MSc International Finance (with Internship)

Program Overview

MSc International Finance at London South Bank University prepares students for careers in finance through a focus on international operations and markets. The program combines theoretical knowledge and practical application, including a mandatory internship module. Graduates are highly sought after by financial institutions, regulatory agencies, and credit rating agencies, both in the UK and internationally. The program also provides opportunities for professional examinations and collaborations with international institutions.

Program Outline

MSc International Finance (with Internship) - London South Bank University

Degree Overview:

MSc International Finance is designed for individuals working or aspiring to work in finance or accounting. The program provides an academic qualification in domestic and international financial operations, addressing current challenges and issues facing global financial institutions and markets.

Objectives:

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of international financial operations and their complexities.
• Develop theoretical knowledge and practical application of principles in investment, banking, and finance.
• Enhance research skills to identify and analyze problems/questions within the field.

Description:

The program links theory and practice through intensive, selective, and expert-oriented modules with a strong business focus. It offers a wide range of modules to cater to individual interests, focusing on financial markets, analysis and management of financial intermediaries, their interaction with financial instruments, investment, and risk management.

Key Features:

• Joint 2nd in Accounting and Finance for career prospects among London universities (Guardian University League Tables 2020).
• Strong emphasis on employability, providing individualized learning experiences to develop skills and aspirations for employment, further study, or entrepreneurship.
• Top 5 for satisfaction with teaching in Accounting and Finance among London universities (Guardian University League Tables 2020) and No 7 for overall score in Accounting and Finance among UK universities (Guardian University League Tables 2020).
• Focus on internationalization, fostering a multicultural community of students and staff through international alliances and partnerships.
• Strong research and enterprise focus, connecting teaching and research to the real world through commercial activities and social enterprise.
• Highly practical program with a significant emphasis on learning Bloomberg software and developing practical skills in a real-world environment.
• Includes a residential weekend focused on personal development and in-depth learning, allowing students to exchange experiences and discuss current events and specific problems affecting financial markets and institutions with academics and industry practitioners.

Outline:

Program Structure:

• Full-time program with two duration options: 27 months (January start) and 1 year (September start).
• Includes a mandatory 20-credit internship module (instead of two 10-credit optional modules).

Modules:

• Creativity, Enterprise, and Innovation: Focuses on creative thinking, problem-solving, and developing entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial skills.
• Curiosity, Creativity, and Research: Introduces students to the research process, the researcher's mindset, and the concept of creativity in research.
Students identify potential topics for their practice-based dissertation and explore them using creative thinking techniques.
• Research in Action: Focuses on the nature, approaches, methods, tools, and techniques of research within relevant business disciplines.
Develops skills and knowledge required for Master's level research, emphasizing improvement of business processes and practices.
• Management Consultancy in a Global Environment: Develops professional consultancy skills by studying organizational structure and culture, situational analysis and diagnosis, communication strategies for consulting, and group dynamics.
Focuses on developing business research, client handling, and project management skills.
• Empirical Finance: Focuses on modern econometric methodology for dealing with problems in finance, providing students with econometric tools applied in the field.
Applies mathematics, statistics, and econometrics to analyze financial data and model underlying financial and/or economic conditions.
• Corporate Financial Management: Covers the theory and techniques of making value-maximizing investment and financing decisions based on key factors such as cash, risk, and time.
Incorporates the study of the economic environment and addresses specialized areas such as profit distribution, mergers and acquisitions, working capital management, and international financial management.
• Financial Risk Management: Investigates how different financial risks (e.g., market risk, credit risk) can be managed in the context of global financial markets, technological revolution, and the recent financial crisis.
• International Financial Markets: Provides a thorough understanding of international financial markets and the quantitative techniques used to value financial securities.
Covers topics such as global financial markets and their structures, quantitative techniques for valuing financial securities, determinants of interest rates and its term structure, and an introduction to derivatives and risk management.
• Capstone Business Project: An independent research project that draws upon students' skills and knowledge gained throughout the program, enabling them to apply learning to a scenario that adds value to an organization and creates real-world impact.
• Internship: Provides students with valuable work experience in a relevant business area, allowing them to apply accounting and finance theory to contemporary business practice.
Students are supported in finding internships by the Employment Team.

Assessment:

• Modules are assessed through a mix of coursework, individual and group presentations, and written exams.
• A typical 20-credit taught module involves a total of 200 study hours (52 contact hours and 148 group and private study hours).
• The use of Bloomberg is embedded within modules.

Teaching:

• The program utilizes a variety of teaching methods, including workshops, seminars, case studies, and student-led discussions, to facilitate active learning.
• Students receive training in the use of Bloomberg, Thomson-One Banker, and specialist software (SPSS and N-Vivo) during seminar sessions and in the development of assignments and the dissertation/Business Project.
• The program features a personal tutoring system tailored to individual and group needs, with allocated personal tutors available for 1:1 and group sessions.
• A dedicated "Talk" room provides confidential 1:1 pastoral care meetings with a personal tutor available every day of the academic semester from 9am to 8pm.

Careers:

• Graduates are highly employable in trading and analyst positions in finance, banking, and investment, both in the UK and internationally.
• Career opportunities exist in major international companies, financial institutions, regulatory agencies, credit rating agencies, and financial consultant firms.
• The optional placement in a relevant business area enhances employability skills and enables students to apply accounting and finance theory to contemporary business practice.
• The program prepares students for professional examinations of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), CIMA, ICAEW, and CISI, depending on the electives chosen.

Other:

• The program features collaboration agreements with Auston Institute of Management (Singapore and Sri Lanka) and Pole Universitaire Leonard de Vinci (Paris).
• The Department regularly invites guest speakers to give lectures, hold events, and conferences with industry experts.
• LSBU Business School is a member institution of the Business Graduates Association (BGA), providing students with access to BGA's individual membership, which offers a range of tools and resources for professional and personal development.
• The School has achieved Centre of Excellence status from the IoEE (Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs) in recognition of its entrepreneurial culture and leading-edge practice.