MSc Finance

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Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions

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Accredited by:

This course is delivered by the AACSB-accredited Business School, an accreditation which places us within the top institutions globally for business degrees. Less than 5% of business schools worldwide have attained this hallmark of excellence which recognises a focus on excellence in all areas, including teaching and student learning.

This challenging and rewarding course provides a unique blend of theory and practice, with the aim of you developing necessary skills to pursue a career in finance. It is highly flexible, enabling you to tailor its content to suit your needs and career ambitions.

The course is designed for those who have a background in finance or a related discipline, such as economics and accounting, and are looking to further develop their skills and access a career in the areas of financial analysis, financial management, and investment.

Core units are designed to develop your quantitative skills, ability to analyse financial data and understanding of financial instruments, as well as your theoretical understanding of financial economics. You'll then be provided with a range of optional units from which to choose.

We are a training provider for the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment’s (CISI) Chartered Wealth Management Qualification. This means that based upon the option units you take, you will have the opportunity to sit the CISI’s examinations (additional fees will apply) and if successful you’ll receive a wealth management professional qualification alongside your Master’s degree.

Watch Dr Dermot McCarthy presenting ‘Master’s degrees in Accounting, Finance & Economics’. It will give you an excellent insight into each of the Master’s courses we offer.

Interested in studying this course part-time? Enquire now.

All statistics shown throughout this page are taken from Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) and BU institutional data, unless otherwise stated.

For September 2019 entry: In order to take advantage of new approaches to learning and teaching, as well as developments in industry to benefit our students we regularly review all of our courses.

This course is currently going through this process and we will update this page in March 2019 to give you full information about what we will be offering once the review process has concluded.

Key information

Next start date:

September 2019, January 2020

Location:

Bournemouth University, Lansdowne Campus

Duration:

September: 1 year full-time. January: 16 months full-time

Accreditations:

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Required subjects:

Finance, Accounting, Economics or courses with elements of these subjects

Entry requirements:

For 2019 entry: A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in a required subject. If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in speaking, listening and reading. For more information check out our full entry requirements.

Course details

Core units

Financial Markets: Gain an understanding of the types of financial markets, their links and roles in modern economies, and the quantitative and qualitative research techniques that apply to this field.
Money & Banking: The functions of money and banking and their importance in the economy. You'll learn about interest rates and yield curves, monetary policy issues and banking regulation at an international context, along with contemporary issues in money and banking.
Advanced Accounting & Financial Analysis: You'll learn about the principals involved in producing financial statements, outline the theoretical and regulatory framework financial accounting operates in and offer techniques for analysing corporate financial reporting.
Financial Econometrics: Mathematical, programming and statistical tools used in the real world for analysing and modelling financial data. You'll use these tools to model asset returns, the stock, bond and exchange rate, and measure risk using different software.
Research Project with Optional Work Experience: The research project provides Master’s level students with an opportunity to undertake a significant piece of self-managed research in an area that interests you and is relevant to the course. You will have the option to undertake work experience as part of the research project unit, subject to you finding appropriate experience.

Option units

Choose two

International Direct Taxation: The globalisation of business means firms must not only understand the domestic tax systems where they operate, but the ways these systems interact. Direct taxes at federal level usually account for between 10 and 30 per cent of pre-tax profits. You'll learn to understand the international tax system and principal tax planning techniques open to multinational firms.
Public Finance & Tax Policy: Following the global financial crisis in the late 2000s, public finances have become central in academic, political and populist debate. This unit focuses on the revenue side of public finance to help you evaluate the quality of the decisions taken by governments on maintaining and reforming tax systems.
Global Economic Challenges: An introduction to economic theory as it applies to specific areas of applied economics. This will show how economic theories and techniques can be used to address many important issues facing humanity.
Emerging Market Economies: The issues involved in emerging market economies. There's a focus on economic issues and the economic consequences of political and social aspects of integration and development.
Corporate Governance & Ethics: You'll learn about the objectives, principles and methods of corporate governance practice in different economic environments, and understand how governance and ethics can aid managerial decision making in respect of risk management.
Enterprise Risk Management: Gain an understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of risk.
Environmental Reporting: Account and report on environmental matters and evaluate the usefulness of this information.

We are a training provider for the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment’s (CISI) Chartered Wealth Management Qualification. This means that if you select the two option units below, you will have the opportunity to sit the CISI’s examinations (additional fees will apply) and if successful you’ll receive a wealth management professional qualification alongside your Master’s degree.

Applied wealth management: Identify appropriate investment strategies for a wealthy, private client.
Portfolio construction & theory: Gain knowledge of finance theory and how to structure portfolios of financial assets in this context.

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

Programme specification

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Download the programme specification (pdf 1mb)

Your application

What we’re looking for

For Finance we are looking for applicants who:

Have a good understanding of financial, legal and economic theories
Have excellent analytical and decision-making skills
Show an enthusiasm to the subject area
Demonstrate effective communication skills.

Students will typically have an interest in international and multi-cultural world economy. We encourage applications from those who are committed to their studies and are capable of working well in teams.

