so, we are confident that we can offer you the guidance, stimulation and support that will make the next year a happy and productive time for you. I wish you every success in your MBA career.

Professor Philip Molyneux
Postgraduate Director

Why study the MBA Banking and Finance?

Financial systems and financial services firms' strategies are now involved in a fundamental, far reaching process of realignment and change. The strategic priority of banks and other financial institutions has shifted away from growth and size alone towards a greater emphasis on profitability, performance and shareholder value creation. The growing economic importance of financial sectors has also re-emphasised that bankers, fund managers, multinational companies, securities firms, regulators and financial advisers must have a clear understanding of the theory and practice relating to banking and finance.

Aims of the course

The Bangor Business School aims to build on our long-established expertise in the area of postgraduate training in banking and finance by offering a one-year modular MBA Banking and Finance, which aims to develop participants' academic and managerial skills in these areas. An important objective is to provide relevant analytical training to familiarise participants with the latest strategic, managerial and industrial developments in the financial services industry.

The MBA Banking and Finance course provides a coherent analytical framework for the study of banking and financial developments from a management perspective. The emphasis throughout the programme is on the application of contemporary, financial, managerial and strategic developments that affect real-world decision-making in the global financial industry.

We recognise that a thorough understanding of recent developments in banking and financial firm strategies, financial management, risk management, international financial markets, marketing strategies and performance evaluation are essential requirements for all those involved in financial sector activities (or those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of these important business and managerial areas).

Who should consider studying the MBA Banking and Finance?

The course will be of interest to the following people:

Graduates who have professional experience in the financial sector;
Managers and accountants in public and private organisations who wish to develop their financial management skills;
Managers employed in the financial services industry;
Graduates contemplating a career in the banking and financial services industry;
Graduates who have relevant practical experience and wish to enhance their skills in the areas of banking and finance;
Finance professionals (like corporate treasurers and accountants) who deal with the financial services industry.

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About the course

Mathematical finance is an area of applied mathematics where concepts and techniques that lie close to the heart of pure mathematics are applied routinely to solve a great variety of important practical problems arising in the day-to-day business of the world's financial institutions.

The objective of the Brunel MSc in Financial Mathematics is to guide students through to a mastery of the sophisticated mathematical ideas underlying modern finance theory, along with the associated market structures and conventions, with emphasis on:

- The modelling of the dynamics of financial assets, both in equity markets and in fixed-income markets
- The pricing and hedging of options and other derivatives, and
- The quantification and management of financial risk.

Candidates are also provided with the means to master the numerical and computational skills necessary for the practical implementation of financial models, thus enabling you to put theory into practice and putting you in a good position to carry out work for a financial institution. We therefore offer a programme that provides a balanced mixture of advanced mathematics (including modern probability theory and stochastic calculus), modern finance theory (including models for derivatives, interest rates, foreign exchange, equities, commodities, and credit), and computational technique (GPU-based high-performance computing).

The MSc in Financial Mathematics offers a range of exciting modules during the Autumn and the Spring terms, followed by an individual research project leading to a dissertation that is completed during the Summer term.

Aims

Financial mathematics is a challenging subject, the methods of which are deployed by sophisticated practitioners in financial markets on a daily basis. It builds on the application of advanced concepts in modern probability theory to enable market professionals to tackle and systematically resolve a huge range of issues in the areas of pricing, hedging, risk management, and market regulation. The main objective of the Brunel MSc in Financial Mathematics is to provide candidates with the knowledge they need to be able to enter into this exciting new area of applied mathematics and to position themselves for the opportunity to work in financial markets.

Among the main distinguishing features of our programme are the following:

We aim to teach the key ideas in financial asset pricing theory from a thoroughly modern perspective, using concepts and methods such as pricing kernels, market information filtrations, and martingale techniques, as opposed say to the more traditional but old-fashioned approach based on the historical development of the subject.

In our programme candidates are asked at each stage to undertake a critical re-examination of the hypotheses implicit in any financial model, with a view to gaining a clear grasp of both its strengths and its limitations.

The programme includes courses on high-performance computing that provide candidates with the techniques whereby financial models can be implemented.

Course Content

Programme structure

The programme offers five "compulsory" modules, taken by all candidates, along with a variety of elective modules from which students can pick and choose. There are lectures, examinations and coursework in eight modules altogether, including the five compulsory modules. Additionally, all students complete an individual research project on a selected topic in financial mathematics, leading to the submission of a dissertation.

Compulsory modules:

Probability and stochastics
Financial markets
Option pricing theory
Interest rate theory
Financial computing I

Elective Modules:

Portfolio theory
Information in finance with application to credit risk management
Mathematical theory of dynamic asset pricing
Financial computing II
Statistics for Finance
Financial Mathematics Dissertation

Special Features

The Department of Mathematics, home to its acclaimed research centre CARISMA, has a long tradition of research and software development, in collaboration with various industry partners, in the general area of risk management.

The Department is a member of the London Graduate School in Mathematical Finance, which is a consortium of mathematical finance groups of Birkbeck College, Brunel University London, Imperial College London, King’s College London, London School of Economics, and University College London. There is a strong interaction between the financial mathematics groups of these institutions in the greater London area, from which graduates can benefit. In particular there are a number of research seminars that take place regularly throughout the year which students are welcome to attend.

