MSc Finance

Serious disruption is occurring within the financial industry with digital tech and Big Data, this progression course will provide you with advanced financial skills required to thrive in an evolving financial environment.

Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions, Full-time with placement

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Why study MSc Finance at BU?

Advance your financial knowledge with our progression course, suitable for individuals with a background in finance or a related discipline
Benefit from a blended learning experience, with combined teaching elements of theory and practice
Tailor your learning and study areas of interest by choosing from our range of option units, bringing you closer to your future career
Undertake a significant piece of self-managed research in an area that interests you in relation to your course
Study relevant and up-to-date developments in the financial industry including FinTech, Big Data, derivatives and risk management
Enhance your employability with an optional 30-week placement overseas or in the UK, with Bournemouth being home to many large financial companies such as J.P.Morgan and Barclays.

Find out more about the content of this course.

Course accreditation

This course is delivered by the AACSB-accredited Business School, an accreditation attained by fewer than 5% of business schools worldwide. It recognises our focus on excellence in all areas.

Discover more about the BU Business School and explore our campus

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Next start date:

January 2023, September 2023, January 2024, September 2024

Location:

Bournemouth University, Lansdowne Campus (with additional activities on Talbot Campus)

Duration:

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

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.
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.
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 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, covering 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.
Data Processing and Analytics: The unit aims to develop student knowledge and skills in the evolving areas of Data Modelling, Data Analytics and Big Data Analytics. Students develop an understanding of data design, implementation and use of data-driven systems. Moreover, they learn how to model data and big data, discover knowledge within the data and deal with the dimensionality of the data. Overall, they develop critical understanding of the methodologies and techniques to cope with Data and Big Data, i.e. data of high volume, high velocity and high variety, utilising the appropriate platform (e.g. Hadoop, Storm, Spark, MongoDB).
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.

Placement

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.

Find out more

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.

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.

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, and after 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.
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.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry:

India: Bachelor’s degree (4 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 2:2
Thailand: Thai Bachelor's (Honours) degree from a recognised higher education institution with a minimum GPA of 2.5/4.0
Turkey: Bachelor’s degree (Lisans Diplomasi - four years) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.3/4.0
Vietnam: Bachelor's degree/Bang tot nghiep dai hoc with an average score of 6.5/10, or a Master’s degree/Thac si.

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 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:

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.
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 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 shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.
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.

Repeat units

Financial help available from BU

Deposits

International (not Rep. of Ireland) students need to pay a non-refundable £3,000 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 Anna Hillingdon – Associate Professor & Programme Leader

Anna is currently working in the Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting at Bournemouth University. She teaches quantitative finance (e.g Risk Management, Derivatives, Statistics...). She has led a project for the UNWTO on crisis management, worked as a researcher for NATO on hybrid threats, as a consultant with the World Bank in Washington on reducing fragility and strengthening resilience post-conflict and presented oral evidence to the Parliamentary Committee on hybrid threats. Anna has given numerous interviews for various media outlets throughout the world, and currently reading for a PhD, this time in Economics, with the SOAS University of London.

View Dr Anna Hillingdon's staff profile

Dr Mehdi Chowdhury - Deputy Head of Department

Dr Mehdi Chowdhury is the Deputy Head of Department for Accounting, Finance & Economics in Bournemouth University Business School. Dr Chowdhury joined the School in September 2011 after obtaining his PhD from the School of Economics of the University of Nottingham. He received Masters's degrees in Economics from Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan and the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr Chowdhury worked as a Teaching Assistant in Economics at the Department of Economics of the University of Bristol from 2009-2011.

View Dr Mehdi Chowdhury's profile

Dr Dermot McCarthy - Principal Academic

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.

Visit Dr Dermot McCarthy’s staff profile

Dr Nikolaos Papanikolaou – Senior Lecturer

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

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

Course changes

Changes for 2022 entry

Date	Changes to this course
09/03/2022	Where the change was made: Programme specification Change: Modification to the contact hours in the programme specification of Data processing and analytics unit

Date	Changes to this course
04/04/2022	Where the change was made: Programme Specification Change: The unit Financial Markets has been replaced with International Corporate Finance and the Money & Banking unit has been replaced with Economics of Money & Financial Markets.

Changes for 2021

Date	Changes to this course
17/05/2021	Where the change was made: Course details Change: Programme restructure, completion of dissertation before optional placement year.

Date	Changes to this course
02/07/2021	Where the change was made: Course details Change: The option unit Big Data in Business and Finance has been replaced by Data Processing and Analytics unit.

Changes for 2019

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

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.

Statistics shown throughout this page are taken from Unistats and BU institutional data unless otherwise stated.