Program Overview

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Are you looking for a career in the emerging industry of Financial Technology? Electronic stock markets, mobile banking, cryptocurrencies, robo advisors, copy trading and peer-peer platforms are transforming the financial services sector. The MSc Financial Technology (Economics) takes a multi-disciplinary perspective that combines economics, computer science and business theory to explore the theory and methods of this growth area. This course allows a deeper dive into the economics of market microstructure for design of trading strategies, managing operational risks and market design for electronic markets such as peer-to-peer platforms. Our world leading Economics professors provide research led teaching and project supervision based on our own research strengths; including high frequency trading in electronic order books, agent-based modelling, and the economics of data science.

• You will learn about microeconomics and big data, software development and the underpinnings of the financial system. You will receive direct teaching inputs or supervision on projects from leading researchers in the Department of Economics.
• You will benefit from research-led teaching, including staff research-based software solutions included in the curriculum.
• You will benefit from our proximity to London as well as our connections with employers, some of whom are successful Essex alumni, who contribute to expert lectures.
• You will mingle not only with students specialising in the economics of FinTech, but also those specialising on the computer science and business strategy sides.
• Hands on lab sessions accompany lectures with high frequency finance software based on real time rebuilds for the London Stock Exchange Electronic Trading System (SETS).

To explore the programming aspects of this industry, take a look at MSc Financial Technology (Computer Science) , or the business aspects in MSc Financial Technology (Finance) . Why we're great.

• We are ranked 18th in the UK for Economics in the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2023)
• We are 4th in UK for research power in economics and econometrics (Times Higher Education research power measure, Research Excellence Framework 2021)
• We provide access to extensive quantitative analysis software and a large number of economics databases, across our Economics, Business and Computer Science Departments.

Our expert staff

Professor Sheri Markose received her PhD in Economics from the LSE and has a longstanding reputation for pioneering interdisciplinary Computational Finance. She was the founder director of the Essex Centre for Computational Finance and Economic Agents (2001 - 2009). Sheri is doing foundational research on blockchain distributed ledgers and serves as an Associate Editor of Frontiers Computational Intelligence in Robotics and AI. Professor Simon Weidenholzer joined Essex after both receiving his PhD in Economics at the University of Vienna and working as an Assistant Professor in the same department. His work covers microeconomics, game theory, evolutionary game theory, behavioural economics, social networks and industrial organisation. His most recent work involves theoretical and laboratory studies of crowdfunding, copy trading, and robo-advisors. Dr. Christoph Siemroth received his PhD in Economics from the University of Mannheim. His fields of expertise include behavioural and experimental economics, financial economics, and organizational economics. His recent work includes study of the informational content in asset prices, prediction markets, crowdfunding, and optimal budgeting. Dr. Ahrash Dianat completed his PhD in Economics at George Mason University (USA). Ahrash then took a post-doctoral post at the California Institute of Technology (“Caltech”) before joining the University of Essex. Ahrash specialises in experimental economics, behavioural economics, and market design. His work has included studies of corporate prediction markets. Dr. David Zentler-Munro comes to Essex from his PhD in Economics at UCL and a post as Senior Policy Advisor at the UK Department of the Treasury. His work focuses on search models and labour markets. His recent work uses machine learning to study labour market behaviour.

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Specialist facilities

Students in the Department of Economics have access to quantitative analysis software, such as Microsoft Office, MatLab, Stata, Python, R, and Eviews which can be accessed remotely and from all university computer labs and are staples of the financial industry. You will acquire practical and “hands-on” experience in the programmes as part of the course. Computer labs on campus are open 24/7 and run on Windows 10 or are dual boot with Linux. Your lectures benefit from Listen Again facilities to aid your study, and the department provides extra support to those who need it. You will be studying on our Colchester Campus with ample access to the School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering and Essex Business School . You'll also benefit from fantastic University facilities located on campus, including the Albert Sloman Library and 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. You will also benefit from 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 on campus.

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Your future

The MSc Financial Technology (Economics) is designed for students seeking a career in the finance industry, in particular the financial technology sector. Recent graduates include those who work as:

• Fund Managers (Jupiter Fund)
• Data Scientists (Lloyds Bank)
• Risk Managers (HSBC)

The degree will provide you first and foremost with the multi-disciplinary training you will need to see your subject from all sides and communicate effectively as part of a team. This course will equip you with both theoretical and technical skills that are specific for the finance industry. It will also equip you with transferable skills such as the ability to develop and present an argument, as well as lab-based operational skills. Work is undertaken both individually and in groups to broaden your experience. The Economics Department provides regular events where alumni return to chart their journey from Essex to their career to provide you with tailored knowledge of your own potential trajectories. Many of our graduates enjoy careers in financial analysis, management, banking, public administration, and other applications of economics, including SMEs. Recent destinations include:

• The Bank of England
• Coca-Cola
• HSBC
• KPMG
• PwC
• Google
• Morgan Stanley

Our Student Support team work closely with the University’s Employability and Careers Services 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.