Assessment

Assessment is by a combination of coursework, examination, and dissertation. Examinations are held in May. The MSc degree is awarded if the student reaches the necessary overall standard on the taught part of the course and submits a dissertation that is judged to be of the required standard. Specifically, to qualify for the MSc degree, the student must: (a) take examinations in eight modules including the four compulsory modules, (b) attain the minimum grade profile (or better) required for a Masters degree and (c) submit a dissertation of the required standard. If a student does not achieve the requirements for the degree of MSc, they may, if eligible, be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma.

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Managers in international companies require an understanding of accounting and financial management. With our programme you will gain an appreciation of economic, technical and institutional foundations of accounting and financial management and the importance of accountability and information, corporate governance, and ethics in global financial markets. After completing a series of core courses you can pursue electives in a range of management areas.

Key benefits

- You are taught in an internationally renowned department with impressive institutional and organisational links.

- You will study in the heart of London, the perfect location for building a career.

- Close links and regular speakers from outside organisations give you insights and up-to-the-minute knowledge of the subject area.

Visit the website http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught-courses/accounting-accountability-and-financial-management-msc.aspx

Course detail

- Description

Our programme provides a stimulating learning environment using various techniques to link theoretical knowledge to good business practice. You will have the chance to pursue your own interests through a selection of modules and dissertation topics. Our objective is to develop your accounting and financial management skills and provide you with the global capabilities required for business success.

After completing a series of core courses you may pursue electives in a range of management areas.

- Course purpose

Our MSc will enhance your knowledge of: theoretical foundations of accounting, accountability and financial management; application of technical accounting and financial management techniques to a variety of scenarios; internal workings of financial institutions and accounting firms and their inter-relationships; importance of accounting and financial management for businesses and financial institutions; need for accounting, accountability and financial management to incorporate corporate governance, social responsibility, the needs of a broad group of stakeholders and ethical considerations. Our MSc is international in its outlook.

Structure

Required Modules:
Dissertation - An original piece of research on an aspect of accounting and/or financial management undertaken by you under the supervision of a staff member.

- Corporate Governance & Accountability
- Financial Management
- Financial Reporting & Analysis
- Management Accounting & Control
- Research Methods

Optional Modules:
We review the modules offered on a regular basis in order to continue to offer innovative, exciting and relevant programmes, this list is therefore subject to change

- Accounting Organisations & Society
- Advanced Financial Management
- Advanced Financial Reporting
- Financial Statement Analysis

Course format and assessment

Term one: compulsory modules covering

- Financial management
- Reporting and analysis
- Management accounting
- Research methods

Term two:

- Compulsory module covering corporate governance and accountability
- Options covering advanced finance and other areas of management.

Term three:
- Individual research project.

Throughout the course you are assessed by a variety of methods, eg written examinations, coursework, individual or group projects, presentations, case studies, multiple-choice tests etc. More information on module-specific assessment can be found in module outlines. Assignment feedback is provided within four working weeks of submission.

Career prospects

Graduates from this programme will enter multinationals as well as smaller firms, across the business spectrum: financial institutions, management consulting, industry, or government bodies.

Find out how to apply here - http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/taught-courses.aspx

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Why take this course?

Focusing on international finance, this course has particular emphasis on multinational corporate finance and international banking. It is particularly suited to graduates looking to pursue careers in corporate finance in large financial and non-financial companies, corporate financial services in banking and investment banking, and central banking. On this course you will gain in-depth knowledge of corporate finance, financial markets and institutions, financial investments, and international banking.

What will I experience?

You will be taught by academically qualified and enthusiastic staff with research and consultancy experience and links to industry.

Access to extensive financial databases including Bloomberg, DataStream and Bank Scope is available along with excellent library facilities and with 24-hour internet access to leading databases.

On successful completion of your Bloomberg training you will be awarded the Bloomberg Certificate, an essential qualification for all city professionals.

What opportunities might it lead to?

Our graduates in finance and financial economics have gained employment in a wide range of roles and industrial sectors, including investment analysis, securities trading, banking and investment banking, accountancy and financial management.

The University of Portsmouth is recognised as a centre of excellence for finance teaching by the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI). You will be eligible for student membership and this provides access to a range of networking and career opportunities. During the programme you will be prepared for CISI's Integrity Matters and Corporate Finance Technical Foundation examinations. Successfully completing these examinations allows you to achieve an industry-recognised professional qualification alongside your degree.

Module Details

You will study the following four units and complete your studies with a dissertation:

Financial Econometrics:

Econometrics is a core tool used in the study of finance. This unit gives you a strong practical understanding of the econometric tools you will be using throughout your study of finance. The teaching philosophy of this unit is to take an applied approach, to provide you with a strong intuitive understanding of a range of econometric techniques and their applications to a wide variety of problem-solving situations in finance. You will gain extensive experience with econometric and statistical packages such as Eviews and SPSS. Your work in this unit is supported by lectures, tutorials and workshops. Many of the econometric techniques covered in this unit are used and applied in other units in the course, to help you gain a good understanding of how to apply them successfully to the theory and practice of financial management.

