International Finance (BIFin)

Description

Why study Finance at Dundee?

At Dundee we aim to help you develop the skills and techniques needed for a variety of exciting careers in finance. The term finance is normally used to refer to the management of money and a major part of modern finance study involves examining the way in which large corporations use their funds to generate income and wealth in the future. The programme emphasises the role played by capital markets both in the UK and overseas in this wealth creation process and highlights their importance in the global economy.

Students studying finance are taught by staff who have either practical experience working in the financial sector or who have gained insights into financial practices through research of analysts, company directors and market traders. These insights from practice help inform the teaching of finance at Dundee.

Our staff are committed to providing a stimulating, supportive and friendly environment for students.

BFin or BIFin?

Where the BFin (Bachelor of Finance) addresses financial issues relating to UK and Irish companies, the BIFin (Bachelor of International Finance) will provide you with the necessary analytical skills to understand the environment within which multinational firms operate. It will also enable you to understand how these firms select, assess, and finance their projects internationally and provide you with a foundation to appreciate how financial risks are managed by international firms.

We aim to show you how vital the financial sector is both in the UK and overseas. We will show you all aspects of the financing process from the raising of funds by companies through to the complex operation of, and links between, different capital markets.

What's so good about Finance at Dundee?

Student visits

We organise student visits to the financial centres of both London and Edinburgh to help you appreciate the 'real world' application of the discipline.

Transatlantic Student Exchange scheme

Finance students may also apply to spend a year of their degree in Canada or North America on the Transatlantic Student Exchange scheme or a semester in Australia or Hong Kong.

Dundee University School of Business Society (DUSBS)

All new students are encouraged to join our School of Business Society.

The Society arranges a number of social and other events including a welcome party for new students, an Annual Ball and careers presentations from visiting firms.

Employability

Our programmes were developed after discussions with employers and are tailored to the theoretical and practical issues most relevant to the modern financial environment.

The BFin and BIFin can enhance your employability by developing your numeracy and analytical abilities, enhancing your IT skills and improving your interpersonal and communication skills. Many students go on to work in the financial services sector either as analysts, fund managers or on the trading floors of investment banks. A large number take professional examinations such as those of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland or the Chartered Financial Analyst Association.

The BFin and the BIFin degrees act as an excellent stepping stone into both of these professions, but also cover much of the material required for a number of other professional financial qualifications, including the professional accountancy bodies.

In addition, a number of visiting guest speakers, drawn from practice, are invited to talk about the investment trust sector specifically and the fund management industry in general.

UCAS Code: N390

Detailed Course Facts

Application deadline January 15 Tuition fee

The fees you pay will, in most cases, depend on your current country of residence.

The fee shown is annual, and may be subject to an increase each year.

Fee category

Fees for students starting September 2015

Scottish students

£1,820 per year of study (for Sept 2014 entry). Fees for September 2015 will be confirmed by the Scottish Government in early 2015.

Rest of UK students

£9,000 per year, for a maximum of 3 years, even if you are studying a four year degree. See our scholarships for rest of UK applicants.

EU students

£1,820 per year of study (for Sept 2014 entry). Fees for September 2015 will be confirmed by the Scottish Government in early 2015.

Overseas students (non-EU)

£12,950 per year of study. See our scholarships for international applicants.

Not specified Start date September 2015 The Course Starts in September Duration full-time 48 months Languages Take an IELTS test

• English

Delivery mode On Campus Educational variant Full-time

Course Content

Honours Degree

An honours degree normally takes four years, full time, you study levels 1-4, as described below.

Advanced Entry Honours Degree

It is possible to study for the BIFin honours degrees in 3 years (levels 2-4 below), if you have the required grades and subjects as listed in the Entry Requirements section. There are definite advantages to considering this route as the time needed to study is reduced by one year which enables you to start working and earning earlier.

Level 1

• Introductory Financial Accounting - where the basic concepts of accounting practice, including bookkeeping and the production of external financial reports, are introduced
• Introductory Management Accounting - where students are introduced to the foundations of costing and accounting for planning and control
• Statistics - where statistical methods such as probability theory and regression analysis are presented, as well as other quantitative techniques relevant to modern business activity
• Information Systems - provides hands-on experience of the modern software applications relevant to accounting and finance as well as introducing students to some of the theoretical concepts relevant to the processing of information in large organisations.
• Global Economic Perspectives - uses practical examples to illustrate how economic principles apply to real world situations, for example the manner in which modern competitive markets operate.
• Foundations of Economic Analysis - introduces students to fundamental economic concepts such as pricing theory, resource allocation and fiscal policy.

Level 2

The modules in Level 2 are designed to build on and develop the theoretical and practical material covered at Level 1.

• Intermediate Financial Accounting - builds on Level 1 by introducing students to UK regulatory requirements and some key contemporary accounting issues such as accounting for goodwill
• Intermediate Financial Management - builds on some of the material covered in Level 1 by introducing students to techniques used in practice to appraise financial and capital investments as well as discussing working capital management and long-term fund raising
• Financial Decision Analysis - examines the modern techniques used in financial decision analysis including linear programming, queuing and inventory modelling
• Microeconomics - builds on the material by considering topics such as business interaction in competitive markets and the link between corporate decisions and the cost of goods and services.
• Macroeconomics and Economic Statistics - adds depth to the issues covered in Level 1 by introducing students to the debate about appropriate monetary and fiscal policies as well as explaining the methods used in analysing open economies. This module also comprises a section on the use of statistical techniques in economic analysis.
• International Accounting and Finance

Level 3

Performance in the first two Levels helps to determine whether students are offered the chance to study for the Honours version of the degree (awarded after four years) or the non-Honours version (awarded after three years). In both cases, the material builds directly on issues covered in earlier years. Students taking both the Honours and the non-Honours versions of the degree take five modules at Level 3. Honours students proceed to take a range of compulsory and elective modules at Level 4.

• Microeconomic Analysis
• Advanced Financial Management
• International Capital Markets
• Taxation
• Macroeconomic Analysis

Level 4

• Financial Management Theory
• International Finance

plus

• Three optional modules with at least two optional modules at Level 4

Level 4 modules may include:

• Social & Environmental Accounting
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Security Analysis and Portfolio Management
• Dissertation
• Fiscal Studies
• Advanced Management and Information Systems
• Government and Business
• Economics of Globalisation
• Business Strategy
• Financial Economic Analysis

(Not all options will be available in any one year)

How you will be assessed

The weightings allocated to assessed coursework and the final examination vary from module to module. Typically 80% is allocated to the final exam but this is less in some modules and more in others.

Requirements

See Course Homepage for Full details

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Access Bursary

  Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.

• Alumni Bursary

  Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than University of Dundee.

Accreditation

Professional accreditation

The BFin is an accredited degree and allows exemptions from professional examinations from the following bodies:

• The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
• The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
• The Association of International Accountants (AIA)

The BFin degree is also likely to gain exemption from certain professional examinations of the following bodies:

• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS)
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW)
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland (ICAI)
• The Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland (CIOBS)