Program Overview

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Finance and investment are two sides of the same coin for portfolio managers who need to diversify and manage their exposure to risk to accurately value their assets. You will explore how psychological factors affect the financial behaviours of investors and finance practitioners on this specialist Masters degree. Our professionally recognised MSc Finance and Investment builds on your existing knowledge of finance, economics or business to prepare you for a challenging and rewarding career in portfolio management and corporate finance. You’ll explore how corporations deal with funding sources, capital structuring and investment decisions. You’ll investigate behavioural finance, financial planning strategies and fixed income markets and instruments. You develop knowledge and skills in:

• portfolio management
• fixed-income securities
• behavioural finance
• corporate finance
• financial derivatives

Our aim is to give you the best foundation for a career in investment or elsewhere in the finance sector. We want to help you understand the theory and put it into practice. You’ll learn to use our Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab , which gives you access to the data and analytical tools found in financial institutions across the City of London and throughout the world. This will allow you to develop the skills needed in industry and gain an advantage in the graduate recruitment market. The University of Essex is a member of the CFA® Institute University Affiliation Program and our MSc Finance and Investment covers more than 70% of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program Candidate Body of Knowledge. Upon completing this course, you are well positioned to sit for the CFA exams, which are among the most widely recognised and established qualifications in the UK. This course is taught at Essex Business School . Our students and staff join us from all over the world and our teaching is grounded in contemporary issues and professional practice Essex has one of the largest groups of finance academics in the UK, providing a wide range of courses in banking, finance, investment, risk management and financial econometrics. This means you’ll also be able to choose from a huge range of optional modules to tailor your course to your interests and aspirations. Discover our trading floor:

Professional accreditation

Recognised by the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA). Why we're great.

• Our Bloomberg Financial Market Labs gives you access to the data and analytical tools found in financial institutions across the City of London.
• We cover more than 70% of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Programme Candidate Body of Knowledge making you well placed to sit your professional exams when you graduate.
• You’ll be taught by our expert finance researchers, who work alongside the financial industry, regulators and policy-makers.

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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 Professor Ekaterini Panopoulou Head of the Finance Group at Essex Business School. Ekaterini conducts world-class research on forecasting. She publishes widely in this area, as well as on financial econometrics and alternative investments. Professor Panopoulou has authored over 40 journal articles across a range of titles and five book chapters. Another of our finance experts includes Dr Thanos Verousis , Reader in Finance at Essex Business School who specialises in the study of financial markets and market microstructure with a particular focus on understanding investor behaviour in the context of exchange market structures. Thanos makes extensive use of his industry connections to invite a range of guest speakers into his modules; he recently published two blog posts outlining why this is such a beneficial approach for his students:

• Bringing industry experts into the online classroom .
• Why guest speakers make a positive contribution to student motivation and employability .

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 and Investment 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
• dynamic blended learning provision for uninterrupted study and engaging online lectures with virtual guest speakers
• 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 and Investment provides you with the foundations for a rewarding career in finance and investment management, equipping you with the skills to lead at a global level. Many of our graduates enjoy roles in a host of occupations, including financial analysis, management, public administration and accountancy. Read Andrew's story, and see how he benefited from his Masters degree. Our graduates work for high-profile organisations and innovative SMEs such as:

• Deutsche Bank
• Standard Chartered
• GlobeOp Financial Services
• 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. “For anyone interested in a career in finance or investment, I highly recommend this degree. Be ready to learn a lot, work hard and have fun while at it. Trust me, there is so much to learn if you are willing. I'm currently working as an investment analyst at SFS Capital Nigeria and I particularly enjoyed modules in portfolio management, fixed income securities and modern banking. These modules prepared me for my CFA level 1 exams.” Faith Oreoluwa Odekunle, MSc Finance and Investment (2019)