Finance Degree BSc (Hons)

The first year is common across all three of our finance courses, with students from the various disciplines studying together. This provides our students with strong foundation to financial markets, banking, economics and quantitative methods. You will also gain an understanding of the tools used in applied investment analysis and enhance your mathematical, statistical and computing skills.

Students in year 1 will take 8 core modules which have a total credit value of 120 credits.

Core modules:

• Banking and financial institutions

  This module looks at key functions of banking firm.  The emphasis is on what differentiates banks from other financial institutions, as well as the information problems inherent in the banking industry.  Participants will understand why financial intermediaries exist and their role/impact on the global economy.

• Finance and investment

  This module is an introductory course providing participants with a basic understanding of the financial analysis role in decision-making.  More specifically, this module provides a basic level of the core principles of corporate finance, financial markets and investments.

• Introductory financial accounting

  This module focuses on the interpretation and use of financial accounting information as part of the effective operation of a business.  Moreover it looks at the principles that underlie financial accounting, the application of these principles in recording transactions and the preparation of financial statements.

• Macroeconomics

  This module looks at the macro aspects of economics such as market growth/cycles, measurement of aggregate activity, basic demand side models of GDP determination, aggregate demand/supply, money in the economy, the transmission mechanism of monetary policy, fiscal policy and the public sector, balance of payments, FOREX and international trade.

• Mathematics for finance

  This module provides an introduction to the basic mathematical techniques used in finance to aid decision making, with illustrations to the relevant problems in finance.  It gives you the mathematical foundations that are necessary in your second year Finance and Financial Econometrics courses.

• Microeconomics

  This module looks at the micro aspects of economics such as resource allocation, demand-supply and price, consumer demand, production and costs, oligopoly versus monopoly, as well as the roots of market failure/success.

• Statistics for finance

  This module provides an underpinning and understanding of the basic statistical techniques used in finance to aid decision making. It delivers the statistical foundations necessary for the more advanced finance modules.

• Critical Thinking and Business Skills

  This module aims to provide you with an underpinning and understanding of a portfolio of key skills required in the business world to assist you in your academic study and prepare you for your ensuing professional career.

The first half of your second year continues to be consistent across all three finance courses, to further develop your theoretical knowledge of finance, investment and accounting.  You also study econometrics, which forms the basis of modelling and testing in finance.

Hence, you will gain a good understanding of the relationship between financial theory and empirical testing, and application of this knowledge to the appraisal of the empirical evidence in corporate finance and capital markets.

In year 2 Students are required to take 6 core modules and 2 elective modules. The two elective modules chosen from a wide range, allow you to focus on areas relevant to your own interests and career aspirations, such as investment, finance and risk, accounting and real estate- enabling you to appreciate the usefulness of quantitative finance in today’s financial markets.

* At least 30 credits (two modules) attained in years 2 and 3 together must come from electives that are specifically relevant to the BSc in Finance. These modules are marked with an asterisk, and include the Final Year project.

Core modules:

• Corporate finance and valuation

  This module presents core corporate finance material, including topics such as company valuation and investment appraisal and examining questions including how should a firm set its dividend policy, from which sources should a company raise capital and how should companies decide on their acquisition strategy.

• Derivatives

  The module aims to build on the earlier Introduction to Finance module and applies finance theories and models to derivative securities with the aim of understanding the characteristics of derivatives, the use of derivatives, and their pricing.

• Financial econometrics

  This module aims to introduce participants to the fundamental econometric tools for empirical modelling, accustom them with applying these tools to estimation, statistical inference, and forecasting in financial markets; as well as to develop the necessary skills to critically interpret the results of such analysis.

• Intermediate financial accounting

  The course aims to develop a wider breadth of accounting knowledge and the ability to understand accounting information in the context of recognised accounting standards and prevailing legal requirements.

• Company Valuation

  The main objective of this module is to provide the fundamentals for the valuation of publicly quoted and privately owned companies.

• Corporate Risk Management

  The course aims to provide a sound understanding of the basic principles of risk management within the enterprise. The primary emphasis will be on managing different kinds of risks that modern enterprises face through their international operations.

Elective modules:

• Portfolio Theory & Investment Valuation *

• Asset management

• International Banking

• Bank risk management

• Intermediate financial accounting 2 *

• Risk analysis and modelling

• Fundamentals of Management Accounting

• The Role of Environmental, Social and Governance in Banking and Finance

• Machine Learning for Finance

• Programming in Python

The third year develops your knowledge of corporate finance, governance, and international finance to an advanced level. You will also select five or six electives which will allow you to extend your knowledge of finance and the applications of mathematical models, enhance your understanding of the role of financial markets or focus on areas such as investment or accounting. As a result, you will be able to demonstrate a good knowledge of the major theoretical tools and theories of finance, and their relevance and application to theoretical and practical problems, their assumptions and weaknesses, and ability to propose alternatives.

In year 3 Students are required to take 3 core modules and 5 elective modules (totaling 120 credits). Students with an average grade of less than 65 must do the Final Year Applied research project alongside two core and five elective modules. Students with an average grade of move than 65 may opt instead to take the Final Year Project alongside two core and four elective modules.

* At least 30 credits (two modules) attained in years 2 and 3 together must come from electives that are specifically relevant to the BSc in Finance. These modules are marked with an asterisk, and include the Final Year project.

Core modules:

• Corporate Restructuring

  This course examines several types of corporate reorganisations: mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, spin-offs, and divestitures, as well as reorganisations in financial distress situations through private workouts and bankruptcy. Particular emphasis is placed on linking conceptual tools and institutional environments to real business decisions.

• Alternative Investments and Private Equities

  The Private Equity (PE) and Alternative Asset sectors have grown substantially over recent years. They now constitute a significant proportion of mainstream investor portfolios.

  Private equity funds control trillions of US Dollars of investment. The wider Alternative Asset sector includes other important asset classes such as venture capital, hedge funds, private debt, infrastructure, natural resources, art and collectibles. Most of these sectors have also been growing. Thus, while alternative assets used to be regarded as a niche area, they have become increasingly mainstream.

  These newer asset classes differ from listed equities in important respects: for example they have much lower liquidity and valuations is often harder. They also tend to be less regulated than traditional equity markets, and the risks involved can be very different.

  For all these reasons, an understanding of PE and alternative markets has become steadily more important for investment professionals. The objective of this module is to provide students with such understanding, very helpful to those seeking employment in the modern asset management industry.

Elective modules:

• Final year project *

• Banking regulation

• Financial services regulation

• Monetary economics

• Fixed income portfolio management

• International finance

• Advanced financial accounting: Theory and practice

• Asset liability management

• Bank strategy and management

• Emerging markets

• Financial engineering *

• Real estate finance and funding

• General insurance

• Advanced Econometrics and Forecasting

• Micro-placements**

• Integrated Professional Training*

• Summer Internship*

• Advanced Machine Learning for Finance

• Fintech in Banking and Finance

**Please note, you must apply in your second year.