Multinational Corporate Financial Management:

In this unit you will study international finance from the corporate perspective. The first half of the unit focuses on the primary financial decisions of the firm, working capital management, advanced capital budgeting techniques, the strategic analysis of capital investment decisions, capital structure theories, and the financing and dividend decisions. Corporate financial management in a multinational context introduces many new problems, challenges and opportunities. In the second half of the unit the focus will be on corporate financial management from the global and international perspective. Topics you will study include the measurement and management of currency and interest rate risks, taxation, regulatory and political risks, mergers and acquisitions, and the international capital investment, financing and dividend decisions.

International Money and Capital Markets:

This unit covers international finance from the securities and markets perspective, and complements the unit on Multinational Corporate Financial Management. You will study the currency and Eurocurrency markets, the international equity, fixed income and derivatives markets, financial institutions, financial regulation, and the models used to price the financial securities trading in these markets. The topics in the International Money and Capital Markets unit are developed with a strong emphasis on their applications to multinational corporate financial management.

International Banking:

In this unit you will study commercial and investment banking at national, international and global levels. Topics covered include, money and the banking system, banking structures and regulations, risk management in banking, scale and scope economies and the measurement of competition in banking, determinants of bank crashes and failures, global banking and regulation, global financial markets and instruments, and derivatives related financial crises.

Research Methods and Dissertation:

This is a scheme of independent research. We offer comprehensive training via lectures and workshops throughout the year to develop skills commensurate with standards of good research practice. You will be assigned a Dissertation supervisor who will provide feedback, guidance and support on an individual basis.

Programme Assessment

Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, computer-based workshops, invited speakers and live case studies. Student participation is encouraged and classes are challenging but informal and friendly, which promotes discussion and debate. The course tutors are available to support your studies and you will also have a personal tutor to provide help and guidance.

You are assessed in a variety of ways to reflect the individual topics. Our approaches to learning, assessment and feedback are varied and constructive, to help you build the personal management and employability skills that are essential for a fulfilling career.

Student Destinations

This course will provide you with powerful analytical tools and methods to understand the complexities of modern financial markets. These skills are in high demand and you’ll be strongly placed to enter industry in the finance and industrial sectors. Previous graduates have gone on to secure roles in accountancy and general management as well as investment analysis, banking and investment banking in financial institutions. Alternatively, this course is also beneficial if you are aiming for careers in corporate financial management in large non-financial companies.

Roles our graduates have taken on include:

Commercial Finance Analyst
Bid Pricing Executive
Finance Internship
Graduate Econometrician
Hedge Fund Manager

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To be admitted to the Second Cycle Degree (MSc) Programme in Economics and Finance students must possess an appropriate academic preparation and meet specific curricular requirements, represented by a First Cycle Degree (or other qualification awarded abroad and determining eligibility) and 60 university credits (CFUs) related to specific Educational Sector Codes (in Italian Settori Scientifico Disciplinari, abbreviated as “SSD”) in the following disciplines: management, economics, mathematics, statistics, law.

Unlimited entry, with assessment of minimum curricular requirements.

Quotas (i.e. reserved places) for non-EU students residing abroad: 66 places, 50 of which reserved for Chinese students residing in China as part of the Marco Polo Programme.

Course description

Ca’ Foscari University is now offering a curriculum completely taught in English (LM-77 - Scienze economico-aziendali - Management) in the MSc (Master of Science/Laurea Magistrale) degree in "Economia e Finanza – Economics and Finance".

This Master's Degree Programme specialising in finance involves two years of full-time study. It aims to prepare experts with proficiency in dealing with the main issues related to financial markets, brokerage management, financial investment management and financial risk measurement and management, financial consultancy and insurance, supplementary allowance and retirement funds management, internal organisation processes and administrative management of banks and financial institutions in general.

The Master's Degree Programme also offers the opportunity of participating in adouble degree programme in cooperation with the University Aix Marseille (France) and of obtaining a Double Master’s Degree in Economics, Econometrics and Finance (MEEF), for which scholarships are available. The programme draws upon a balanced blend of economic and mathematical methods to form specialists capable of contributing to the sustainable development of society and of providing prompt responses to economic crises. The Double Master’s Degree Programme has obtained official MOY (Mediterranean Office for Youth) recognition.

The two universities aim to provide a thorough preparation for students wishing to work in financial institutions where they will be required to solve quantitative problems in economic and financial fields.

Curricula available

1. Curriculum Economia e Finanza (taught in Italian)
Contact Professor: Prof. Monica Billio (e-mail: [email protected])
This curriculum trains second cycle graduates, equipping them for the main areas of financial intermediary management and to thoroughly and skillfully tackle specific issues such as the measurement and management of financial risks.

2. Curriculum Economics and Finance (taught completely in English)
Contact Professor: Prof. Antonella Basso (e-mail: [email protected])
This curriculum uses a blend of theoretical and practice-oriented training to provide international students with the knowledge and skills required by financial institutions and markets. The programme covers a wide range of contents, with particular emphasis on: risk measurement, financial markets, financial investment management, financial consultancy and insurance.

