MSc Finance

• International Corporate Finance: The aims of this unit are to address the importance of the corporate finance function in an internationally diverse corporation and to offer a framework for assisting corporate decision makers in a complex, dynamic and inherently uncertain external environment.
• Statistics and Data Analytics: You will develop knowledge of the statistical processes, techniques and ideas used in the collection, presentation, analysis and interpretation of the data that are common in finance, economics and business.  
• Economics of Money & Financial Markets: Understand and analyse the working of various financial markets, providing you with the tools necessary to analyse and evaluate the factors that drive these markets and the role they play in the wider economy.
• Portfolio Management and Asset Allocation: 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, covering specific issues such as ethical investment strategies.
• Financial Markets and Instruments: This unit offers you a comprehensive understanding of equity and bond valuation techniques from a fund manager's perspective, along with insights into professionally managed funds and investment strategies. It emphasizes empirical research, portfolio strategies, and the critical application of financial instruments, fostering both scholarly knowledge and practical judgment in fund management.
• Dissertation: The dissertation unit aims to provide you with an opportunity to undertake a significant piece of self-managed research in a relevant area of particular interest.

Choose two:

• Derivatives and Alternative Investments:  This unit will equip you with a deep understanding of derivative markets, instruments, and their use in risk management and investment strategies, covering pricing, valuation, and derivative strategies for hedging, speculation, and arbitrage, while also exploring alternative investments for portfolio diversification and risk mitigation.

• Economics of Money and Financial Markets: You will be equipped with the tools to analyse financial markets, such as bond, money, and exchange markets, while also developing your understanding of the financial services sector and monetary policy evaluation.

• Financial Reporting and Analysis: The unit aims to explore the main principles involved in the production of financial statements, outline the theoretical and regulatory framework within which financial accounting operates and provide techniques for the analysis and critical appraisal of corporate financial reporting.

• 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.

You have the option to undertake a 30-week placement at the end of the course, providing an opportunity to apply your acquired knowledge and skills in the workplace. You are required to find your own placement; however, our Careers & Employability Service and your faculty placements office are on hand to support you.

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.

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.

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.

This course selects candidates by looking at their applications. There are no interviews or additional selection activities and therefore we suggest that you make your application stand out from the crowd. For more information, take a look at our post graduate how to apply pages.

Please see our website for the application deadlines. You should apply as early as possible to be considered for your course of choice. If you require a student visa, apply for the visa as soon as you have an unconditional offer and receive your CAS. There may be delays in visa processing in your country and you need to be in Bournemouth ready to study for the start of term.

December and January is one of our busiest application periods and therefore it may take us a little longer to process incoming applications. For courses with a January start date, we recommend submitting your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

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.

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.

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.

The normal requirements for embarking upon this degree are:

• A Bachelors Honours degree with 2:2 in a required subject.
• 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.

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.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

• India: Bachelor’s degree (three years) from a recognised HE institution with a minimum overall result of 55%  
• Nigeria: Bachelor's degree from a recognised institution with a minimum classification of 2:4  
• China: Chinese Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with 65% or above  
• Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0  
• Ghana: Bachelor's degrees from University of Ghana or Legon with a grade of 2.00 or above, or from Cape Coast with a grade 2.5 or above  
• USA: US Bachelor’s degree (four years), with a 2.5 GPA or above  

All applications will be subject to a minimum grade and your degree may need to be in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

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 5.5 in writing, 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.

After completion of this course typical job roles can include:

• Financial advisor
• Financial analyst
• Financial Consultant
• Finance Manager
• Financial Risk Assessor
• Market Analyst
• Relationship Manager
• Trader of Financial Assets.

• Finance advice
• Banking
• Investment
• Multi-national corporations.

As you progress through the course, selecting option units and setting up your placement – should you choose to complete one – will help you establish the exact career path you want to follow, and the context in which you want to put your studies to use.

