Keele Management School

Welcome

Welcome to our MSc in Finance at Keele Management School. The MSc in Finance enables students to systematically develop their understanding of the key principles in finance alongside practical skills in financial management.  The programme is designed for students interested in a wide-range of future careers in finance, including analytical and financial management roles in financial institutions, firms and public organisations, and also lays the foundations for an academic career in finance when followed by a PhD. 

The specialist MSc in Finance programme delivers a comprehensive and rigorous treatment of core modern financial theory and quantitative analysis to enable a systematic understanding of a wide-range of modern real world financial applications.  Across the programme, students learn to work confidently with both numerical and qualitative economic and financial business data from industry-standard sources such as the Bloomberg Professional Services Platform and Datastream.

Please use this page to find out about our course, teaching methods and application procedure, and if you have further questions feel free to come back to us and ask.

Course Information

Aims of the Course

At its core the MSc in Finance is designed to develop the analytical and technical skills associated with financial asset pricing and hedging, portfolio management and corporate finance. The flexible programme structure enables students to focus on particular areas of interest while building upon a rigorous treatment of modern financial theory and quantitative analysis.  Together this will enable an understanding of relevant real world financial problems and their efficient solutions.

Successful students will gain:

• A systematic understanding of knowledge in finance.
• A command of analytical techniques, computing and statistical software in the relevant areas of finance.
• Advanced practical skills in using Bloomberg Professional Services Platform and Datastream for the market data extraction and analysis using industry-standard tools
• Increased confidence in the analysis, synthesis and evaluation of financial decision-making problems and their solutions.
• Improved employability through enhanced professional and practical skills.

 Career Destination Information

The course provides students with career related skills and expertise including experience with professional data platforms such as Bloomberg and Datastream. Typical career destinations may include employment in the investment management industry, as a financial officer within a commercial or public organisation, or as a researcher in the area of finance.

Course Structure and Content

The MSc programme starts in September and lasts 12 months. During the first semester (September to January) students take the following four core modules:

In the second semester (January to May) students take the following modules 

Students take a total of eight taught modules.  Each taught module is worth 15-credits with the total credits accumulated from the taught modules equal to 120-credits.

From May to September, students undertake a dissertation in finance, which is worth 60 credits.

Students gaining 120 credits from taught modules and successfully completing the dissertation will be awarded the MSc. Students gaining 120 credits but not proceeding to the dissertation will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma.  Students who do not gain 120 credits but pass modules worth 60 credits will be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate, provided they have successfully completed specialist modules from the designated list worth at least 30 credits.  Students who do not gain 120 credits but pass modules worth 30 credits will be awarded a Postgraduate Award.

Course Modules

Below are brief module descriptions for the modules on this programme.

Financial Markets

Financial Markets provides students with an overview of capital market theory, asset pricing, and portfolio management, including a discussion of financial instruments, markets and institutions.  The module’s focus is in providing an understanding of the unifying principles and concepts in finance and an understanding of notions of informational efficiency in the context of financial markets.  The module provides a “hands-on” introduction to financial trading and portfolio construction using the Bloomberg professional platform.

Quantitative Methods in Finance

This module provides students with the basic mathematical and statistical techniques used by finance theory and finance professionals.  The module provides an introduction to major sources of financial information including Datastream and the use of statistical software for data analysis.

Accounting Principles

Financial accounts provide needed information about an organisation for external decision makers such as shareholders, banks, suppliers and government. This module provides an understanding of the underlying business transactions that are needed in constructing financial accounts.

Financial Derivatives

This module studies the theory and practice of financial engineering with a focus on financial derivatives. It examines how financial derivatives such as options, futures and swaps are traded and priced. The module also explores the practical issues in risk management such as the use of financial derivatives by firms and individual investors to control or minimise their risk exposure.

Corporate Finance

This module focuses on the valuation of the firm and its investment opportunities, corporate structure and governance. The key features of corporate finance are addressed using (i) general methods of asset pricing (replication, arbitrage, stochastic discounting etc.) and (ii) agency theories of moral hazard and adverse selection.

Applied Finance

The module analyses the modelling of financial data using statistical techniques. In particular it considers univariate and multivariate time series methods, factor models and the calculation of value at risk. The module adopts a practical approach and use of appropriate data and software is made.

International Money and Finance

The module examines the linkages between financial markets that tie together asset and goods prices through the operation of the foreign exchange market.  This module also studies how the market responds to international arbitrage opportunities and examines relevant hedging strategies.

International Financial Reporting

The module examines the International GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) and introduces the conceptual framework and measurement models adopted by the IASB (International Accounting Standards Board). This module provides students with the knowledge and techniques to analyse critically and interpret financial statements and also recognize the institutional and social contexts of formulating international accounting standards along with the cultural, political and market forces that influence this process.

