Finance

The flagship programme of the Business Schools Finance Group, the MSc Finance is designed for recent graduates and young professionals of exceptional intelligence who seek a broad but applied programme from one of the worlds most prestigious universities.

The programme is highly relevant, reflecting the strong corporate connections we have established with leading companies in the City of London and beyond, providing practical opportunities to build your technical skills and confidence. You will receive handson training, working through relevant case studies with leading practitioners and world-renowned research faculty. This innovative teaching approach, combined with the academic and quantitative rigour of the core courses, has established a truly inspirational learning environment that equips graduates with the technical and financial tools they need to be respected by employers in todays financial sector.

Our MSc Finance is suitable for high-calibre, ambitious and technically-minded students who want to study in London and work in the highly competitive, yet rewarding, financial services sector

Programme benefits

• Excellence: one of a limited number of programmes internationally to be a CFA partner of the CFA Institute and a Centre of Excellence for Finance by the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI)

• Putting theory into practice: learn from leading practitioners and world-class faculty how to put the latest academic thinking and business strategies into practice.

• Career development: our dedicated careers service will help you present yourself with confidence to the worlds top employers.
• Reputation: the Imperial name will open doors for you across the world.

A combination of the latest research, practical application and a broad range of topics, makes the MSc Finance a unique and challenging experience. Here is a snapshot of what our MSc Finance and Imperial College can offer you:

Learning outcomes

Students who complete the MSc Finance programme successfully will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of fundamental finance theories and models and their use and context in real financial markets
• Apply mathematical tools to complex financial problems including the pricing of financial instruments and products
• Use a range of programming tools to develop live implementations of financial models and use these implementations in practical simulations
• Apply econometric theory and software to analyse and evaluate investment decisions and data, and draw valid conclusions

Timetable

The MSc Finance is a one year, full-time intensive programme. The normal working week is Monday to Friday. Classes will be scheduled between 08.30 and 21.00 and students should expect to attend one evening class per week, and other optional activities such as guest lectures or alumni and careers events may be scheduled in the evening.

Software facilities

MSc Finance students have access to the following software facilities:

• Bloomberg: 12 Bloomberg terminals are provided across two computer rooms. Bloomberg is the main source of real-time data for traders and asset managers in the world’s leading financial organizations. Bloomberg provides very detailed information on a range of cash equities and bonds as well as derivatives. The historical range of data is limited but data services such as Datastream are a good complement for this purpose.
• Reuters Eikon: Reuters Eikon is similar to Bloomberg in that it provides real-time data for a very large number of cash securities and derivatives. ICBS provides a small number of licenses for students that require this service. Reuters Eikon is particularly comprehensive in the area of foreign exchange data but contains very useful information on all other asset classes as well as inclined bonds, equities and commodities
• Datastream: Datastream is one of the best sources for long-term historical data for cash securities and derivatives as well as detailed company information. It contains longer time-series than many of the real-time data services.
• Matlab: Matlab is one of the most widely used software packages for mathematical and statistical analysis. ICBS has a site license for Matlab which allows students to implement almost any financial, mathematical or statistical exercise in Matlab.
• Computer labs: Two school computer labs with designated printers

Teaching at the School

Imperial College London and Imperial College Business School take the same pride in teaching as in research. Teaching methods on the MSc include:

• Conventional lectures
• Guest lecturers (from investment banking, industry and consulting)
• Classes
• Group exercises, case studies and practical examples
• Computer laboratory sessions
• Blackboard (provides an information portal, online communications space and virtual learning environment)

School faculty members are specialists in their field. They have international research reputations, consult for global corporations, advise government and international agencies, sit on the boards of mature companies as well as new ventures, and are frequently asked by the media for academic insight on a wide variety of topics.

Assessment

You will be assessed via a mixture of examinations and coursework, which will incorporate individual projects and work in small groups.

Candidates that fail to successfully complete this degree are not entitled to a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma.

Preferably a First Class Honours degree (or international equivalent ), from a recognised university, in a highly quantitative discipline such as mathematics, engineering, economics, finance or science. An Upper Second Class Honours degree is also acceptable if the other elements of the application are very strong.There are no specific ‘A’ Level criteria, but many banks and companies in the financial sector have very strict grade requirements for their graduate programmes. We strongly recommend that you research the entry requirements of any companies you are interested in working for.ALL applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency by meeting one of the following standards:GCSE, GCE ‘O’ Level English or equivalent at grade B or aboveIGCSE English as a First Language at grade B or above (only acceptable from students who do not require a visa to study in the UK)Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) at grade B or aboveIELTS (academic): A minimum score of 7.0 with minimum scores of 6.5 in all elementsInternational Baccalaureate (IB) English at grade 5 or above (either Subsidiary or Higher)Successful completion of the Business School's Pre-Sessional English CourseA full list of acceptable English language qualifications and our required scores can be found in the English language section of our FAQ pages.NoteOur English language requirements are applicable to Home, EU and Overseas students.IELTS scores will only be valid if they are less than two years old on the programme start date.You may submit your online application prior to receiving your IELTS scores.Our English language requirements are higher than the minimum standard set by Imperial College. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 7 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.

Students normally obtain funding from the following sources;

• Imperial College Business School scholarships
• Other merit or needs based scholarships. For example, Imperial College London offers postgraduate scholarships which you canread about here, and The British Council offers scholarships for international students
• Self/family funding
• Employer sponsorship
• Other sources of funding may be found in these publications; Imperial College London Postgraduate Prospectus, The Grants Register (published by Macmillan), Awards for postgraduate study at Commonwealth Universities (Association of Commonwealth Universities), Study Abroad (UNESCO)

UK residents requiring further additional information on financial assistanc e should visit this government website or call 0800 100 900. They offer options such as Professional and Career Development Loans.