Masters Degrees (Investor Relations)

Introduction

A communication plan that adds value: it's what every organisation wants. Develop the advanced skills and theory you'll need for a successful career in public relations and communications on this industry approved course. Graduate with the knowledge and skills to strategically manage reputations and communicate effectively with the people on the inside and the outside of an organisation.

Content

Gain a solid grounding in the theory and practice of Public Relations with this highly-regarded Masters degree, and accelerate within one of the UK’s most vibrant professions that ranks consistently amongst the top three career choices for new graduates.

Recognised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), this course will appeal to those who may already be working in the profession and want to progress, those who are seeking a career move, or those wishing to start their career by establishing a solid knowledge base.

You can expect to develop your intellectual abilities, skills and knowledge needed to strategically manage the reputation of brands and organisations in adding value to their commercial success and supporting their goals. The course will give you a framework for the PR planning process, addressing the critical role of research and evaluation.

You will examine the disciplines of stakeholder communications, events management, investor relations, public affairs and employee communications and how they link to corporate strategy, and be involved in planning and implementing national and international campaigns.

As part of this, you'll explore the most effective use of PR tools such as media relations, change management and issues and crisis management. The specific skills of story telling and writing for media across traditional and digital media channels are also practiced and looked at in depth, along with the role of persuasion and influence.

An understanding of the impact of global, financial, political and opinion former publics will be gained in you honing your ability to communicate with 'publics' as well the ethical, technological and global issues that are inherent within the modern environment.
You'll also explore the wider cultural and societal landscape in which PR operates touching on areas such as celebrity, power and discourse and the wider impact of globalisation. This will help develop your research and analytical skills in preparation for the final dissertation.

Structure

Phase 1

Induction
Unit 1.1 - Contemporary PR Theory and Practice (20 credits)
Unit 1.2 - Organisational Strategy and Reputation Management (20 credits)
Unit 1.3 - Media and Cultural Landscapes (20 credits)

Phase 2

Unit 2.1 - PR Professional (work-based learning) (20 credits)
Unit 2.2 - Media Relations and PR Specialisms (20 credits)
Unit 2.3 - Digital Communications and Social Media (20 credit)

Phase 3
Unit 3.1 - Final Major Project by Dissertation (Research methods embedded during Phase 2) (60 credits)

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Our Quantitative Finance and Risk Management MSc will develop your understanding of generalist finance issues. You'll also develop specialist practical skills in quantitative methodology and risk management.

Worldwide growth in the financial services sector has fuelled the demand for graduates with a sound understanding of generalist finance issues, combined with specialist skills in quantitative methodology and risk management. This course meets this demand. It builds on the Business School’s established strengths in economics and finance.

The course advances your understanding of the:
-Role of finance in a modern economy
-Operation and behaviour of financial markets and investors
-It will enable you to develop a career in the financial services sector. It will also suit future quantitative analysts in economics and finance.

What you'll learn

This course will provide opportunities for you to develop relevant skills and a practical understanding of:
-The behaviour of international financial markets
-The ability to analyse the strategies of financial market investors
-The role of finance in a modern economy

Advanced software

Where possible you will have access to advanced statistical software including:
-Eviews
-SPSS
-Stata
-Gauss
-MATLAB
-SAS
-Maple
-Minitab

You will also have access to a number of financial databases including:
-Bloomberg
-Thompson Financial's DataStream
-Fame
-Amadeus
-WRDS
-Compustat
-CRSP
-Oriana

Your development

On completion of this course, you will be able to demonstrate practical skills and the ability to:
-Deal with complex issues both systematically and analytically
-Use this analysis to make sound judgements
-Deploy advanced analytical techniques in the areas of finance and risk management
-Critically assess the quality of the analytical data generated by these techniques
-Synthesise and present relevant data, conclusions and recommendations to both specialist and non-specialist audiences
-Apply the knowledge, skills and understanding gained on the programme to complex issues within finance and related industries

Career focus

The course will suit those wanting to develop a career in the broad financial services sector. It is particularly relevant to a career as a quantitative analyst in the investment banking and risk management fields.

Graduates from this course have undertaken various roles including:
-Senior Associate Chartered Accountant
-Financial Trader
-Auditor
-Risk Analyst
-Economist
-Financial Analyst
-Investor Relations Advisor

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The Master of Strategic Public Relations focuses on professional public relations with an emphasis on corporate communication and political communication. The corporate communication strand develops and applies strategy selection processes used in large public companies. It analyses and investigates management‑level communication across small to medium enterprises (SMEs) throughout the business cycle, including at times of conflict and crisis.

The political communication strand develops candidate campaigns and issue campaign briefs, analyses and applies campaign communication matter including ‘netroots’ tools such as Twitter, and investigates theories of political communication as they relate to public opinion and public policy. Within the overarching framework of the course, there are a number of sub‑disciplines including government, media and investor relations.

The Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate in Strategic Public Relations provide shorter avenues to update and extend your professional skills, or to explore new career directions.