Learning outcomes

This Master Degree Programme aims to train experts with proficiency in dealing with the main financial issues related to financial markets, brokerage management, financial investment management and financial risk measurement and management, financial consultancy and insurance, supplementary allowance and retirement funds management, internal organisation processes and administrative management of banks and financial institutions in general.

Employment profiles

Second cycle graduates will acquire the necessary knowledge to access financial institutions (trade banks, savings management companies, insurance companies) and to operate professionally as risk managers and controllers, analysts and consultants in financial fields, as well as insurance and reinsurance brokers.

Attendance: Open attendance

Examination assessment and graduation

The educational activities include lectures, workshops and internships (also abroad) to allow students to acquire wide-ranging skills that are readily transferable into the world of work. The skills and knowledge acquired by students will be assessed throughout the programme by means of written and oral examinations.

The final master's thesis

The programme is completed with a final master's thesis requiring students to work intensively on a topic of their choice with the support of regular meetings with their supervisor. Students will defend their master's thesis, which must be original and backed by exhaustive documentation and scientific investigation, before a committee of professors and experts.

Admission to further studies: Specialist Master’s Programmes (1st and 2nd level) and Research Doctorates

Applying to the programme

To enter the programme applicants need to have the equivalent to an Italian three-year undergraduate degree (Laurea) such as a BSc (Bachelor of Science) degree as well as the necessary academic preparation.

When and how to apply

Classes start in September. You are advised to apply as early as possible. Applications are to be made directly to Ca’ Foscari University. For full details go to How to apply, or contact Prof. Antonella Basso ([email protected]).

Subject area:

This curriculum provides international students with the knowklege and the skills required by financial institutions and markets, through a blend of theoretical and practice-oriented training. The programme covers a wide range of contents, with particular emphasys on: risk measurement, financial markets, financial investments management, financial consultancy and insurance.

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Why take this course?

If you are from a non-financial background, this course provides a viable route to financial management roles in a variety of organisations.

It is a practically orientated course based on financial, computational and modelling studies related to financial decision making and analysis. You’ll apply your improved decision-making ability in a range of areas including investment, risk management, budgeting, planning and forecasting.

What will I experience?

On this course you can:

Use the University’s Bloomberg terminals to monitor and analyse real-time financial market data movements and trade
Receive guided support and mentoring from staff through formal meetings and via our use of social media
Tap in to our Library’s vast selection of electronic resources, which can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection

What opportunities might it lead to?

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) offer exemption for their five Certificate level papers on successful completion of this course.

For the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), we currently have exemptions from Fundamentals Level papers F1 - F3.

The University is recognised as a centre of excellence for finance teaching by the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI).

Here are some routes our graduates have pursued:

Commercial banking
Corporate finance
Financial planning
Insurance
Investment banking
Money management
Real estate

Module Details

You will study a total of five units which incorporate a range of topics covering decision and risk analysis, strategic management accounting, investment strategies and business valuation. We will also guide you in applying sophisticated forecasting techniques to help you understand and anticipate business trends, and with our guidance you will learn how to design and deliver research to the highest standards. The course then concludes with your dissertation where you’ll engage in research on a topic of your choice.

Here are the units you will study:

Financial Analysis and Modelling: This will enable you to gain a critical awareness of the financial environment from both an accounting and finance perspective. You will learn to understand, analyse and interpret company reports, examine the role of the regulatory framework for corporate reporting and the stock market, and explore the pricing of securities. You will also cover the key areas of decision and risk analysis, alongside the process of decision making, key statistical concepts, and selecting and using appropriate analytical software tools as aids to decision making.

Strategic Business Planning and Control: You will start on this unit by considering the internal perspectives of the firm in areas such as business planning and control including issues such as budgeting, the design of management control systems and the development of spreadsheet-based decision support systems. You will then build on this foundation by developing a more strategic corporate perspective. You will explore the relationships between strategy, strategic management and strategic management accounting and set the latter in the context of the historical development of management accounting in general.

Managerial Finance and Financial Markets: You will be introduced to key theoretical issues relating to financial markets and institutions, investments and corporate financial management and their practical applications and limitations. The areas covered will encompass shareholder value and the goals of the firm and the process of shareholder value creation, project evaluation and the discounted cash flow model, capital market theories including the efficient markets hypotheses and the ideas of modern portfolio theory. From this core understanding you will move on to look at the psychological, institutional and agency theory factors that impact upon financial markets. You will consider key empirical research on the explanatory and predictive power of models in the context of implementing investment strategies. This will be assisted by guided critical analysis of research and analysis of live data.

Corporate Finance and Valuation: This unit will give you the opportunity to consider the primary financial decisions of the firm focussing on advanced capital budgeting techniques and the strategic analysis of capital investment decisions, capital structure theories and financing policy, and dividend policy. You will appraise theories in the context of empirical research to facilitate critical understanding of the issues. Advanced study in business valuation will give you a practical understanding and further enable you to apply key professional techniques, which is particularly relevant for mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings and private equity transactions.

Research Methods and Dissertation: This is a scheme of independent research. We offer comprehensive training via lectures and workshops throughout the year to develop skills commensurate with standards of good research practice. On completing this programme you will be ideally placed to develop your own research projects and work within professional research teams.

