Undergraduate study

• A rigorous training in the workings of financial markets
• Opportunities for careers in the financial sector
• Extensive use of IT
• Possibility of combinations with closely related subjects
• A semester spent at a university in North America, Asia or Europe

Finance at Keele provides a rigorous training for students with an interest in understanding  how financial markets work and why they are important. The course has been designed to train students in finance but, at the same time, it combines naturally with many other subjects especially Economics, Business Management, and Mathematics.

Our teaching is motivated by the following aims:

• help students to explain a diverse range of real-world financial phenomena in terms of a small set of unifying core principles
• help students to develop independence and self-confidence in their work and to be able to co-operate with colleagues
• combine theoretical analysis with up-to-date factual knowledge about real financial phenomena
• develop students’ ability to use professional software tools for the analysis of real financial data
• develop students’ ability to present complex findings in a well-balanced and concise manner

First year 
An insight into the nature and scope of Finance is provided, and the following core modules are taken:

Economics of Financial Markets explores the connection between the financial system and the wider economy. This module emphasises how financial markets operate efficiently to transfer funds from savers to borrowers, the workings of the money and capital markets and how asset prices are determined by the equilibrium of supply and demand in these markets.

Quantative Methods develops basic mathematical and statistical methods such as calculus, probability, hypothesis testing and univariate regression used extensively in Economics and Finance.

Accounting Principles examines the basic concepts of financial accounting, and how these may be used to construct and interpret financial accounts for an organisation.

Modules can also be taken from a range of electives, including:

Strategic Thinking
Financial and Management Accounting
British and Global Economy

Second year
involves four core modules:

Asset Pricing introduces the relationship between risk and return in financial markets and the role of arbitrage in determining asset prices.

Portfolio Choice builds upon Asset Pricing and explores the rationale for holding portfolios and the advantages this brings as a way of diversifying risk for private investors and large  financial institutions, such as insurance companies.

Introduction to Econometrics uses statistical methods to investigate selected economic and financial issues such as consumption functions, household labour supply and asset pricing. 

Applied Financial Analysis deepens your understanding of statistical techniques utilised in the investigation of financial problems and issues.

The modules consider techniques for studying time-series data and applies these to problems of ‘efficiency’ in domestic and international financial markets and to asset pricing.

Third year

The programme develops understanding of financial issues as they affect companies, options and futures markets and international financial transactions. The following core modules are taken:

Corporate Finance undertakes analysis of company financing of investment projects; corporate tax policy; financial decisions and real activity; and the interaction of shareholders, creditors and managers.

Options and Futures examines the structure of options markets, the principles of option pricing, investment strategies with options, corporate securities as options and principles of futures pricing.

You can extend your interests in Finance by taking modules from a range of electives, including:
Banking
Game Theory
International Finance 
The opportunity to tak a structured, project-based independent study module using the tools needed to construct and interpret economic and business forecasts
Independent Study Project I and II

Dual Honours Course can be combined with:

Foundation course available:

For overseas students who do not meet direct entry requirements, we offer the opportunity to take an intensive Foundation Diploma programme in Business and Management leading to second year degree entry

Teaching takes place in lectures, tutorials, study groups and computer laboratory classes. Finance is a quantitative subject and financial markets themselves rely heavily on the use of IT.

Computer facilities are used extensively in Finance teaching, especially in quantitative methods, now part of the essential ‘toolkit’ of modern finance. Students acquire expertise with a wide range of statistical, economic and modern business software, and access to commercial databases, including Datastream, the main source of information for economic and financial data.

A range of assessment methods is utilised across the programme comprising weekly or fortnightly exercises, mid-semester tests, projects, essay assignments and unseen two-hour examinations. The precise combination in each module will depend on the material covered. Modules usually have an unseen examination which counts for 70% of the marks available.

Programme specifications (new window)

The course develops and assesses a variety of transferable and subject-specific skills, all of which are highly relevant to typical career choices in this subject area.

Tests and examinations assess students' ability to solve problems and address issues under a severe time constraint, essays develop abilities in written expression and argument, a dissertation develops students' ability to study a single issue in depth, while seminars give students practice in making presentations and developing powers of oral expression and argument.

Graduates from our Dual Honours Finance programme leave Keele well prepared for further study or employment in finance and related areas. The skills acquired at Keele make graduates highly valued with employers. Finance graduates from Keele take up careers in the City, government service and in banking, accounting and other financial enterprises.

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Finance and Economics
Finance and Economics share the same analytical framework. The notion of market equilibrium that is used extensively in economics provides the foundation for the arbitrage ideas that underpin the standard approach to asset pricing used in Finance. The economic policies of governments studied in our macroeconomic modules are closely inter-related with the behaviour of the monetary and financial system. The analytical toolkit acquired from the quantitative methods modules is identical for finance and economics. Graduates with this combination are well-placed to find employment with financial institutions, or in the financial sections of large enterprises.

In 2010, 45% of the graduate cohort went on to postgraduate or equivalent study and 80% of those who moved into employment secured 'graduate' jobs.