Program Overview

Introduction to the MPhil in Financial Technology

The MPhil in Financial Technology is a unique program offered by the University of Cape Town, designed to address the shortage of suitably trained graduates in the field of financial technology. The program is convened by the Financial Innovation Hub, in collaboration with the Departments of Statistics and Computer Science, and the School of Economics.

About the Programme

Information technology is increasingly pivotal in the financial services industry, which faces evolving skill requirements to navigate a more complex regulatory framework and heightened competitive pressure from fintech start-ups. The program offers three elective courses and a 60-credit dissertation, providing students with the necessary finance and computer science skills to start a career in the financial services industry.

Programme Convenor

The programme convenor is Dr. Allan Davids.

Prescribed Curriculum Structure

The program covers the following courses:

• ECO4053S: Financial Economics (14 NQF credits, NQF level 8)
• CSC5007Z: Databases for Data Scientists (12 NQF credits, NQF level 9)
• STA5075Z: Statistical & High-Performance Computing (12 NQF credits, NQF level 9)
• ECO5040S: Financial Software Engineering (27 NQF credits, NQF level 9)
• STA5076Z: Supervised Learning (18 NQF credits, NQF level 9)
• STA5077Z: Unsupervised Learning (12 NQF credits, NQF level 9)
• ECO5037S: Fintech and Cryptocurrencies (24 NQF credits, NQF level 9)
• ECO4131S: Digital Economics (14 NQF credits, NQF level 8)
• ECO5016W: Minor Dissertation in FinTech (60 NQF credits, NQF level 9)

Entrance Requirements

A relevant Honours degree or equivalent (equivalent to a UCT Hons degree), with at least a good 2nd class pass (above 65%). Note that the 65% threshold is not a binding restriction.

Funding

There are various dedicated scholarships available for students of the MPhil in Financial Technology. For more information on funding opportunities, visit the Postgraduate Degree Funding page.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I apply without a four-year degree? You need a four-year degree (e.g., a Bachelors + Honours) to be eligible for this Masters, i.e., an NQF level 8 qualification. Unfortunately, we cannot count work experience towards your qualifications.
• I do not have a background in computer science or statistics, can I still apply? The requirement of having a background in computer science and statistics is not a binding one. We are interested in top students from a variety of backgrounds. You will need a healthy dose of mathematics, though, and must have at least a strong desire to learn how to programme.
• I do not have 65% in my Honours. Can I still apply? The requirement of having 65% is not a binding one. Note, however, that admission into the course will be highly competitive.
• What level of mathematics and coding do I need? In terms of math, you will need some basic calculus (in particular, you need to understand what a gradient is) and statistics. We don't per se require you to have taken coding classes at university before, but ideally, you have coding experience or, at the very least, a strong interest in learning how to code.
• I want to do the degree part-time. When are classes, and do I need to be based in Cape Town? The programme can be done both full-time and part-time, but you will need to be in Cape Town either way since classes will be in the morning or late afternoon. There is also some teaching en bloc from mid-June to mid-July. For both full-time and part-time students, the degree will be one year since part-time students will have some professional experience already which should make it a bit easier for them to cope with the workload.
• My coding is a bit rusty. What can I do to brush it up? One way of doing this is to do some of the online courses offered by codecademy, udemy, or coursera. We will be using a lot of python in the degree.
• How many students will you admit to the programme? We will be admitting no more than 15 students per year. The program will be heavily oversubscribed. However, we will give every single application our full consideration and want to encourage all interested students to apply.