Program Overview

MSc Financial Crime and Compliance in Digital Societies (top-up)

Overview

This blended, top-up MSc was developed with the ICA, ensuring you'll build on your governance, risk and compliance (GRC) and financial crime prevention expertise with the latest global standards.

Key Features

• Learn leading and up-to-date knowledge
• Transform your business operations
• Build a global network
• Developed in association with the International Compliance Association (ICA)

Key Information

• Delivery: A mix of online content with three-day practical masterclasses three times a year.
• Practical masterclasses: The practical masterclasses have been designed to enrich your study experience, deepen your applied knowledge and support the networking element.
• Duration: MSc (top-up): 12 months, part-time.
• Enrolment dates: September 2025
• Workload: Approx 20 hours per week.
• How to apply: For more information on how to apply and what documents to submit with your application, please visit our application and selection section.

Fees and Funding

• Total course tuition fee: £11,000 (UK/EU/International) for entry in September 2025.
• Payment by instalments: We offer payment by instalments, so you can spread the cost of studying with us.

Entry Requirements

• Academic entry qualification: If you have successfully completed the ICA Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Crime Compliance or ICA Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Governance, Risk and Compliance, you can apply for this course.
• English language: If you have a degree/qualification that was taught and assessed in English by an education provider, you may be exempt from submitting further evidence of English language proficiency.

Course Units

• Unit 1 - Compliance and Financial Crime Risk – Analysis and Explanation (20 credits)
  • Learn about theories of compliance and regulation that can be applied to understand risks (what, why and how), victimisation (patterns and trends), and enforcement and governance (risk assessment vs. crime control vs. regulation vs. social justice).
• Unit 2 - Digital Technologies, Financial Crimes and Compliance (20 credits)
  • Gain research-led insights into digital vulnerabilities such as processes of misinformation and disinformation in an era of ‘fake news’ and the implications of this for business.
• Unit 3 - Data, Evidence and Intelligence on Financial Crime and Compliance (20 credits)
  • Learn about the processes and approaches that underpin the production of evidence and intelligence on financial crime and compliance.
• Project (60 credits)
  • The MSc Financial Crime and Compliance in Digital Societies course has a mandatory dissertation component made up of two optional pathways.

Course Structure

• Teaching and learning: This is a blended learning course with three practical masterclasses per year.
• Coursework and assessment: The assessments involve a mixture of written coursework (e.g., short essays or reflective contributions), recorded presentations (e.g., using PowerPoint), and online tasks (i.e., quizzes, short reflections and analyses on the content of the weekly session).

Admissions Information

• Application and selection: Apply online. The deadline for applications is 25 August 2025.
• Scholarships and bursaries: Postgraduate loans (UK/EU), Manchester Master's Bursary (UK), Manchester Alumni Scholarship Schemes, Funding for students with disabilities.