Keele Management School

Welcome

A very warm welcome to our MSc in Finance and Management. The Economics and Management programme groups, both in the Keele Management School, offer an MSc in Finance and Management designed for students who wish to follow a career in the investment management industry or as a financial officer within a commercial or public organisation.

The School have an international faculty that is experienced in offering a range of courses on management and finance. The two programme groups can now jointly offer an MSc in Finance and Management that will help develop students' skills and knowledge in the area of Finance and management and help prepare them for their future careers.

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

The MSc in Finance and Management is designed to provide the systematic understanding of finance, financing and the modern organisation. It provides the analytical and technical skills in finance combined with the professional and management techniques of operational, strategic and financial management.

Successful students will gain:

• A systematic understanding of knowledge in finance and critical management thinking.
• A command of analytical techniques, computing and appropriate software in the relevant areas of finance and management.
• Increased confidence in the analysis, synthesis and evaluation of 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. Typical career destinations may include employment in the investment management industry or as a financial officer within a commercial or public organisation.

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

Each taught module is worth 15 credits so that the total credits accumulated from the taught modules is 120.

From May to September, students undertake a project or a dissertation, which is worth 60 credits.

Students gaining 120 credits from taught modules and successfully completing the dissertation will be awarded an MSc. Students gaining 120 credits but not proceeding to the dissertation/project 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.

Course Modules

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

Quantitative Methods in Finance

This module provides students with the basic mathematical and statistical techniques used by finance theory and finance professionals.

Financial Markets

Provides students with (i) an overview of financial instruments, markets and institutions; (ii) an understanding of issues and models of risk and uncertainty; (iii) an understanding of the unifying principles and concepts in finance and (iv) an understanding and overview of informational efficiency in financial markets.

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.

Financial Modelling

The module analyses and explains selected topics in asset pricing and investment management within a modelling context.  Topics are selected on the basis of two criteria: (1) relevance in current professional finance applications, (2) suitability for simulation exercises in small-to-medium sized numerical examples and case studies. The area that is most amenable to these two critera is the study of the term-structure of interest. Accordingly, much of the work in the module relates to relevant financial models of the term structure, especially the Ho-Lee binomial model. The module covers a variety of relevant finance topics in the context of the binomial model, including term-structure modelling and calibration, immunization strategies for bonds and pricing of stock options and various investment strategies based on options. In addition the module could investigate the style-analysis approach to the performance evaluation of managed funds.

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.

Financial Instruments

This is an option module in both Courses. The module studies financial engineering techniques. Financial engineering refers to the evaluation of complex financial derivatives and their use to hedge against risk. This module will examine in detail how financial derivatives are evaluated and their use by firms, individual investors and governments to minimise risk exposure.

Financial Accounting

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.

Marketing and Operations Management

This module aims to introduce students to key concepts and aspects pertaining to marketing and the management of design and operations in business organisations. The approach taken is primarily managerial in orientation. Setting marketing and operations within the context of the market, the module provides an overview of managing markets and the use of market information. The links between corporate, marketing and operations activities are then explored by reference to the strategic management of operations. The course then proceeds to explore marketing and operations concepts and issues in more specific depth. Marketing mix, strategies for new products and branding, and strategic aspects of marketing are covered from the marketing perspective. The operations management part of the course identifies that the aim of any industrial, service, public sector or retail operation is to deliver goods and services of the quality, quantity, cost and availability that will satisfy the customers' needs while at the same time making most effective use of resources. This can only be achieved by giving attention to the design of products, processes and work for employees, and through the competent planning and control of operations. These issues are covered in the module. The modules will, therefore, not only consider marketing management, but will also cover the way in which operations can be managed in a market-focused manner.

Strategy and Information Management

This module aims to introduce students to the principal concepts of strategy, its scope, purpose and outcomes and to provide an understanding of a number of different approaches to strategic management and the use of information systems. The approach is primarily managerial with the emphasis on the development and application of strategic theory in real-life cases and the selection and use of appropriate business information. The module initially examines the main theories of strategy and frameworks for the management and use of information, analysing their strengths and weaknesses in different situations. The next part of the module investigates and critically assesses approaches to using and providing business information. Students are then asked to apply these theoretical models and their information-appraising skills to two complex real-life case studies. This is likely to involve, for example, site visits, meetings with senior management and technical staff, the selection of relevant information from different sources (including local and commercial libraries, the Internet and other computer media) and the examination and analysis of marketing and financial data. The module will therefore not only consider the theory of strategic management but also, through working through the application of strategy, investigate the ways in which decision making is made within operational constraints.

Entrepreneurship

The module develops an understanding of theories of entrepreneurship with reference to finance, management and marketing. It applies these theories in real world contexts, with specific reference to IT start-ups and the knowledge economy. It aims to give students the ability and confidence to start a new business in the IT area.

Teaching and Assessment

There is a Course Director who is responsible for running the programme and providing support and information for students. Modules are taught in lectures, tutorials and computer laboratory classes. Practical use is made of standard software and data sources. 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 dissertation /project topics and each student will be assigned a supervisor.

Entry Requirements

All applicants must hold at least a second class honours degree or overseas equivalent, in a business related or quantitative subject area. Students who have appropriate professional qualifications or relevant work experience may also be considered. 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.

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 Office
Walter Moberly Building
Keele University
Staffordshire
ST5 5BG
UK 

Tel: +44 (0) 1782 733274
Email: international@mac.keele.ac.uk 

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 or equivalent)

Applicants from Overseas for the MSc in Finance and Management 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 Management and these should be addressed to the Course Director (Prof. Robin Bladen-Hovell)

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.

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 as a PDF here.