Program Overview

Financial Data Analytics and Sustainable Finance (FINDATA) Program

The area of finance has recently been undergoing fundamental changes, driven by digital technologies that have transformed the economy and society. The Financial Data Analytics and Sustainable Finance (FINDATA) program is a joint master's study program developed by four partner universities: University of Pardubice (the Czech Republic), European University (Cyprus), LUMSA University (Italy), and Vilnius University (Lithuania). This program aims to educate highly qualified experts in the field of finance and data analytics, with a focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations.

Program Overview

The FINDATA program is designed to react to the changes and challenges in society and the economy, as well as the urgent needs of the labor market. The program offers two specializations: Corporate Finance and Financial Markets. The Corporate Finance specialization, offered by LUMSA University, aims to provide students with a state-of-the-art understanding of modern corporate finance and sustainable corporate finance. The Financial Markets specialization, offered by Vilnius University, prepares students to become highly qualified finance specialists with a good understanding of finance and financial markets for sustainable development.

Key Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the FINDATA program will possess knowledge of financial and economic concepts, as well as the skills to apply technology and data analytics to solve accounting and finance problems ethically. The key learning outcomes include:

• Understanding financial and economic concepts and contexts
• Familiarity with new trends in the banking sector and fintech ecosystem, including sustainable finance and investments, and the strategic role of fintech in addressing financing challenges of sustainable development, such as environmental and social goals, and asset management and cryptocurrency trading in the context of digital transformation and innovation in financial services, such as mobile banking, e-commerce, and contactless payments, and the impact of the pandemic on these trends and the growth of the fintech ecosystem in Lithuania and other European innovation hubs, with a focus on the development of critical skills shortages in big data and analytics, and the importance of data in digital transformation, and the role of technology companies in developing and innovating financial services, creating growth and jobs, and the need for highly qualified experts in finance and data analytics to meet the demands of employers in financial markets, commercial banking, central banking, insurance, fintech companies, investment and pension companies, and other related fields.
• Ability to perform quantitative and qualitative analysis of economic data and use information technology and software support for organizational, presentation, and analytical work
• Understanding of the main tools and practices used for the analysis of financial markets and financial risk assessment
• Ability to make complex decisions within the concept of sustainable finance in the digital era

Entry Requirements

To enter the FINDATA study program, candidates must have at least an academic Bachelor's degree (minimum of 180 ECTS credits) in Economics, Finance, Business Administration, or similar fields of education, or in IT, Engineering, Technical Science, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, or similar fields of education with sufficient knowledge of mathematics. Applicants must also have a sufficient level of English (at least B2) or at least one academic year of comprehensive English instruction.

Admission Procedure

The admission procedure is two-round. In the first round, applicants are ranked based on their results in the previous level of study, motivation (motivation letter), and letters of recommendation. In the second round, top-ranked students are invited to an online interview.

Program Structure

The program is delivered over four semesters, with each semester spent at a different partner university. The first semester is at the University of Pardubice, the second semester is at European University Cyprus, the third semester is at either LUMSA University (for the Corporate Finance specialization) or Vilnius University (for the Financial Markets specialization), and the fourth semester is at the chosen university.

Courses

The program includes a range of compulsory and optional courses, such as:

• Economics and Financial Aspects of Innovations and Sustainability
• Principles of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
• Applied Financial Econometrics
• EU Law and European Values
• Research Methods
• Computational Finance
• Big Data Analytics in Finance
• Innovation in Banking and Fintech
• Sustainable Finance and Investments
• Advanced Corporate Finance
• Ethics and Humanism in Digital Era
• Integrity and Ethics in Finance
• Behavioural Finance for Sustainable Development
• Technical Analysis of Financial Markets
• Investing for Environmental and Social Impact
• Financial Technologies and Alternative Investments

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the FINDATA program will satisfy the demand of employers, especially in the areas of financial markets, commercial banking, central banking, insurance, fintech companies, investment and pension companies, and the like. They will gain the prerequisites for independent analytical work and become digital specialists, able to face situations in the field of finance and solve them using current financial and information technologies. Vilnius University has created opportunities for students interested in continuing their education to enter into doctoral studies, which are available in the English language.