Programme Assessment

We use a combination of teaching methods from lectures, seminars and tutorials to student presentations, case studies and practical sessions in our Bloomberg Suite. We are committed to best practice in learning and encourage group participation promoting discussion and debate in a friendly, yet challenging class environment.

You are assessed in a variety of ways to reflect the individual topics. Our approaches to learning, assessment and feedback are varied and constructive, to help you build the personal management and employability skills that are essential for a fulfilling career.

Student Destinations

This course is designed to provide you with powerful analytical tools and methods to understand the complexities of modern financial markets. These skills are in high demand and you’ll be strongly placed to enter industry in the finance and industrial sectors. Previous graduates have gone on to secure roles in accountancy and general management as well as investment analysis, financial consultancy and project management in financial institutions. Alternatively, this course is also beneficial if you are aiming for careers in corporate financial management in non-financial companies or consultancy firms, government departments and international agencies.

Roles our graduates have taken on include:

Commercial finance analyst
Bid pricing executive
Finance internship
Graduate econometrician
Hedge fund manager

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Overview

The MSc in Accounting and Financial Management enables students to develop their understanding of key principles in Accounting and Financial Management in a challenging and dynamic global environment. The programme is suitable for students interested in a wide range of careers in accounting and/or financial management including global banking and in financial institutions, multinational firms and public organisations. It will also provide a sound foundation for an academic career in Accounting and Financial Management.
The Keele MSc in Accounting and Financial Management delivers a rigorous examination of core accounting and financial management theories combined with a wide range of their practical applications globally. Across the programme, students learn to work confidently with both numerical and qualitative accounting and financial management issues and case studies with access to professional data sources such as the Bloomberg Professional Services Platform and DataStream.

Course Aims

The MSc in Accounting and Financial Management is designed to provide a solid foundation to develop theoretical and technical skills in a number of subjects including contemporary areas such as multinational management accounting, corporate governance and sustainability, financial management, strategy and information management. The flexible programme structure is designed to encourage students to focus on particular areas of accounting and financial management whilst building a rigorous understanding of the international business environment. Students will experience real world accounting and financial management problems, their efficient solutions and future challenges.

Successful students will gain:
- A systematic understanding of knowledge in accounting and financial management.

- A command of analytical theories and techniques, in the relevant areas of accounting and financial management

- Knowledge of the role and essential features of global accounting and financial management

- Increased confidence in the analysis, synthesis and evaluation of financial management decision-making problems and their solutions in dynamic and uncertain global financial markets

- Improved employability through enhanced professional and practical skills

See the website https://www.keele.ac.uk/pgtcourses/accountingandfinancialmanagementmsc/

Dissertation

In order to graduate with an MSc Accounting and Financial Management, a dissertation needs to be completed. The dissertation is worth 60 credits and therefore represents approximately 600 hours of study. The pass mark is 50%.

Teaching & Assessment

The Course Director is responsible for running the programme and will provide the main source of support for students. The modules will be taught by delivery of lectures supplemented by tutorial classes, and where appropriate by workshops.

Within Keele Management School, our postgraduate courses include both core and optional modules, so the students can tailor the content of his/her course to more closely fit his/her interests and aspirations.

Taught modules are usually assessed by a combination of unseen two hour examination and coursework which may include essays, assignments, mini projects and tests. During the summer guidance is provided on the choice of dissertation topics and each student will be assigned a supervisor who will guide the student through to completion.

Additional Costs

Apart from additional costs for text books, inter-library loans and potential overdue library fines, we do not anticipate any additional costs for this postgraduate course.

Graduate Attributes

The Graduate Attributes Statement is designed to raise awareness of the attributes that will be developed whilst you are a student at Keele University. It explains each of the attributes in detail, tips on how to achieve them and how they relate to your chosen programme of study. (See the website to find out more)

Find information on Scholarships here - http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentfunding/bursariesscholarships/

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The ever-changing nature of financial markets, financial institutions and business firms, has made it increasingly important for finance experts including financial managers in multinational companies, investment analysts in securities firms, lending officers in banks and other financial institutions and traders in capital markets and dealing rooms - to have a clear understanding of the theory and practice relating to financial market operations and corporate financial strategy. Familiarity with the most recent developments in risk appraisal, portfolio analysis, the engineering of synthetic products, modelling techniques, financial analysis and valuation are essential requirements for all those involved directly in financial activities or who wish to gain a deeper understanding of this important area of business management.

The MSc and MA Finance programmes at Bangor offer you a unique opportunity to develop an appreciation of the causes and significance of current developments in the financial and corporate sectors, and to study advanced theory and practice relating to financial markets and the financial management of business firms.

