The benefit of this MSc is that you don't need to decide on an area of focus until you arrive. Once you are here you can experience some of the core courses in Semester 1 and from there decide which area you would like to tailor your studies to. Alternatively you can opt not to focus on any one area. Our goal is to give you flexibility to tailor your studies to your career ambitions.
This programme runs for one academic year, starting in mid-September and ending in August. At the start of the programme, you study compulsory courses, which are undertaken in semester one. These are the foundation upon which the whole MSc is built and ensure a common basis of knowledge across the different areas.
A comprehensive Welcome Week provides an introduction to the programme, the School, and the University. Designed to be both informative and fun, it enables you to get acquainted with your classmates.
Through the selection of various option courses, you can tailor your studies towards your career interests.
Finally, your MSc dissertation brings all of the year’s learning together in a piece of work unique to you.
To give you an idea of what the programme structure and courses might consist of, the below information details the structure and courses for this programme in 2024/25.
Semester 1
September–December
Semester 2
January–May
Compulsory course
Option courses*
Choose 2 to 4
- Behavioural Finance
- Blockchain, Governance and Policy
- Climate Change and Capital Markets
- Equity Valuation
- Financial Engineering
- Fixed Income
- Investment Management
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Research in Corporate Finance
- Responsible Investing
Please Note: Some courses have pre-requisites and some also have co-requisites.
Summer
May–August
*We will notify applicants of any changes to the programme structure and courses by 15 June in the year of entry to the course. We cannot guarantee that all option courses will run each year and occasionally there will be last minute amendments after this date due to unforeseen circumstances such as staff illness.
The content of individual courses and the programme for any given degree are under constant academic review in light of current circumstances and may change from time to time, with some programmes and courses being modified, discontinued, or replaced.
Due to high demand we cannot guarantee students a place on the optional course of their preference. Equally, if there is not enough interest in a given year for an option course then it may not be viable for us to run that particular option course. Some combinations of option courses may not be possible due to scheduling constraints.
Core and elective courses
Full programme details, including all available core and elective courses can be found on the University Degree Programme Tables website.
Finance Degree Programme Table
Past dissertations
Find out what topics past students have researched by browsing a selection of dissertation summaries by our postgraduates: