MSc Banking and Finance

This programme for students or professionals focuses on the areas of finance which have a major practical and theoretical interest such as: investment analysis, corporate and investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, derivatives and finance microstructure and taxation.

We expect our graduates of this programme to pursue careers in the City, Government or elsewhere in the private banking or financial sector. Examples include: Asset Managers, Financial Advisors, Financial Analyst, Commercial Banking Manager

Unique features of this course are:

• The programme brings the latest advances in applied research
• Professional exam exemption.  Students applying to the Chartered Institute for the Securities and Investment (CISI) Masters in Wealth Management programme are entitled to apply for exemption from the first module - Financial Markets. (link to CISI page)
• Tuition from visiting 'practitioner' professors who apply theory to real world scenarios (provide link to teaching)
• High rate of employment of our students within 6 months after their graduation

This MSc will provide you with expertise in the main components of commercial and investment banking and the changing structure of the international financial industry.

Meet the Course Director

Course structure

Teaching

Our faculty members are distinguished research economists who publish in the profession's most influential journals and advise major institutions such as the World Bank and the Bank of England.

Teaching staff include: Giles Spungin, (Goldman Sachs as a quantity auditor), Jesse McDougall and Patrick Boyle (Portfolio Managers of a proprietary, quantitatively-driven asset management strategy for Liquid Capital Markets), and Gerry Perez who has been in the financial markets for more than 23 years.

Course structure

Those registering for the MSc in Banking and Finance take four core modules in the first semester and two core modules plus two options in the second semester. In order to reflect the practical and applied side of this programme the School organises a number of extra optional modules that aim to provide further practical training to students, whose subject matter changes from year to year.

A number of the modules are taught by City practitioners, who provide an insider’s view on topics of interest to the financial community.

Please note that this course is a full time course only

Programme brochure

pub8600-banking-finance-brochure-update-v1-2.pdf

Module options

The specialist modules allow students to tailor the course curriculum to their specific needs and career choices.

• Financial Derivatives
• Empirical Finance
• Behavioural Finance
• International Finance
• Applied Risk Management
• Principles of Accounting
• Applied Futures and Options
• Further Quantitative Techniques in Economics and Finance

The pre-semester modules in maths and statistics take place in September. They are especially designed for students who want to review concepts such as statistical distributions and matrix algebra.

Read about the module options in detail

Assessment

A written examination is taken in May for each course unit. Some units may also include assessed coursework. You will also produce a 10,000-word dissertation over the summer, which includes both theoretical banking content and applied results.

Entry requirements

You should have at least a good second class honours degree, or equivalent. This doesn't have to be in Economics, though it is preferable and some background in quantitative subjects is necessary. Students are expected to attend intensive pre-sessional statistics and mathematics modules in September.

For international students, please refer to our International Students section. [new window]

How to apply

Further information

For further information please contact

Sarah Riley
Finance MScs Programme Manager
Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 8848
Email: s.riley@qmul.ac.uk

For informal academic enquiries, please contact

Dr Leone Leonida
Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 8833
email: l.leonida@qmul.ac.uk

View the brochure online