MSc Finance

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Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions, Sandwich (Thick) out of college.

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Accredited by:

This progression course is delivered by the Business School, which has AACSB accreditation in recognition of our focus on excellence in all areas. It’s something that fewer than 5% of business schools worldwide have achieved, so you can be sure you’re in good hands.

If you have a background in finance or a related discipline and want to pursue a career in financial analysis, financial management or investment, this course will help you develop the exact skills you need. It covers the most recent developments in the financial industry including FinTech, Big Data, derivatives and risk management.

As the finance industry stands on the brink of serious disruption from technological developments such as digital currencies and the widespread use of Big Data, you’ll be perfectly placed to fill the skills gap that so many organisations currently face.

Delivered by a blend of theory and practice, the course offers core units that will develop your quantitative skills and your ability to analyse financial data and understand financial instruments, financial economics and investment management. What’s more, there are also a range of optional units that enable you to tailor your learning towards your intended career path or areas of specific interest.

An optional 30-week placement can help increase your employability even further. The placement will help increase your employability even further. You can opt to take your placement in the UK or overseas, and in fact many large financial firms are located within Bournemouth.

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

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Key information

Next start date:

September 2019, January 2020, September 2020, January 2021

Location:

Bournemouth University, Lansdowne Campus

Duration:

September: 1 year full-time. January: 16 months full-time, 2 years with optional 30-week work placement

Accreditations:

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Required subjects:

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

Entry requirements:

A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in a required subject or equivalent

International entry requirements:

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.
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.
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.
Portfolio Construction & Theory: This unit aims to provide you with the necessary theoretical background for the application of portfolio selection and how to apply modern portfolio theory to investment management, coving specific issues such as ethical investment strategies.
Research Project: 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.

Option units

Choose two

Derivatives: Understand the principles and practical aspects of derivatives investment and risk management, focusing on the conceptual and analytical aspects of derivatives.
Big Data in Business & Finance: In this unit, you will develop your knowledge and skills in the evolving areas of Data Modelling and Big Data Analytics as it applies to business and finance, learning to deal with data of high volume, high velocity and high variety.
Fintech: Focusing on the interaction between finance and technology, this unit covers how the economy has been affected by the new digital era, characterised by technologically-enabled innovations in the provision of financial services.
Risk Management: The focus of this unit is on the key principles and theories that underpin investment decisions, such as the main characteristics of portfolios (stocks and bonds) and how to calculate their risk.

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.

Optional work placement

The placement is intended to foster personal and professional development, and to help you to make a connection between academic learning and the working world.

You should consider how a range of financial theories can be used in practice to improve investment and financial management decision-making. The transferable skills developed will improve your performance in your future career in financial analysis and portfolio management.

Normally you will complete semester one and two of your programme at BU, before undertake the 30 weeks of work experience. You will then return to BU to complete your final dissertation.

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.

Placements

An exciting and valuable part of your studies with us is the opportunity to gain valuable experience through full-time paid industrial placements, for a minimum of 30 weeks. You will have the option to start your placement when the taught units of the course are finished, before the dissertation.

Find out more about placements for postgraduate students

What support is available?

We provide a lot of support for you to help you find work, including a block of seminars, covering topics such as writing a CV and a covering letter, completing an application form, performing well in interviews, and we also provide language support to assist you with the written elements of your applications.

However, it is ultimately your responsibility to find work. The university does not guarantee that you will find a place.

During your time on placement you will be supported by a unit tutor and a placement development advisor who will visit you on placement and keep in touch by phone and email.

International students

If you choose to do a placement as part of your course:

If you have previously studied in the UK, we will consider any study limit that may apply. We will issue your CAS according to the length of time you are entitled to under UKVI regulations (if you do not have enough time left for a work placement year, we will issue your CAS to cover your course dates only).

If you decide after you have enrolled on your course that you do not want to do a placement, this will be reported to the UKVI when you have successfully completed your course.

If you choose not to do a placement as part of your course:

We will note this on your CAS and your visa will only be granted long enough to cover your taught course, excluding placement.

If you change your mind while you are here and decide you want to do a placement, you will need to leave the UK to make a new Tier 4 visa application for the additional year of study. You would need to pay for your return travel back to your home country, as well as the cost of a new Tier 4 student visa application.

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

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you 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.

Careers

Our finance courses are industry focused. 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 Programme 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

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

Professor George Filis – Professor of Financial Economics

George is Professor of Financial Economics. His main teaching interests include money, banking and financial economics. His main research interests include energy economics, financial economics, business cycles and tourism economics. Over the last few years his research has focused on the modelling and forecasting of oil prices and oil price volatility. However, he is also interested in the effects of oil prices shocks in the economy and the stock market.

View Professor George Filis' staff profile

Dr Marta Disegna – Senior Lecturer in Statistics & Econometrics

Marta specialises in the statistical and econometric analysis of the consumer behaviour with particular focus on the tourism, environment, and food sectors. In particular, she has extensively studied and adopted non-overlapping and fuzzy algorithms for market segmentation, censored regression models for the analysis of expenditure behaviour and willingness to pay or donate.

View Dr Marta Disegna's staff profile

Dr Anna Hillingdon – Associate Professor

Course changes

Changes for 2019 entry

Date	Changes to this course
25/2/2019	Where the change was made: course overview and course content Change: The Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI) are no longer allowing universities to offer the Chartered Wealth Management qualification. Therefore we will no longer be able to offer this particular qualification alongside your degree.
25/04/2019	Where the change was made: course overview and course content Change: Following a course review the course overview and unit content has been revised and updated for September 2019 onwards as well as the addition of an optional 30-week work placement. The previous content can be found in the programme specification.

Changes for 2016 entry

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.