Finance

The MSc in Finance is for individuals who want to develop as finance professionals. The scope of the knowledge, skills and applications covered in this qualification enables professional development and practice in wide-ranging roles in finance such as investment and portfolio management, corporate finance and treasury, consultancy and investment banking.

Both early career finance professionals and those aspiring to enter a finance profession will find our MSc in Finance a professionally rewarding and intellectually challenging experience. It also offers an opportunity to acquire and develop research skills and techniques relevant to higher academic qualifications in finance.

This is a rigorous masters degree requiring aptitude for analytical and quantitative methods to engage with theories of finance and their applications. It will provide a grounding in finance discipline areas such as corporate finance, financial decision-making, portfolio management, financial and risk management, financial reporting, governance and an introduction to Islamic finance and behavioural finance.

Through the study of our MSc in Finance you will be able to:

• gain an up-to-date perspective on both theory and practice in national and international contexts
• estimate cost of capital, to evaluate company and project valuations
• apply the knowledge of financial risk management techniques
• appreciate the importance of corporate governance and ethical issues in finance and acquaint yourself with essential features of Islamic finance
• learn and apply the most important tools for financial analysis and decision support in corporations, financial institutions and other organisations
• learn to critically evaluate the rigour and validity of published research and assess its relevance to new situations
• learn to apply some of the research techniques to form your own views on the theory and its application in practice
• develop professional finance and investment management practice.

Career impact

This qualification offers knowledge in a wide range of finance areas that include corporate finance function, investments, banking and financial institutions and risk management. You will gain both theoretical and practical insights into the working of financial markets, valuation of securities, understanding financial statements, risk management and portfolio management. You will develop the skills and capabilities required by investment analysts, finance managers, finance directors and chief financial officers.

Exploring issues related to ethics and corporate governance, reporting and disclosure, financing and investment in uncertain and global business environments will equip you to support decision making at the higher levels of organisations. Prudent practice of finance is relevant across all sectors – public, private and voluntary. This qualification will therefore prepare you to work in the corporate sector, financial services, banking industry, multinational organisations and other sectors where analytical and decision tools in treasury, investment and financing decisions are required. Through a carefully chosen dissertation you will be further able to analyse the financial issues in a particular context.

This qualification will also provide sound training in research and academic skills for those wishing to develop academic careers in finance.

We are currently in the process of seeking recognition for this qualification from the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA).

For this masters degree you require 180 credits. You will require 90 credits from the first table below and 90 credits from the two subsequent tables.

• Introduction to corporate finance (B858)

• Financial strategy: valuation, governance and ethics (B859)

• Research methods for finance (B860)

You will require 30 credits from the first table below and 60 credits from the subsequent table.

• Derivatives and risk management (B862)

• Investment and portfolio management (B861)

And 60 credits from the following compulsory module:

Dissertation (B804)

All entrants to this MSc in Finance must hold a bachelors degree awarded by a recognised UK university, or equivalent. If you hold a qualification that you believe is an equivalent level to a UK honours degree you should contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service. The Open University Business School Masters Programme Committee is responsible for judging whether applicants’ qualifications meet the requirements for admission.You will also need an appropriate facility in English language, sufficient to be able to work effectively at postgraduate level; generally this means capability equivalent to an International English Language Test System (IELTS) score of 6.5. To assess your English language skills in relation to your proposed studies you can visit the IELTS website (link).You should possess a good working knowledge of maths and be confident with spreadsheets. It would be advisable to self-assess your level of maths before registering for this qualification. To help you decide whether you are ready, you may want to try this diagnostic quiz. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.