If you want to continue your studies after achieving your Master’s, you can look into our range of doctoral programmes.

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:

• 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.
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• 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.
• Disability and additional learning support.
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team.

Additional costs

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:

• Laptops, Tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• 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 shop stocks a wide range of stationery supplies.
• Accommodation and living costs. Please visit our website for more information.
• Travel costs for optional field trips, outdoor wear and footwear for mandatory and optional field trips (if applicable).
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• Travel costs to and from your placement (both in the UK and overseas). Information about funding your placement year can be found on our website.
• Clothing or equipment costs required for your placement if this is part of your course of study.
• SportBU membership.

While all aspects of the programme, including required field trips, are included in the fee, additional, optional or extra curricula activities may be available for which a student contribution is required.

If you need to repeat one or more units during the course of your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full time fee.

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries to eligible students who are beginning their studies at BU. Please visit www.bournemouth.ac.uk/funding for details on living costs, budgeting and paying your tuition fees.

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable 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.

Dr. Tuan Vu brings a wealth of experience to Bournemouth University's Accounting, Finance, and Economic Department as a Senior Lecturer. With a background in Accounting and Finance, Dr. Tuan earned his PhD and graduated from the University of Exeter, where he contributed his expertise to various modules in the same field.

As a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder, Dr. Tuan exemplifies a commitment to excellence in the global finance industry. His expertise extends to diverse roles, reflecting his dedication to maintaining high standards of proficiency and professionalism.

Recognized for his contributions to higher education, Dr. Tuan Vu holds the esteemed title of Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Dr. Tuan Vu's current research interests include:

1. Accounting information and stock markets (including value relevance and decision usefulness).

2. Financial reporting of corporate pension schemes.

3. Pension Scheme and Corporate Governance.

4. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting.

Dr. Tuan Vu is also a certified sustainability professional by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), underscoring his commitment to promoting sustainable business practices and responsible management.

Currently, Dr. Tuan Vu leads and teaches a range of subjects, including Introduction to Accounting, Financial Reporting, Asset Valuation, Corporate Reporting, Corporate Finance, Corporate Social Responsibility & Environmental Reporting, and Sustainable Regional Development. His passion for education and depth of knowledge enriches the learning experience for students.

Dermot's 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.

Dr Spencer Barnett graduated from Bournemouth University in 2003 with a first-class honours degree in Accounting & Finance and has subsequently qualified as a chartered accountant.

Prior to starting at BU in 2000, Spencer was an equity analyst and arbitrageur at a major European investment bank.

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

Dr Peter Howard-Jones is a senior lecturer and post-doctoral research assistant at Bournemouth University, having gained a Ph.D. in August 2019 with a thesis entitled “The Influence of the Washington Consensus Programme on the Transitional Economies of Eastern Europe – a firm level microeconomic analysis”.

Recipient of the 2021 European Association of Economic Studies prize for the best PhD thesis. Teaching experience across a range of subjects with positive student feedback referencing an ability to provide a personal historical perspective to theory and contemporary events. A Retired multinational Chairman, CEO and management consultant, skilled in Negotiation, Business Strategy and Planning, Business Transformation, Management, and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A). Extensive International experience, particularly in Europe and South East Asia, in the profitable development of both food and non-food multinational fast-moving consumer goods and OEM engineering companies.

Peter’s research interests and thought leadership include The impact of the Washington Consensus Programme on the economic and institutional development of the former Soviet Union with particular emphasis on the new European Union member states of Eastern Europe. His recent research studies explore the performance effects of firms in relation to productivity, profitability and finance availability. Peter has made a particular impact with a Ph.D. thesis entitled “The Influence of the Washington Consensus Programme on the Transitional Economies of Eastern Europe – a firm level microeconomic analysis” which received the 2021 European Association of Comparative Economic studies prize for the PhD, in the unanimous opinion of the award jury, has the greatest potential to impact the field of comparative economic studies in the future.