Selection methods

How and when to apply

There is no application deadline for this course. However, if you will need a visa to come to the UK to study, think carefully about the length of time it will take for your visa application to be processed and make sure your visa will be ready in time for the beginning of your course.

Click the green ‘Apply now’ button to submit your application free of charge online through myHub, our application portal. You will create your own myHub account so that you can track the progress of your application. Don’t forget to save your application as you go; you can return to it at as many times as you want before you submit it. For more information visit our How to apply section.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

The normal requirements for embarking upon this degree are:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in a required subject, or equivalent.
Required subjects: Finance, Accounting, Economics or courses with elements of these subjects.

If you lack the formal academic qualifications needed to enter a postgraduate or post-experience degree, there are several alternative routes to follow, some of which are based on experience – please contact the Future Students Enquiry Team to find out more.

International entry requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you can understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in speaking, listening and reading, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

Bournemouth University International College offers a number of pre-sessional English and preparatory programmes to prepare international students for postgraduate study at BU. Admission to the degree is guaranteed on successful completion of your course to the required level.

You can also find further details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our postgraduate entry requirements page.

Careers

Our finance courses are industry focused and give you the opportunity to gain a wealth management professional qualification. We will help you develop a global perspective to finance and business that will serve you well in the increasingly internationalised business world.

The course also provides you with the ability to tailor its content to suit your needs and career ambitions.

Typical starting job roles

Industries worked in

Further study

Costs and fees

You can find full information about the deposits required and how to pay your fees in our postgraduate fees and funding section, including details of the Postgraduate Loan (subject to fee status).

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per annum. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course.

Find information on living costs for postgraduate students

No hidden extras

What's included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

One set of study-related consumables such as a memory stick/ DVD
Materials for laboratory and field-based teaching activity
Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement.
A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme
Disability and additional learning support
The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Costs of living and other expenses you need to consider

Additional cost

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website.
Optional fieldwork travel, outdoor wear and footwear (where applicable)
Text books, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of text books and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.

Repeat units

Financial help available from BU

Deposits

International (non-EU) students need to pay a non-refundable £2,000 deposit to secure their place on a postgraduate course. You will need to pay your deposit by the date stated in your offer letter. The remainder of your fee will be payable on registration/enrolment. There are two exceptions to the non-refundable rule on the deposit:

You fail to meet the academic or English requirements of your offer
You are refused a visa to enter the UK, provided the reason for the refusal is not a fraudulent application.

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. Please note that teaching staff can change.

Dr Dermot McCarthy - Principal Academic

Dermot is Framework leader for Accounting, Finance and Economics. His research interests are cross-disciplinary, encapsulating areas of economics and employee relations. More specifically, his research focuses on public-sector economics, theory of the firm, public-sector industrial relations, employee share-ownership, and employee psychology.

Dermot has published a number of papers relating to the impact of privatisation and employee share-ownership on employee attitudes and commitment in the workplace.

Visit Dr Dermot McCarthy’s staff profile

Spencer Barnett - Lecturer in Accounting

Spencer graduated from Bournemouth University in 2003 with a first class honours degree in Accounting & Finance and have subsequently qualified as a chartered accountant. Prior to starting at BU in 2000, he was an equity analyst and arbitrageur at a major European investment bank.

Spencer's research interests lie within the field of equity arbitrage, particularly surrounding mergers and acquisitions.

View Spencer Barnett's staff profile

Dr Phyllis Alexander - Principal Academic

Dr Ishmael Tingbani - Lecturer in Management Accounting

Ishmael has had over 10 years’ banking and consultancy experience in the banking sector, specialising in credit risk and stress test analysis regarding counterparty credit OTC exposures; utilising value at risk (VaR) methodologies for various assets classes. His research interests lie in the fields of Sustainable Finance and Clean Growth, Development Finance, Corporate Finance, Risk Management and Financial Resilience.

View Dr Ishmael Tingbani's staff profile

Dr Nikolaos Papanikolaou - Senior Lecturer in Accounting & Finance

Nikolaos’s research interests lie at the intersection of economics and finance. Nikolaos has established a concrete portfolio of teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and has been awarded twice for his exceptional teaching performance. Alongside with his academic activity, Nikolaos has worked as a consultant, credit officer,and financial advisor in the financial services industry.

View Dr Nikolaos Papanikolaou's staff profile

Course changes

Changes in 2016

Date	Changes to this course
14/6/2016	Where the change was made: Key facts and 2018 entry requirements Change: 2018 entry requirements have changed to: A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in a required subject, or equivalent. Previous text:A Bachelors Honours degree, 2:1 in Accounting/Finance/Economics or equivalent. We may consider a degree with elements of finance, accounting or economics e.g. Business & Finance.

What our students say

Diana Giuliana

The course has taught me to be better in group work and communicate with other nationalities which is very important for companies which should enhance my employability.

Hear from our staff

Professor Steve Letza

The postgraduate framework consists of a number of elements at the heart of which are the Finance subjects themselves but around that sits a number of related topics.