Issues you will tackle as part of your MSc or MA Finance degree programme include:

What are the relationships between risk and return governing investment in company shares and other derivative instruments?
Can market risk be priced accurately?
Can credit risk be priced accurately?
Which factors are most likely to influence the evaluation and implementation of international investment projects?
How can we calculate a suitable cost of capital to appraise the capital investment decision?
How should institutional investors go about constructing a portfolio of assets to maximise returns on behalf of investors?
How can we assess the investment performance of pension funds, insurance companies and unit trusts?
How are futures, options, derivatives and swaps used to manage balance sheet and off-balance sheet risks?
What are the key principles of international portfolio management in a world of fast and unpredictable movements in exchange rates?
How can spreadsheets be used to develop financial models, and what techniques are required to obtain computational solutions to finance problems?
What are the main features of financial engineering, and how can one asset be transformed into another?
What are the design features of synthetic assets, and how do they help us to develop strategies for hedging risks?
How can financial forecasts be used in business valuation, and what techniques should be used to improve trend analysis and interfirm comparison?

With these needs in mind, the MSc and MA Finance programmes at Bangor are designed to develop participants' existing skills through a scheme of specialist advanced study. An important objective is to provide participants with relevant analytical training so that they are familiar with the latest theoretical and practical developments relating to corporate finance and the capital markets. These programmes provide a coherent theoretical framework for the various subject areas, but the emphasis throughout is on advanced practical application of financial techniques in a real-world setting.

The availability of parallel MSc and MA degrees in Finance allows you to choose between registering for a more technical MSc degree (including a compulsory element in Financial Econometrics), and a less technical MA degree (for which Financial Econometrics is optional). The MSc degree may be more suitable for applicants with some previous background in mathematics, statistics or econometrics, while the MA degree is more suitable for applicants who prefer to adopt a predominantly non-quantitative approach to their studies. However, both degrees include a compulsory module in Research Methods, which includes coverage of both quantitative and non-quantitative research techniques. Provided you are registered for the correct modules for your chosen degree, it is normally possible to transfer between the MSc and MA degrees during the first few weeks following your initial registration.
ESRC Recognition

The MA Finance is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as the first year of a 1+3 PhD training programme.
Course Structure

January intake: Taught modules are undertaken in the period of January to June and September to January and will involve the study of 120 credits. The dissertation (or equivalent) is valued at 60 credits and is undertaken during the period of June to September.

September intake: Taught modules are undertaken in the period of September to June and will involve the study of 120 credits. The dissertation (or equivalent) is valued at 60 credits and is undertaken during the period of June to September.

Compulsory modules:

Research Methods

International Financial Markets

Corporate Risk Management

Financial Crises and Bank Regulation

Investment Strategy and Portfolio Management

International Financial Management

Optional modules (choose 2):

Financial Modelling

Islamic Finance

Accounting Theory

Advanced Financial Reporting and Regulation

Financial Institutions Strategic Management

Financial Analysis

Islamic Banking

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This course is also offered at the Bangor Business School - London Centre.

Changes in the business environment create the need for individuals wishing to pursue a senior management role to be aware of contemporary accounting and finance developments.

Understanding these theoretical and practical issues is critical for managers who often have to make rapid and far-reaching decisions about the short term financial operations and long term strategies of firms.

The MSc in Accounting and Finance offers you a unique opportunity to develop an appreciation of the causes and significance of current developments in the financial and corporate sectors, and to study advanced theory and practice relating to accounting and finance.

The aim of the programme is to provide graduates and other individuals that have practical accounting and financial training with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue a senior level professional career in accounting, financial services or related sectors of the economy.

Issues you will tackle as part of your MSc Accounting and Finance degree programme include:

How are the financial accounts of companies formulated, and how do they differ across jurisdictions?
What agency issues are important in the creation of company accounts?
How does accounting theory inform financial and management accounting practice?
How does regulation impact on the performance of firms, and how do accounting practices highlight profit and/or loss realisation?
What empirical techniques can be used to evaluate company performance?
In what ways have financial accounting requirements and auditing been influenced by recent company failures?
What are the relationships between risk and return governing investment in company shares and other derivative instruments?
Which factors are most likely to influence the evaluation and implementation of international investment projects?
How can we calculate a suitable cost of capital to appraise the capital investment decision?
How should institutional investors go about constructing a portfolio of assets to maximise returns on behalf of investors?
How are futures, options, derivatives and swaps used to manage balance sheet and off-balance sheet risks?
What are the key principles of international portfolio management in a world of fast and unpredictable movements in exchange rates?
How can financial forecasts be used in business valuation, and what techniques should be used to improve trend analysis and interfirm comparison?

With these needs in mind, the MSc Accounting and Finance programme at Bangor is designed to develop participants’ existing skills through a scheme of specialist advanced study. An important objective is to provide participants with relevant analytical training, so that they are familiar with the latest theoretical and practical developments relating to accounting and finance. The programme provides a coherent theoretical framework for the various subject areas, but the emphasis throughout is on advanced practical application of accounting and financial techniques in a real-world setting.
Course Structure

January intake: Taught modules are undertaken in the period of January to June and September to January and will involve the study of 120 credits. The dissertation (or equivalent) is valued at 60 credits and is undertaken during the period of June to September.

September intake: Taught modules are undertaken in the period of September to June and will involve the study of 120 credits. The dissertation (or equivalent) is valued at 60 credits and is undertaken during the period of June to September.

Compulsory modules:

Research Methods: This module develops knowledge of intermediate and advanced research methods, and provides a basis in research methodology for those who may eventually wish to pursue research degrees.

