MSc Management (Finance)

Description

Our one year, full-time MSc in Management programmes are designed to provide you with the tools, techniques and knowledge to succeed in business.

Across all sectors and at all levels of business, financial management is fundamental to the success of organisations. By studying our MSc Management (Finance), you will build your knowledge and expertise in this area, giving you a strong platform from which to launch a career in management with a specific financial focus.

The programme consists of a set of core and elective modules, culminating in a practice- based business project or a research-based dissertation.

Core and elective modules

You will study:

• Business Economics and Accounting
• Corporate Finance for Managers
• Financial Management
• Fundamentals of Finance
• Organisational Behaviour
• Strategy

You will then choose two elective modules. The list of modules may vary from year to year, but has typically included Employee Reward Strategy, Corporate Governance, Decision Making and Business Modelling, Global Business, East Asian Business and Management and Mergers and Acquisitions.

Business Project or Dissertation

During term 3 you will complete a final project under the supervision of a faculty member, either in the UK or abroad through an international partner institution. Designed to develop your business insight and research skills, and help you to present your analysis and ideas in a rigorous, systematic and professional manner, it takes one of two forms:

• business project (sourced by you or the School), you will apply the knowledge and skills you have acquired in terms 1 and 2 to address a real organisational problem, or
• research project, you will apply advanced techniques to analyse a topic of your choice, relevant to your course.

International Experience

Our strong international optional activities are an integral part of the programme and aim at providing you with the experiential learning needed to acquire an inside perspective of operating globally.

International Study Tours

During the International Study Tours, groups of students visit at least one European destination (e.g. Geneva, Mannheim, Dublin) for around a week; some (e.g. Geneva) are offered as electives, others as part of wider experience. These partially self-funded competitive activities provide you with an opportunity to visit a series of prestigious global businesses and to analyse them using a structured learning approach. As such the International Study tours are designed to expose you to the challenges of global business, help you make new contacts, and equip you with the international awareness needed to stand out in a competitive job market. All of this while having fun!

Summer Schools

During the summer you will be able to participate in a summer school at one of our global network of university and business partners, e.g. Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, Kedge in France, and CUFE in China. These partially self-funded competitive activities, normally one week-long intensive courses, cover a wide range of topics and aim to complement the knowledge you receive during your time in Durham whilst contextualising it in an international setting.

Dissertation Abroad

During the dissertation abroad (for which in some cases there is Erasmus funding available) you will be able to undertake part or all of your dissertation/business project in one of our partner institutions. 

Practitioner Insights

An integral part of the programme is the engagement with the world of practice. Across most modules you will hear directly from guest speakers who practice what we teach. In addition to your lectures, you will hear from consultants on the consulting modules, marketers and social media analysts on the marketing modules, leadership experts on the human resource management module, operations / supply chain managers on the supply chain management modules and entrepreneurs on the entrepreneurship modules. Examples of organisations who have contributed to the programme in the past include: IBM, Caterpillar, PWC, P&G, Atom Bank, Ford Engineering Group and Th_nk.

Dragons’ Den and Blueprint

You can become your own boss on our programme. The School’s heritage as a centre of expertise in entrepreneurship is reflected in two competitions seeking ideas for new businesses. Students on the Masters programme compete to win the School’s Dragon’s Den-style competition to pitch for investment, as well as the University’s Blueprint competition.

Course Learning and Teaching

The programme is mainly delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars. Lectures provide key contents of a particular topic. Occasionally lectures might be delivered by guest speakers who are internationally recognised academic experts or practitioners in their field. Students can also attend the Durham Speaker Series, providing the opportunity to network with senior business leaders, staff and alumni.

Seminars provide the opportunity for smaller groups of students to solve problems, discuss and debate issues based on knowledge gained through lectures and independent study.

Students study 7 core modules including a 12,000 word dissertation or business project, and select 2 elective modules which enables them to undertake more in-depth study of particular topics. The dissertation allows students to carry out independent research and develop their skills in analysis and scholarly expression, using an appropriate theoretical framework. The business project usually involves an external organisation and gives students the opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the course to solve a real life problem.

In both cases, students are supported in writing their dissertation or business project through the study of a research methods module, and working with an allocated supervisor.

English Language requirements

Please check requirements for your subject and level of study.

How to apply

http://www.durham.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply

Visit the MSc Management (Finance) page on the Durham University website for more details!