Structure and Content
You take four taught modules in the autumn, from September to December, and four more taught modules in the spring, from February to May. You will then write a dissertation in the summer, from June to August. In the autumn semester all students take the following modules:
Economics for Business and Finance: This module introduces economics as a discipline. It focuses on aspects most relevant to later modules in the programme and to a career in banking and finance.
Banking and Financial Institutions: Students will be introduced to the core principles of money, the financial system, financial institutions and financial instruments.
Corporate Finance: This module analyses the major decision areas of corporate finance – how to raise funds and how to invest them. It examines both the theory and the practice of corporate financial decision-making and the interaction between decision-making and capital market behaviour.
Quantitative Methods in Finance: This provides students with the key statistical concepts, methods and computing skills which are necessary to fully understand modern banking and finance operations.
In the spring semester you will take one more compulsory module:
Modern Banking: This module analyses the theory of modern banking firms. The topic covers the theoretical foundation of the banking industry, banking risks and risk management, structure-conduct-performance, competition and bank efficiency.
In the spring semester you will also take three optional modules chosen from:
Financial modelling and forecasting: This provides students with the theory and practice of econometric modelling of financial decisions and markets. Students will learn most recent tools required to model non-stationary time series and compute forecasts from financial econometric models.
Law of banking and finance: This introduces the core legal aspects of banking and finance, financial regulation in the UK and at international level.
Mergers and Acquisitions: This provides an understanding of the finance, accounting and economics aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and other forms of corporate restructuring.
Derivatives: This provides an understanding of options, forwards, futures and the foreign exchange markets. It emphasises the principles underlying the valuation of derivative securities, including valuation of forward and futures contracts, swaps and options and provides an introduction to the working of the foreign exchange market and the instruments traded on it.
Investments and Portfolio Management: This provides an understanding of security valuation and portfolio management, focusing on equities and fixed-interest securities. It emphasises the principles underlying the valuation of bonds and stocks; and
discusses the management of equity and bond portfolios, including the application of active and passive portfolio management strategies.
International Corporate Finance: This examines key areas of finance in an international environment. It focuses on: the foreign exchange market; the relationship between exchange, interest and inflation rates; foreign exchange risk and its management; and the use of derivatives in international finance.
Dissertation:
In the summer you will complete a dissertation on a programme-related topic approved by the Programme Director.
Delivery and Assessment
Modules are taught by a combination of lectures and small group teaching, in the form of seminars, workshops or computing labs. Assessment in most modules includes coursework, often a mid-semester test, and an end-of-semester examination. Resit examinations are available.
Timetable
Contact the School for information on your timetable and reading lists.