Behavioural Finance

The module studies the conceptual basis of behavioural finance, including heuristics and biases that inform financial decision making. In this respect this module examines the influence of trader psychology on the market behaviour and related market outcomes.

Economics of Financial Decisions under Risk

This module underpins the analysis of financial markets with an examination of individual behaviour towards risk.  The module examines decision-making under risk aversion and explores how risk is priced and shared under a variety of alternative market arrangements.

Financial Modelling

The module examines modelling of bond and option pricing and also strategies in interest risk management using MS Excel with Visual Basic Application. It explores simulation and programming tools with application to selected areas of finance.

Portfolio Risk Management

This module explores the investment environment, sources of financial risks and relevant issues in portfolio management and portfolio performance evaluation in the context of equity and bond markets. Specialised tools in market risk and interest risk measurement and risk controlling are examined and applied. The practical part provides hand-on experience and develops skills in portfolio analysis using Bloomberg professional trading platform.

Risk and Insurance

This module studies the relevant mathematical and statistical techniques in risk and insurance and how these techniques are applied to basic General Insurance problems. The module will highlight individual and collective risk models of Insurance and explore the models' implementation.

N.B. The schedule shown may be re-arranged with minor adjustments.

Teaching and Assessment

The Course Director who is responsible for running the programme is the main source of support for students. Modules are taught in lectures, tutorials and computer laboratory classes. Practical use is made of standard software and data sources, alongside the Bloomberg Professional Services Platform.  Taught modules are usually assessed by a combination of unseen examination and coursework which may include essays, mini projects and tests. Guidance is provided on the choice of dissertation topics and each student will be assigned a supervisor who will guide the student through to completion.

Entry Requirements

All applicants must hold at least a good Second-Class Honours degree (2.1 or 2.2) or overseas equivalent in in finance, economics or other business-related subject area demonstrating quantitative content, or in an alternative quantitative subject. Students who have appropriate professional qualifications or relevant work experience may also be considered. Outstanding students (2.1 and above or overseas equivalent) with backgrounds outside of these areas may also be considered and are encouraged to contact the course director. The University uses a range of relevant selection criteria including academic qualifications, professional experience, evidence of likely commitment to academic study, and an estimate of a candidate’s future potential.

Students applying with a 2.1 and higher degree or overseas equivalent will be automatically considered for a scholarship of £1,500, subject to continual good performance throughout the year.

Anyone applying from a country where English is not the first language is required to take one of the internationally recognised English language tests such as Academic IELTS or equivalent English language qualification. The minimum entry level is IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each subtest or equivalent English language test scores.

For overseas students who do not meet all direct entry requirements, the opportunity to take an intensive pre-MSc programme leading to MSc entry may be offered.

How to Apply

Further details on the application procedure can be found here. 

If you have any queries regarding the application procedure please contact:

For UK/EU admission enquiries:

UK/EU Admissions Office
Tawney Building
Keele University
Staffordshire
ST5 5BG
UK 

Tel: +44 (0) 1782 7334472
Email: ukeuadmissions@paa.keele.ac.uk
Fax: +44 (0) 1782 632343

For international admission enquiries:

International Admissions
Keele International
Walter Moberly Building
Keele University
Staffordshire
ST5 5BG
UK 

Tel: +44 (0) 1782 733501
Email: international@keele.ac.uk
Fax: +44 (0) 1782 734238 

Please indicate the course(s) you are interested in.

Applicants whose first degree was not taught in the English Language will be required to show competency in English (IELTS 6.5 with minimum of 6 .0 in each subtest or equivalent)

Applicants from Overseas for the MSc in Finance will increase their chances of acceptance if the can provide a GRE or GMAT score to indicate their readiness for graduate study.

We welcome informal enquiries about our MSc in Finance and these should be addressed to the Course Director (Dr AlenaAudzeyeva)

There is no application deadline, but early applications may increase the chances of acceptance.

Fees

Details of fees for taught postgraduate courses are maintained by the postgraduate office (follow the link for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences).

Funding Opportunities

Bursaries:

Details of Keele Graduate Bursaries can be found here.

Other sources of funds:

British Council

Overseas students can find information about what grants may be available from the British Council on their website . Alternatively, contact your local British Council office.

Career Development Loans

Another common route for funding is through Career Development Loans. The Department for Education and Employment coordinates such a scheme. For information about these, see their website.

Graduate Attributes

The Graduate Attributes Statement is designed to raise awareness of the attributes that will be developed whilst you are a student at Keele University. It explains each of the attributes in detail, tips on how to achieve them and how they relate to your chosen programme of study.

The Graduate Attributes Statement for this course can be downloaded here.