To ask a question about this course, visit http://sydney.edu.au/internationaloffice/

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The degree provides a full-time course for those seeking positions in a variety of Management fields. It provides a theoretically grounded coverage of key conceptual and practical developments across a wide range of management disciplines including marketing, human resource management, finance and accounting, and corporate strategy.

Participants in the MSc Management programme can use the dissertation component to concentrate in-depth on Management topics according to individual interests and career requirements.

The MSc Management programme is intended to enable students：

• To engage in a study of organisations, their management, and the changing international external environment in which they operate.

• To prepare for and to develop a career in business and management.

• To enhance lifelong learning skills and personal development to contribute to society at large. • To examine and assess different aspects of the Management environment.

• To provide insights into the operation of Management.

• To offer cross-disciplinary insights into Management.

• To provide students with an opportunity to examine Management at first hand.

• To produce graduates capable of a critical evaluation of the core business disciplines.

• To provide a structured programme that allows students to focus upon advanced developments in Management.

• To meet their specific interests and career aspirations.

Applicants for this MSc must have a first degree containing modules in management, economics or business studies.

Programme outline

The MSc International Management programme is a full-time degree studied over a period of calendar year commencing late September and a part-time degree can be studied over a period of between 2 and 4 years. In each case participants take taught modules and prepare a dissertation. Students without the relevant English proficiency are required to do a Summer pre-sessional programme before gaining entry onto the postgraduate programme.

Classes are in the form of either two or three hour teaching/learning sessions. This includes some small group teaching.

The structure of the MSc International Management programme is modular, with individual modules each having weighting of 15 credits. One credit represents 10 hours of student work. This, means that a 15 credit module represents 150 hours of study including formal teaching, independent study, revision, and the preparation of assessments. The MSc International Management degree requires the successful completion of 180 credits, 120 of which are taught modules, and 60 a Management dissertation.

All students undertake core and elective modules relating to a wide range of management disciplines. Elective modules offer a choice of electives that allow the student to focus upon advanced management most closely associated with his/her career aspirations.

Programme structure

Semester 1 modules:

Introduction to Research Methods

and ONE module from the list below:

Further Quantitative Research Methods
Further Qualitative Research Methods

Plus TWO modules from the list below:

Managerial Economics
Corporate Finance
Managing People & Organisations
Supply Chain Management in Practice

Semester 2 modules:

Two from the list below

Financial Reporting
Derivative Investment
Fixed Interest Investment
Corporate Strategy
International Finance
Strategic Human Resource Management
Managing International Business in China
Entrepreneurial Management
Launching New Ventures
E-Business
Social Entrepreneurship
Project Management
Strategies for Corporate Social Responsibility
Management for China

Summer:

International Management Dissertation

Career options for this degree

The course acts as a sound basis for a variety of management or management-related careers. The degree offers opportunities in a varietyof careers such as Accountancy, Business Analysis, Business Development, Consultancy, Credit Advice, Economic Development, Financial Consultancy, Investor Relations, General Management, Marketing, Operations Management and Tax Consultancy.

Postgraduate scholarships

To encourage academic excellence, The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) offers a comprehensive and expanding range of scholarships to postgraduate students. For more information please click the link below

http://live-china-uon.cloud.contensis.com/en/study/postgraduate/masters/scholarships/index.aspx

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This programme combines a solid foundation in economic theory and applied econometrics with the study of finance. The study of financial microeconomics and macroeconomics will help you to understand complex issues related to financial decision-making while econometrics will provide the necessary tools to perform rigorous research in applied economics and finance. In addition, finance modules included in this programme cover a wide range of subjects related to portfolio theory, corporate finance, investment and strategy, and derivative instruments.

IBSS attracts self-motivated students who are interested in a programme related to economics and specialised in finance. Students considering applying for this programme should have some formation in quantitative methods, statistics or econometrics, especially those with a degree that is not in economics or finance.

Modules

• Financial Economics
• Econometrics
• Time Series Analysis
• Money and Banking
• Macroeconomic Theory
• Advanced Investment
• International Finance and Economics
• Advanced Corporate Finance
• Portfolio Theory
• Alternative Investments and Strategies
• Fixed Income and Derivative Instruments

What are my career prospects?

This degree is designed to give you an advantage in pursuing career opportunities in the financial sector, central banks and other monetary financial institutions, international organisations, academia and research institutions. Since it has a strong formation in economics, it is also attractive to students who have an interest in the wider business sector, especially multinationals. Examples of such positions are
• Portfolio manager
• Investment strategy analyst
• Director of research
• Market risk analyst
• Senior risk analyst
• Head of investor relations
• Senior economist
• Industrial economist

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Aims

The MA Public Relations and Corporate Communications covers the fundamental academic principles and theories relevant to the field as well as the contemporary environmental drivers and professional practices that shape the profession in the 21st Century.

The course will focus on the design and planning of organisational change campaigns, corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes and rhetorical and non-rhetorical responses and tactics to tackle issues and crises. Students will be equipped with the tools and skills needed to address different stakeholders and to approach any challenge from a strategic perspective.

