Program Overview

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Now more than ever, the finance sector requires multi-disciplined practitioners who can navigate financial markets, make informed investment decisions and act rationally and ethically under pressure. MSc Finance is the flagship Masters degree of our finance disciplines at Essex Business School. It delivers a solid base in finance for those with a strong quantitative and financial background who wish to move into a career in the finance sector. This Masters in finance has been developed to meet the needs of a global finance sector that is still partially in recovery and in need of decisive leadership and new thinking. You will learn using case studies, almost real-time data from our Bloomberg data feed and established financial models. You will learn when and what to question and how you and your unique skillset can make an impact. You will master core areas of finance, such as:

• asset pricing
• portfolio analysis
• derivative securities
• hedging financial risk
• financial econometric tools
• corporate finance

MSc Finance is taught at Essex Business School, at our Colchester Campus . Our students and staff join us from all over the world and our teaching is grounded in contemporary issues and professional practice. Essex Business School offers a limited number of scholarships for the CFA level one exam to exceptional Masters students. Why we're great.

• Learn from our expert finance researchers work alongside the financial industry, regulators and policy-makers.
• If you have a strong quantitative background and want to move into a career in the finance sector then this is the perfect course for you.
• Our Financial Market Labs give you access to market-leading Bloomberg business data where you will be able to test your financial models against real-time business data.

Our expert staff

Finance research at Essex Business School is world-leading in a number of areas, including:

• banking
• corporate finance
• behavioural finance
• financial econometrics
• forecasting
• commodities markets

Our expert finance researchers work alongside the financial industry, regulators and policy-makers both in the UK (for example at the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Bank of England) and internationally (such as the European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve and the Bank for International Settlements). This ensures their research is having a genuine impact on people’s everyday lives. You’ll be taught by this team of experts, including Dr Udichibarna Bose . Udichi is one of a number of colleagues publishing high-quality research in corporate finance, although her interests also extend to financial economics, financial inclusion, and firm performance and trade. Dr Bose has a particular interest in emerging markets and was recently co-investigator on a project about mainstreaming of the financial inclusion agenda in India, which was funded by the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI). Udichi is also a Fellow of Advance HE, in recognition of her ability to translate her research into inspiring teaching. All our finance researchers are members of the Essex Finance Centre (EFiC) , our research centre that promotes internationally renowned, high-quality academic research in areas such as asset pricing, banking, behavioural finance and financial modelling. Finance academics are also members of the Essex Centre for Macro and Financial Econometrics , our interdisciplinary research centre established in partnership with the world-class Economics Department at Essex. The Centre aims to conduct and publish world-leading research in macro and financial econometrics. The Centres run regular seminars that are open to all postgraduate students and which offer an opportunity for you to hear the very latest research and developments in the finance sector.

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Specialist facilities

MSc Finance is based at our Colchester Campus . You’ll be studying at Essex Business School , home to the first zero carbon business school in the UK – demonstrating our sustainable approach to business first-hand. Set around a lush winter garden, with shared spaces to encourage collaborative working, you’ll find a wealth of inspiring teaching and study zones:

• a virtual trading floor with Bloomberg Financial Market Labs, where you’ll gain hands-on experience and learn how to model financial data in a practical setting
• learn in modern lecture theatres with ‘listen again’ recording to aid your study
• utilise study booths in our winter garden and versatile break out areas for group working throughout the building
• study skills support provided by the Essex Business School Learning Team
• networking opportunities with visiting businesses and careers events
• Bonds café and adjacent foyer to enjoy on-site fresh food and drink

You'll also benefit from fantastic University facilities located close by, including our state-of-the-art Silberrad Student Centre, complete with an open-access 24-hour Learning Hub and a cutting-edge media centre. You benefit from access to a wide range of specialised banking and finance databases, textbooks and e-books and can book appointments with our subject librarian. Essex Business School students also have access to quantitative analysis software, such as MatLab, Stata and Eviews which can be accessed remotely and from all university computer labs. Our building is located on the Knowledge Gateway , home to some of the region’s most exciting enterprises in the science, technology and creative sectors. The Knowledge Gateway provides potential networking and career opportunities for students directly on campus.

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Your future

MSc Finance provides you with the foundation for a rewarding career in banking and finance, equipping you with the skills to lead at a global level. Our graduates enjoy careers in financial analysis, management, public administration and accountancy at some of the world’s most well-known organisations and exciting SMEs, including:

• KPMG
• Grant Thornton LLP
• Inter-American Development Bank
• European Central Bank
• HP, hardware company
• Groupon, a global e-commerce marketplace
• Capital Markets Intelligence, a financial publisher
• Credit Data Research, a business funder

Our Student Support team work closely with the University’s Employability and Careers service to help you with careers information and advice and CV support. They will help you find work experience, internships, placements and voluntary opportunities and provide access to employer talks on campus. We also work closely with the Essex Startups team to support our budding entrepreneurs get their business ideas off the ground.