Accounting Theory: This module critically evaluates a widespread and widely based set of theories that underpin any explanation of accounting behaviour and accounting regulatory output.

International Financial Markets: This module provides an overview of financial instruments in a multi-currency world, taking account of insights from portfolio theory concerning the relationship between risk and return, the diversification of risk, and the pricing of assets.

Advanced Financial Reporting and Regulation: This module provides an advanced treatment of the main theoretical principles underlying financial reporting, and the practical implications of alternative regulatory regimes.

Financial Analysis: This module analyses the techniques that are used to evaluate a company’s financial position and performance.

Management Accounting: This module provides an understanding of the uses of financial data in measuring and evaluating business performance, and in setting the strategic aims of the organisation.

Optional modules (choose 2):

Corporate Risk Management: This module provides an analysis of pure risk and its management.

Islamic Accounting and Financial Reporting: This module develops a critical awareness of theoretical and practical approaches to Islamic accounting and financial reporting. Islamic accounting standards are compared with IFRS, and the content and impact of academic research in this area is examined.

Islamic Finance: This course provides an insight into topical issues relating to Islamic financial instruments and related risk management issues.

Financial Econometrics: This module provides advanced coverage of econometric methods and practices that are used to model financial and business data. You will develop the independent capability to design, estimate and evaluate appropriate econometric models using econometric software.

International Financial Management: In this module, the financial management of multinational companies, and the influence of the macroeconomic, fiscal, currency and political environments on business and financial decision-making are examined in an international and global context.

Investment Strategy and Portfolio Management: This module evaluates the development of investment strategies for bonds, equities and derivatives that are designed to achieve optimal risk-return outcomes, and examines the measurement and evaluation of the performance of a portfolio of investments.

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The Finance MBA is designed for candidates with degrees or relevant business backgrounds, who wish to develop their expertise and further their professional careers.

The course will be of particular interest to:

Graduates who have professional experience in the financial sector;
Managers and accountants in public and private organisations who wish to develop their financial management skills;
Managers employed in the financial services industry;
Graduates contemplating a career in the banking and financial services industry;
Graduates who have relevant practical experience and wish to enhance their skills in the areas of banking and finance;
Finance professionals (like corporate treasurers and accountants) who deal with the financial services industry.

Course Structure

January intake: Taught modules are undertaken in the period of January to June and September to January and will involve the study of 120 credits. The dissertation (or equivalent) is valued at 60 credits and is undertaken during the period of June to September.

September intake: Taught modules are undertaken in the period of September to June and will involve the study of 120 credits. The dissertation (or equivalent) is valued at 60 credits and is undertaken during the period of June to September.

Compulsory modules:

Organisations and People: This module examines key issues arising from contemporary research in organisational behaviour (OB) and human resource management (HRM). It provides an integrated analysis of management, organisations and people, developing the conceptual, strategic and practical skills necessary for managers in complex, global organisational contexts.

Management Research: This module analyses the philosophical basis for research in the management sciences, and examines a number of key methodological issues and approaches. Research designs for both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies are developed, including interviews, case studies, focus groups, surveys and experiments.

Global Financial Markets: This module provides an overview of financial markets and instruments in a global context, taking account of insights from portfolio theory concerning the relationship between risk and return, the diversification of risk, and the pricing of assets.

Portfolio Management: This module evaluates the development of investment strategies for bonds and equities, which are designed to achieve optimal risk-return outcomes. The module builds on the foundations provided in ‘Global Financial Markets’. Emphasis is placed on strategic and tactical asset allocation, and on the measurement and evaluation of the performance of a portfolio of investments.

International Financial Management: In this module the financial management of multinational companies and the influence of macroeconomic, fiscal, currency and political environments on business and financial decision making are examined in an international and global context.

Optional modules (choose 3):

International Strategic Management+: This module analyses strategic decision-making within business. You will develop a critical understanding of the strategic processes of business management, the interconnections with the functional domains of marketing, human resource management and corporate finance, and the management of knowledge systems.

Marketing Financial Services+ : This module surveys the tools of modern financial services marketing, focussing on the key methods of financial services marketing in the acquisition of customers and sale and distribution of financial services. The module progresses considering consumer behaviour, the changing customer demands, consumer heuristics and biases and ways in which financial services marketing has succeeded and failed.

Islamic Finance: This module provides an insight into topical issues relating to Islamic financial instruments and related risk management issues. The first part of the module examines issues relating to financial contracting, instruments and various intermediation issues. The second part focuses on the role of the capital market in providing Islamic financing, and highlights financial engineering and risk management features of this type of business.

Financial Modelling: This module develops a combined theoretical and practical approach to mathematical modelling for specialists in finance. The module emphasises numerical methods and other analytic approaches to financial modelling.

Financial Institutions Strategic Management: This module examines the main theoretical and practical issues concerning banking business. You will develop a critical awareness of the theory of the banking firm, the motives for international banking, and regulatory and structural issues impacting on bank behaviour.

Financial Crises and Bank Regulation: This module examines why banks and financial markets are inherently vulnerable to crises, and analyses the role of policy makers and institutions. The roles of monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation, corporate governance and ratings agencies in mitigating or exacerbating crises are considered.

