BA (Hons) Finance

Find out more about Changes at Stirling, including how you'll be taught, start dates and how we're making campus safer.

Study Finance at the University of Stirling and discover why we're ranked in the top 5 universities in Scotland for Accounting and Finance and Top 20 in the UK (The Complete University Guide 2021). 

Rooted in cutting-edge research and shaped by the latest developments in finance theory and practice, this course will give you a comprehensive understanding of how stock markets work, how companies reduce foreign exchange risk, why corporate governance matters and why financial crises occur. As you study, you’ll gain a thorough grounding in the theoretical and analytical skills needed for a career in corporate finance, investment management or financial services.

Your studies in Finance can also be combined with one of four complementary subjects, including our industry-accredited Accountancy course. Graduating with an Accountancy and Finance degree from Stirling means you’ll be granted significant exemptions from professional exams when the time comes to kick-start your career. 

Finance at Stirling is ranked among the best courses of its kind in the country and has a 88% student satisfaction rating (National Student Survey 2020), making it the perfect starting point for a world of exciting opportunities.

Amplify Trading Boot Camp

Students on the BA Finance or studying a combined degree with Finance have the opportunity to participate in this innovative week-long global financial trading and training boot camp run by our partner Amplify. The Boot Camp won the CFA Institute Innovative Delivery of Education (IDEA) global award and gives you the chance to trade futures contracts on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. By letting you trade in real time, but with virtual money, the boot camp bridges the gap between an academic understanding of financial markets and how they function in practice.

Student Managed Investment Fund

Our students have established a Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), with support of our academics within the Accounting and Finance Division. The SMIF allows you to gain practical experience of managing investments. A student-led project, it will help you to enhance your employability before you graduate – giving you exceptional practical understanding of theoretical aspects of investment valuation. Particular emphasis is placed on the principles of responsible investment, including the use of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria when selecting stocks. Find out more about the Student Managed Investment Fund, the regular guest speakers and how you can get involved at the SMIF website.

You can study Finance as a four-year single honours degree or take it in conjunction with one of four other subjects to earn a combined honours degree. In the first three semesters you will study the core modules in Finance, Accounting and Economics, and two other subjects per semester. Semesters 4-8 cover core advanced modules, including Mergers and Acquisitions, International Finance, and Financial Analysis. You can also choose further advanced modules in Accounting and Finance from a list of electives or from those required by the particular degree course you are following.

What jobs can you get with a Finance degree?

Good Finance courses give you a firm grasp of the theoretical and analytical skills needed for a career in business and the financial sector. Many major decisions taken by companies are based on the kind of the knowledge and professional judgement you’ll develop during your degree at Stirling, and we seek to give you every advantage in the job market – not only through the content you study, but also via our range of specialist career services.

Find out more about how we prepare you for the world of work.

• More than 95% of all undergraduates were in employment or further study fifteen months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2020, HESA)
• Tailor your degree toward a specific career by selecting a combined course.
• Combine Accountancy and Finance for an industry-certified degree that grants professional exam exemptions.

Following your studies in finance you’ll be well positioned to pursue careers across the whole spectrum of business. Roles related directly to your degree include:

• financial analyst for a fund management institution
• dealer on the stock exchange
• financial planner
• investment banker
• financial market regulator

Finance graduates from Stirling are applying their skills in a range of jobs all over the world – from the UK and Ireland to Japan, Canada and beyond. Recent Stirling graduates have started their careers in some of the following roles:

• Inland Revenue Officer, HMRC
• Customer Relationship Advisor, Santander
• Commercial Strategy Analyst, Virgin Atlantic 

Other graduates have forged careers in the following positions:

• Senior Analyst, Lloyds Banking Group
• Senior Partner, Clydesdale Bank plc
• Security Analyst, Tsubasa Securities
• Group Financial Controller, Melrose Resources Plc