Finance (Financial Technology and Banking) MSc

The MSc in Finance (Financial Technology and Banking) focuses on a highly specialised sector of finance that is involved every day in the lives of people and in the decisions and directions taken by businesses and organisations across the globe. It will equip you with the skills and knowledge to work successfully in this vitally important area of finance.<br/><br/>You will learn how to apply state-of-the art analytical skills, technical skills, and research techniques to financial scenarios in a teaching environment that is challenging and rewarding. Learning is designed to reflect our core values of fairness in how we experience the financial world and equality of access to financial services. Leading global financial institutions and businesses and prestigious PhD research programmes all look for such knowledge and experience.<br/><br/>The course comprises a combination of core and optional modules, culminating in a practice-based business project or a research-based dissertation depending on the learning direction you choose.<br/><br/>Through a blend of lectures, seminars, and practical work, you will study an up-to-date range of modules including financial technologies, bank management, specialist finance software, banking and financial intermediation and econometric methods.<br/><br/>The course has partnership status with the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA), the leading global association for investment professionals and the accepted benchmark around the world for technical excellence in financial markets.<br/><br/>The School has made a significant investment in database resources, giving you access to live and historical data from providers including Bloomberg, Capital IQ, Thomson Reuters, DataStream and Orbis. These state-of-the-art databases give you the opportunity to interrogate the financial records of millions of companies worldwide and add valuable insight to your research.<br/><br/>By joining us, you will experience teaching by passionate and dedicated academics who are committed to the study of finance and how it interacts with the everyday lives of individuals and its role within global institutions. Having completed the course, you will be equipped to enjoy a successful career working or researching in finance, banking, or a related discipline.<br/><br/>**Course structure**<br/><br/>**Core modules:**<br/><br/>**Financial Technologies I** features the software, hardware, and innovative algorithmic technologies typically employed by and in financial innovation and is a platform for you to develop further skills in this area.  <br/><br/>**Financial Technologies II** uses examples and case studies based on real financial innovation scenarios and is focused on how financial technologies are built and implemented in practice. This is a practical module that teaches skills related to financial technologies and infrastructures.<br/><br/>**Bank Management** develops your knowledge of key concepts and issues in banking related to the management of lending processes, bank funding structure, liquidity and risk management, and performance measurement. <br/><br/>**Python for Finance** explores general principles and specific techniques of programming in the Python software and its applications in finance, including portfolio management, algorithmic trading, risk management and asset pricing. <br/><br/>**Banking and Financial Intermediation** teaches the key concepts and issues in financial intermediation related to the specificities of banking firms, financial stability and regulation. You will develop an understanding of theoretical and empirical research in financial intermediation and banking and its relevance to contemporary banking issues.<br/><br/>**Econometric Methods** develops the econometric skills necessary for empirical research in economics and/or finance as well as the ability to understand more advanced econometric techniques that will be taught in the second term of the MSc. <br/><br/>**Dissertation**