Finance MSc

Why you should study this course
 

• By studying this course you can expect to develop the skills and knowledge needed, to successfully operate in a financial world of constant transformation and increasing complexity.
   

• Three pathways: finance, banking and investment management, will present the chance for you to choose to focus on a particular area of interest.
   

• Additionally, there will be opportunities for you to practise financial, statistical and econometric analysis, as well as exploring how to interpret, evaluate and communicate financial information in real-life business situations.

What you'll study


This course seeks to provide you with the specialist financial skills and knowledge needed to pursue a career in a finance-related position, across a variety of businesses, organisations and sectors, including banking and investment.
 

This course focuses on helping you understand how to practically apply your learning and consider current developments within finance and the wider world. This course should help you to understand the importance of finance to corporations, banks, stock markets and investors, not just in the UK but overseas as well. The course’s international content is designed to help develop you into a global-ready graduate, able to work effectively in a variety of markets.

Modules
 

• Corporate Finance – 15 credits
   

  The aim of the module is to examine and critique key corporate finance issues, including financial management, risk and return, corporate financing and asset pricing, capital structure and payout policy. The module will take an international perspective and explore both theoretical models and empirical evidence.
   

• Financial Statement Analysis – 15 credits
   

  This module is designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the content and purpose of a company’s annual report and published financial statements. The module also considers the accounting treatment of intangible non-current assets, the problems in attaching monetary values to these and how this impacts the usefulness of published financial statements.
   

• Quantitative Methods – 15 credits
   

  This module will cover some of the quantitative techniques commonly used by financial analysts, economists, accountants as well as individual investors. The aim is to give students the basic grounding in econometric methods used in the analysis of quantitative data.
   

• Derivatives – 15 credits
   

  This module focuses on the major classes of derivatives and on the uses of these instruments in hedging, regulatory arbitrage, price discovery, arbitrage and speculation. You will be exposed to both introductory and advanced aspects of the theory and applications of all major classes of derivative products.
   

• Behavioural Finance – 15 credits
   

  This module aims to equip you with an understanding of how psychological and sociological factors influence financial decision-making. They should be able to identify possible biases in investment analysis and portfolio management arising from cognitive, affective and social influences. You should be able to use behavioural finance insights in the process of structuring saving and investment schemes.
   

• Governance, Accountability and Ethics – 15 credits
   

  The aim of this module is to provide you with a framework to examine the key issues in corporate governance. These include underlying corporate governance theory and associated reporting and regulation, the role of monitors and issues of independence and ethics. It will also develop your ability to critically appraise relevant academic literature and current issues, then integrate and synthesise topics in order to participate in current debates and suggest potential insights for development.
   

• International Risk Management – 15 credits
   

  The purpose of this module is to introduce you to the international aspect of risk management faced on a day-to-day basis by modern MNCs and especially those of political, financial, operational and regulatory nature. Particular attention and detailed coverage will be placed on the ideas and tools used in identifying exposure to risk inherent in corporate functions such as international trade and money transactions, corporate financing and finally international investment/expansion decisions.
   

• Institutional Investments – 15 credits
   

  During this module, you will develop further knowledge of institutional investments and their relative merits, from the perspective of retail investors. You will gain insights into the operation and management of institutional investments and the specific types of investment funds available.
   

• Dissertation/Consultancy Project – 50 credits
   

  In this module, you will carry out a substantive piece of individual research into a business or financial management issue.
  
  You will be expected to draw upon the knowledge acquired, and the intellectual, technical and analytical skills developed during the course.
   

• Professional Development Module: Entrepreneurial Practice – 10 credits
   

  This module aims to provide you with a framework of knowledge and understanding of how to effectively lead and develop people in a strategic and entrepreneurial way whatever the Master’s degree of specialisation they elect to follow.
   

  The module enables students to reflect critically on their personal learning and development needs and how they work with others, from an ethical and professional standpoint to encourage their continuing professional development.

How you'll learn
 

Teaching methods include:
 

• Lectures
   

• Seminars
   

• Tutorials
   

• Presentations
   

• Group projects
   

• Workshops
   

This course can be studied on a full-time or part-time basis. Whilst we would like to give you all the information about our part-time offering here, it is tailored for each course each year depending on the number of part-time applicants. Therefore, the part-time teaching arrangements vary.

UK

Applicants should hold a good honours degree 2:2 or above in a relevant academic discipline, such as finance, accounting or economics. Applications from candidates with relevant experience will be considered on an individual basis.

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component area

UK

£14,550 per year

International Fees

£18,250 per year

International Pathways 2022 Scholarship

You could enjoy a £3,000 reduction in tuition fees.

Our high-quality foundation, international year one and pre-masters courses are for international students who do not meet the requirements for direct entry to their preferred Coventry University undergraduate or postgraduate course. We can support you to achieve the academic and/or English grades you need and help you gain the personal and professional skills required to study at university.

We want to encourage ambitious international students like you to study at Coventry University, so we’ve secured extra financial support for you worth £3,000, to help with the cost of tuition fees, living expenses and accommodation.

The scholarship application deadline is:

September 2022 intake: 31 July 2022

Upon successful completion, you will have knowledge of:
 

• Financial concepts, theories and their application to real-world situations.
   

• Financing arrangements, strategies and governance structures of business entities.
   

• Complex operation and function of financial markets in different regulatory settings.
   

• Contemporary and controversial issues of finance in global financial markets.
   

On successful completion, you will be able to:
 

• Demonstrate diagnostic and decision-making skills – such as optimising investment strategies for both firms and individuals in dealing with financial management problems. 
   

• Use advanced mathematical and statistical techniques for financial and investment analysis.
   

• Select, retrieve and analyse relevant data and information from finance-related databases like Datastream and Bloomberg to solve practical problems.
   

• Design and conduct research in financial management using appropriate methodologies to advance knowledge in these areas.
   

• Critically evaluate the conceptual and theoretical frameworks of finance and challenge assumptions.
   

• Exercise judgment in the selection of different methods and approaches to financial management in the corporate environment.
   

This master’s level course can help lead to careers in financial services, corporate finance, fund management, treasury or banking and insurance sectors, upon successful completion. Equally, the skills developed upon graduating, should allow you to pursue a potential future career in the public and private sector, in financial management or in management more generally.
 

Typical roles may include financial planners and controllers, treasurers, stockbrokers, commodities traders, cash and fund managers, insurance adjusters and other positions in banking and finance.
 

Past graduates have gone on to work for the likes of HSBC, Boeing, and Standard and Poor.
 

Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The University's Talent Team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career. 

Where our graduates work
 

Past graduates have gone on to work in varied roles, such as a Financial Planning Analyst for City Bank Indonesia, Senior Finance Officer for Royal Jordanian Airlines and Financial Administrator for Bank of China.