| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2024-09-01 | 2024-01-01 |
Program Overview
Who is it for?
The Foundation Year is designed to prepare UK students for the key subjects that will form the core of the rest of your degree in Finance. On successful completion of the Foundation Year you will have obtained a fundamental knowledge of mathematics, statistics, economics, IT and business management which will ensure that you are fully prepared to enter Programme Stage 1 of the main degree. The BSc Finance degree provides you with the skills needed for a variety of careers within the finance world- from brokerage, auditing and consulting to risk management, and financial analysis within both debt and equity markets.
Objectives
The Foundation Year is a one-year full-time programme that provides an entry route to the first year of either the BSc Banking and International Finance, BSc Finance or BSc Investment and Financial Risk Management, and is designed to prepare you for the key subjects that will form the core of the rest of your degree.
Program Outline
Structure
The Foundation course has been designed to familiarise you with the material that you will study in more depth in the later years of the degree programme.
The modules covered are:
Year 0
In Year 0 you will take seven core modules:
Introduction to economics
This course will cover fundamental topics in both macro and micro economics. We will assume that you have not covered this material before and this module will help you prepare for the first year Economics module. This module will have an integrated study skills module which will develop your ability in such areas as note taking, essay planning, mind maps, etc. which will help both with this module and the rest of your studies and later employment.
Introduction to finance and accounting
This module will introduce you to concepts such as interest rates, discounted cash-flows, different types of investments and company accounts. The material in this module will prepare you for the Finance and Investment Mathematics module in the first year and the Finance and Financial Reporting module in the second year. It will also provide real world skills for the analysis of companies and investments.
Introduction to Microsoft Office Suite
This module is taught mainly on-line but supported with a weekly tutorial. Not only will this module prepare you for the Applications of Information Technology module in the first year and in addition will help with all your future studies where Microsoft Office products are used, as well as providing real life skills which will be attractive to employers.
Introduction to Business and Management
This module introduces you to fundamental topics that will help you to develop an understanding of how businesses operate and how they are managed. This will be particularly useful to you if you will be undertaking an undergraduate degree involving the study of business. The unit covers the following areas: models of management, the business environment, managing people, leadership, corporate social responsibility, human resource management, corporate strategy, marketing, organisation structure, managing operations.
Foundation Mathematics and Statistics
Through this module, you will extend your existing knowledge of mathematics to develop your analytical skills. The programme of study will be divided into lectures in algebra, calculus and statistics and the focus will be on giving students an understanding of how mathematical techniques can be used to model and then solve practical problems. If we find that a large proportion of the class already has a knowledge of mathematics which goes beyond the material taught on this module, we will run additional, more advanced tutorials which will emphasise the process used and methods required when you are working towards the solution of more complicated problems.
Individual Project
This module aims to develop transferable skills which will be of value to you on whichever degree you choose to study. With the support of a nominated academic supervisor, you will be required to design, research and write a report of approximately 3000 words and then deliver a 10 minute presentation on the content of your report. Bayes academics will suggest a limited range of possible topics, for students to write their project on, all centred on the theme of business and finance. You may also suggest a topic of your own, along with a written explanation of why you believe it would be a good choice. Student-generated project topics are subject to approval by the Course Director.
Business London
The Business London module introduces you to the historic role of London in the development of international business and finance. Some sessions will involve standard lectures, but for others you will be expected to walk around the City of London and to visit London institutions. This will help you to appreciate the role of the geography of the City in its development into a leading centre of global commerce.