Financial Economics

The range of electives you can study on the Financial Economics MSc course, as well as the coverage of topics within each of the core areas, reflects the relationship between economic theory, quantitative finance and financial regulation. Both the course design and its delivery draw upon the department's expertise in the areas of economic theory, econometrics, financial theory, financial mathematics, corporate finance and regulatory economics.

One of the most exciting aspects of the course is the unique opportunity to combine exposure to regulatory and policy aspects of finance with a thorough training in theory and quantitative methods.

This MSc course has been designed following extensive consultation with alumni currently employed in a variety of finance sector occupations. It addresses both the theoretical knowledge and the analytical skills required for careers in a broad range of financial and finance-related institutions, not just in the private sector but also in central banks, financial regulatory authorities and finance ministries.

The MSc also provides a solid academic foundation if you wish to pursue doctoral research in financial economics, and guidance is readily available if you are considering further study.

The teaching takes place over 2 terms from September to June. Full-time students who pass all the taught modules during the main exam sessions finish the programme at the end of September when they submit their dissertation or literature review. Full-time students who successfully complete the taught modules in the August resit exam session submit their dissertation or literature review in December.

Note: for part-time students, the modules are taught on weekdays during the daytime, alongside the students who are studying on the full-time Master’s programme. Please contact us for further details.

We are introducing a revised programme structure for students who join from September 2016.

Students take 1 of the following 2 paths:

• Dissertation path: 120 credits from taught modules and 60 credits from a dissertation
• Literature survey path: 150 credits from taught modules and 30 credits from a literature survey

Core modules for the dissertation path:

• Financial Markets (30 credits)
• Econometrics (30 credits)
• Dissertation (60 credits)

Core modules for the literature survey path:

• Financial Markets (30 credits)
• Quantitative Methods (30 credits)
• Literature Survey (30 credits)

Modules in core elective group 1 (all students choose 2 of these):

• Financial Derivatives (15 credits)
• Asset Pricing (15 credits)
• Corporate Finance (15 credits)

Modules in core elective group 2 (all students choose 2 of these):

• Quantitative Finance with Matlab (15 credits)
• International Macroeconomics (15 credits)
• Corporate Investment under Uncertainty (15 credits)

Additional modules for students taking the literature survey path (students choose 2 of these):

• Economics of Regulation and Competition (15 credits)
• The Economics of Micro-Finance (15 credits)
• Economics and Business Strategy (15 credits)
• Other modules from core elective group 1 and core elective group 2

Read the current programme specification (for students starting in 2015).