Bachelor of Science (Financial Mathematics and Economics)
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2024-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
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Virtual Open Day 2020 Financial Maths and Economics
Entry Points (2022) 510
Course Overview
The BSc in Financial Mathematics and Economics (BSc in FME) programme is a four-year degree programme consisting of courses in mathematics, economics, statistics/probability, applied mathematics, accounting and business finance, and computer science. The programme’s aim is to equip students with expertise in quantitative subjects, with a particular focus on financial economics, actuarial mathematics and statistics. There is a high demand from financial institutions for well-qualified students with quantitative skills, and in an expanding market, highly numerate professionals are being sought, particularly in the areas of insurance, investment and finance. Typically in such employment, you would be predicting the long-term financial consequences of current and past decisions, taking account of various risk factors, and designing solutions to problems that involve financial risk or uncertainty.
The degree should appeal to people who enjoy mathematics and are interested in studying economics and other subjects in the financial area. (Please note that you do not have to study economics for the Leaving Certificate to be admitted to this course.) This degree has an advantage over other programmes, including specialised actuarial programmes, as it is broad and suits students not yet ready to specialise. The course is administered jointly by the College of Science and Engineering and the College of Business, Public Policy and Law. The entry requirements of either college may be applied, according to whichever is more advantageous to the applicant.
Program Outline
Course Outline
YEAR ONE
•Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Economics
• Mathematics of Finance
• Statistical Methods and Probability Models
• Mathematical Methods I
• Financial Accounting
YEAR TWO
• Differential Forms
• Intermediate Macroeconomics
• Random Variables
• Mathematical Methods I
• Intermediate Microeconomics
• Linear Algebra
• Introduction to Financial Economics
• Programming for Science and Finance
• Discrete Mathematics
• Mathematical Methods 11
• Statistical Inference
• Complex Analysis
YEAR THREE
•Applied Regression Models
• Groups
• Microeconomics and Public Policy
• Actuarial Mathematics - Life Contingencies 1, pricing & reserving
• Money and Banking
• Metric Spaces
• Economics of Financial Markets
• Macroeconomics and Public Policy
• Non-Linear Systems
• Business Finance 2
• Mathematical Modelling
• Topology
YEAR FOUR
• Actuarial Mathematics - Life Contingencies II
• Numerical Analysis
• Measure Theory
• Final Year Project
• Actuarial Mathematics - Life Contingencies 1, pricing & reserving
• Derivatives and Risk Management
• Economics electives
• Networks
• Statistical Modelling
• Differential Equations with Financial Derivatives
Curriculum Information
Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.
Glossary of Terms
Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject
Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject
A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.
Year 1 (60 Credits)
RequiredMA1993:
Mathematics Of Finance- 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required
MA180:
Mathematics (Honours)- 15 Credits - Semester 1
Required
EC1108:
Skills for Economics I- 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required
AY104:
Introduction to Financial Accounting- 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required
EC135:
Principles of Microeconomics- 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required
CS103:
Computer Science- 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required
ST1111:
Probability Models- 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required
EC136:
Principles of Macroeconomics- 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required
MP191:
Mathematical Methods I- 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required
ST1112:
Statistical Methods- 5 Credits - Semester 2
Year 2 (60 Credits)
RequiredCS2101:
Programming for Science and Finance- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
MA2286:
Differential Forms- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
MP231:
Mathematical Methods I- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
EC269:
Intermediate Microeconomics- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
MA284:
Discrete Mathematics- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
ST2003:
Random Variables- 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required
MP232:
Mathematical Methods II- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required
MA2287:
Complex Analysis- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required
EC247:
Introduction to Financial Economics- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required
EC268:
Intermediate Macroeconomics- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required
MA283:
Linear Algebra- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required
ST2004:
Statistical Inference- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Optional
MP211:
Modelling, Analysis and Simulation- 5 Credits - Semester 4
Why Choose This Course?
Career Opportunities
There are excellent employment opportunities for graduates. The demand from employers for well-qualified students with knowledge of how financial markets operate and how to use quantitative techniques to make informed investment decisions is substantial. The employment prospects from this degree programme are excellent, with challenging and financially rewarding opportunities in many different areas. These include:
Financial services
– opportunities for graduates exist right across the financial services sector, in investment, corporate and private banking, in currency trading, in credit risk and in management of hedge funds. Some of the world’s leading financial firms have hired our graduates, including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse.
Actuarial profession
– graduates can embark on a career as an actuary, working primarily in pensions, life insurance and investments. Some of our graduates in recent years have gone on to complete postgraduate actuarial studies and other graduates have gone directly to positions as trainee actuaries.
Actuarial Exemptions
Other areas
– opportunities for our graduates exist in government departments and other public sector bodies, where they play key roles on issues affecting the national economy. In recent years, graduates have been hired by the Department of Finance, the Central Bank of Ireland, the Bank of England and the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA). Moreover, because of their strong numeracy skills, graduates have also secured employment in a wide variety of different areas, for example, as economists, in accountancy, tax and law, in management consultancy and even as a sports odds compiler.
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