This Master’s programme is taught by teaching staff and visiting lecturers with extensive professional experience and expertise. This guarantees students will have the opportunity to learn up to date techniques that are relevant to the current workplace, whether their prospective or current posts involve practicing at a local, national or an international level.

Our course is recognised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), which means that our module content has been assessed to provide relevant skills and knowledge development towards a career in public relations or communications. Our students also currently receive free membership to the CIPR which gives them access to their online portal offering networking, career and placement advice and opportunities.

Entry requirements

A good honours degree in a relevant discipline (Media and Communication Studies, Public Relations, Marketing, Business Studies, Journalism)
A good understanding of how the media industry operates
A good standard of written and spoken English
International students should have a score of 6.0 in the IELTS test (in the written part) or equivalent in other accepted tests (e.g. Toefl, Cambridge Advanced Exam (CAE) or Cambridge Proficiency Exam (CPE)
Students must achieve a minimum of 5.5 in each component of the IELTS or similar tests.
The university will provide support to those with a score of 6.5 or below through pre-sessional courses or summer courses.

You are also encouraged to apply if you:

Have significant professional experience in any area of the media regardless of your educational qualifications.
Have a 2:2 in a relevant subject where you can provide examples of work in the media which shows your ability in the subject.

Fees and finance

2015/6 Home/EU International
Full time £5,750 £11,960
Part time £2,875

These fees are applicable for new entrants in 2015/6. Fees are for the academic year only, any subsequent years may be subject to an annual increase, usually in line with inflation.

The University also offers a postgraduate loyalty discount: If you have completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Wolverhampton, you may be eligible for a 20% discount on the first year of a taught postgraduate programme.

Employability

There are two distinct areas of public relations in which to work - in-house for an organisation, or at an agency where you will be handling a range of clients.

Public relations practitioners are responsible for the following list of activities:

Internal Communications
Media Relations
Public Affairs/Lobbying
Community Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility
Investor Relations or Financial Public Relations
Issues and crisis management
Business to Business relations
Events management

Proficiency in each of these and other new activities such as moderation (of digital communication channels) equip you for potential career opportunities within the public relations industry. As well as these opportunities public relations graduates may go on to assist human resources departments, activist organisations or public sector institutions with social change/social marketing campaigns

Outcomes

At the end of this course you will be able to:

Critically analyse on-going debates relevant to the field of public relations and the media industry in general.
Produce specific situational analyses and assessments of the political, economic, social and technical factors surrounding an organisation or sector.
Draw upon academic models and frameworks for planning, implementing and delivering effective communication and managerial tactics.
Interact with culturally diverse stakeholders or constituents to negotiate positive outcomes in challenging situations for all the parties involved, following ethical and professional principles.
Apply technical knowledge of ICTs to the process of planning and managing organisational outcomes, as well as well as to the production of media content for new media/digital platforms.
Carry out academic research demonstrating sufficient knowledge of the subject and originality.

Why Wolverhampton?

You will study PR from a range of different perspectives, considering the impact of PR on society and the media. You will also learn the techniques and practices of public relations that contribute to the evolution of PR as a management discipline.

Our teaching staff comes from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds. They have had considerable experience of working in PR and other media sectors of the industry. Close contact with the industry enables staff to invite guest speakers and visiting lectures who are involved in various aspects of the industry in the UK and abroad.

The course has been designed bearing in mind the needs of:

Practitioners
Professional bodies
Academics
Students new to the field

Our course is recognised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), which means that our module content has been assessed to provide relevant skills and knowledge development towards a career in public relations or communications. Our students also currently receive free membership to the CIPR which gives them access to their online portal offering networking, career and placement advice and opportunities.

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Business and public organisations operate today in a context marked by constant technological evolution, rapid social changes and increasing political and economic instability. In such a dynamic and uncertain environment, communicating strategically becomes vital to the pursuit of an organisation’s mission and key goals, from the aim of promoting products and services to the need to respond to a crisis.

The MSc in Strategic Communication offers a cross-disciplinary education to current or aspiring communication professionals and leaders who wish to learn how to design, plan and implement effective and sound communication policies that promote the strategic goals of their organisation.

The programme combines a range of disciplines and perspectives to develop the conceptual and practical skills which are crucial for successful strategic communication. You will learn how to translate organisational goals into communication objectives, to analyse situations by identifying the relevant stakeholder groups, as well as regulatory constraints and ethical issues; to design spoken and written messages that are at the same time sound, persuasive and compliant; to exploit the potential offered by established communication technologies and new digital media to effectively engage targeted audiences.

Besides classroom modules, a dedicated seminar involving communication experts (‘Public relations and Investor Relations in practice’) will give you the unique opportunity to familiarize with the relevant professional contexts and to closely interact with specialists in the sectors. Through the final project, you will engage yourselves with an in-depth analysis of a case-study in strategic communication.

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