Contemporary Issues in Management: This module develops several theories and concepts in contemporary management theory and practice. It provides a detailed and critical analysis of management, further developing the conceptual, strategic and practical skills necessary for managers in complex, global organisational contexts.

Islamic Banking*: This module provides an insight into the key features of Islamic banking business. The first part of the course outlines the theoretical foundations and development of Islamic banking practices. In particular, the main characteristics of various types of Islamic banking products are discussed. The second part of the course examines the operational features of Islamic banks, focusing on their performance and how they compete with conventional interest-based banks. The final part of the course outlines contemporary challenges to Islamic banking business.

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The Masters in Financial Management has recently been recognised by the CFA Institute in their University Recognition Program.

This means that our graduates can be confident that they have gained a quality assured, industry standard qualification which is well recognised and respected in today’s financial management sector. New modules include: Alternative Investments and Portfolio Investment & Wealth Management.

The course will develop your analytical skills and teach you to evaluate theory and implement procedures within the corporate sector and financial institutions. It prepares you for roles in financial institutions, stock broking, investment and portfolio management, and in the business sector within the treasury and corporate finance departments of companies.

Visit the website https://www.rgu.ac.uk/business-management-and-accounting/study-options/postgraduate/financial-management

Course detail

You will learn to use various models and techniques for analysing the complex issues which arise during the business decision-making process. Communication, presentation, numeracy, IT and group interaction skills will also be enhanced.

Stage 1

•Financial Information and Decision Making
•Finance Theory
•Financial Institutions and Markets
•Quantitative Methods for Finance

Exit Award: PgCert Financial Management

Stage 2

•Alternative Investments
•Portfolio Investment and Wealth Management
•Corporate Financial Management
•Research Methods

Exit Award: PgDip Financial Management

Stage 3

•Dissertation

Award: MSc Financial Management

Full-time Study

In full time mode, you will attend on-campus and learn through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshop sessions. These provide a mix of group study, discussion, simulation and presentations of findings by teams and individuals. You will work as an individual and also as part of a team teams on case studies, team activities, presentations and discussions. Access to our virtual learning environment, CampusMoodle, is also provided giving you access from home to learning materials (including videos, e-books and journals).

Part-time Study

Our part-time delivery mode combines aspects of distance learning and on-campus delivery. You will benefit from the support of the virtual learning environment but also face-to-face interaction with tutors and classmates.

Teaching and Expertise

Staff are drawn from a range of pure research and commercial business backgrounds. For example, several are members of UK Accounting Institutes and nationally recognised for their participation at senior level in bodies such as the Expert Review Group of CIMA. Research plays a vital role in underpinning all levels of teaching and the curriculum. Our students are made aware of the research being undertaken through access to published output and invitation to research seminars. Students have the opportunity to have their dissertation supervised by an active researcher.

The Aberdeen Business School has excellent industry links e.g. with Exxon Mobil and Aberdeen Asset Management. External specialist presenters in areas such Fund Management, Investment Banking and Treasury are regularly invited to speak to our students.

Placements and accreditations

The Masters in Financial Management has recently been recognised by the CFA Institute in their University Recognition Program.

Careers

A degree from Robert Gordon University is confirmation to a future employer that a graduate will possess the blend of learning, skills and experience that they require from their employees.

The practical and financial management focus of the course will benefit management executives seeking career enhancement through a change of discipline or specialism in particular areas of finance. It is suitable for qualified accountants or brokers seeking a career change or those in the financial sector who require new expertise in certain areas of finance. Recent graduates seeking fast entry into the field of treasury, corporate and international finance and fund management would also find this course beneficial.

Benefits to you

On completion of this course you will be able to apply for exemption from the professional examinations of the Association of Corporate Treasurers; the Institutes of Bankers; the Securities and Investment Institute; the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

In addition to specific subject knowledge, you will acquire additional skills allowing you to integrate fully in to a commercial work environment. These will include abilities in written and verbal communication, time management, team working and critical analysis.

Opportunities

For practising accountants, this course will allow you to specialise within the industry, opening up a wide variety of career development opportunities within a number of different contexts, for example, accounting, finance, accounting, audit or economics. For those who are new to financial management, this course will allow you to develop the practical skills, knowledge and understanding required to enter into, and develop your career within, the profession. Employment opportunities exist within commercial companies, wholesale and retail domestic and international banks, accountancy and consultancy firms and fund managers and investment institutions as brokers, dealers, analysts and compliance staff.

Benefits to organisations

By completing this course you will have developed knowledge and skills that would make an immediate, valuable and effective contribution within your organisation. You will bring a wide range of technical knowledge and expertise plus analytical, presentation and resource management skills to an employer. The sophisticated analytical, financial and quantitative skills which you will gain are relevant to a diverse range of employment scenarios.

How to apply

To find out how to apply, use the following link: http://www.rgu.ac.uk/applyonline

Funding

For information on funding, including loans, scholarships and Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) please click the following link: http://www.rgu.ac.uk/future-students/finance-and-scholarships/financial-support/uk-students/postgraduate-students/postgraduate-students/

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