Finance Newcastle University

Understand and analyse international financial markets, institutions and strategies of investors. Our Finance MSc delivers advanced knowledge and skills in financial markets and institutions.

About this course

You'll learn how they function and interact with the real economy. You'll gain knowledge in making optimal decisions in your financial career.

The financial services sector has experienced worldwide growth. This has increased the demand for students with specialist skills and competencies in finance. This course will suit you if you are interested in the following careers:

• investment banking
• financial research
• financial trading

Your studies will include:

• financial markets and institutions
• the management of the asset-specific company and country risk

We'll encourage you to engage with contemporary debates. This should be related to the operation of financial markets and institutions. You'll learn about the types and function of financial markets. Such as:

• stock
• bond
• foreign exchange
• derivative markets

You'll benefit from our status as a Bloomberg Experiential Learning Partner. Through self-study, you'll complete the Bloomberg Market Concepts certificate. This gives you an interactive introduction to the financial markets.

What you'll learn

Our course is responsive to trends and issues in global financial markets and services. It features compulsory modules in financial theory and corporate policy. It also includes optional modules on:

• financial markets
• financial institutions
• applied empirical methods in finance

Access advanced statistical software and financial databases to support your empirical projects and dissertation.

Advanced statistical software

Where possible you'll have access to advanced statistical software including:

• Eviews
• SPSS
• Stata
• Gauss
• MATLAB
• SAS
• Maple
• Minitab

Financial databases

You'll also have access to a number of financial databases including:

• Bloomberg
• DataStream
• Fame
• Amadeus
• WRDS
• Compustat
• CRSP
• Oriana
• Global Financial Database

Your development

Graduate destinations

Graduates from this course have undertaken various roles including:

• assistant chief financial officer
• financial analyst
• accountant
• financial trader
• auditor
• investment analyst
• risk analyst
• controller
• PhD candidate

Careers

This course prepares you for a wide range of careers with employers, such as:

• KPMG
• Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
• PwC
• Accenture
• Santander UK
• J.P. Morgan
• Kingston Smith LLP
• HongRun Shanghai Financial Leasing Co. Ltd.
• Buss Group
• Moore Kingston Smith LLP

Professional accreditation

CFA® Institute University Recognition Program

Get ahead with your studies towards the CFA® examinations. We are part of CFA Institute's University Affiliation Program, which means that our courses incorporate at least 70% of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge™ (CBOK), promoting ethics based investment education for developing investment professionals.

As a student on this course, you would be entitled to apply for one of the CFA Institute's scholarships. The Student Scholarship waives the one-time CFA Program enrolment fee and reduces the exam registration fee, which includes access to the eBook curriculum.

Chartered Banker Institute

Benefit from our Chartered Banker Institute Centre of Excellence status. This course has a Chartered Banker pathway so you can achieve the Associated or full Member status of the Chartered Banker Institute. ‌

Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments (CISI)

You have an opportunity to become a CISI member free of charge. Our partner status make sure you will be well prepared to sit the CISI Level 6 Financial Markets exam, as well as for your future career in investment and wealth management.‌You will also benefit from our status as a Chartered CISI Partner University. The CISI is a leading international professional body for securities, investment, wealth and financial planning.

Newcastle University Business School accreditation

Newcastle University Business School is accredited by the:

• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
• European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS)
• Association of MBAs (AMBA)

Only 1% of business schools worldwide hold this triple crown. Our accreditations reflect the investments we make for our students through providing a high quality teaching environment, innovative programming and active engagement with industry.

‌‌‌Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)

Students who pass the exam in our module NBS8340: Introduction to Financial Reporting will be exempted from the CIMA examination in BA3: Fundamentals of Financial Accounting (part of CIMA Certificate in Business Accounting).

Our staff

This course builds on our established research strengths in finance and economics.

View profiles of the module leaders for this course:

• Dr Minh Nguyen (Degree Programme Director)
• Dr Roberto Bonilla Trejos
• Dr Grega Smrkolj
• Dr Xuegi Dong

Delivery

The course is modular, with:

• taught modules from October to May
• a final dissertation project from June to September

This master’s degree offers you a stimulating curriculum and a supportive teaching and learning environment.

Guest lectures

Guest lectures by practitioners and policymakers on this course complement the study of theoretical frameworks. These lectures analyse the most recent trends in:

• financial markets
• banking industries

They also provide an overview of the available opportunities within the financial sector.

Facilities

Newcastle University Business School is one of the largest Schools in the University. We have over 3,500 students representing over 83 nationalities. This valuable network extends beyond our current students to include:

• regional, nationality and international leaders
• alumni
• leading professionals and practitioners from industry

The Business School is based in a building within the Newcastle Helix development – Newcastle's emerging business district.

Our facilities provide:

• a flexible and dedicated conference suite with panoramic views across the city
• Wi-Fi enabled connectivity throughout the building, including three computer clusters housing approximately 120 PCs
• four large lecture theatres and 21 seminar rooms, providing comfortable teaching and group study space
• a dedicated Hub, Base, and Lounge providing a balanced mix of study space and relaxation areas
• a contemporary café

Find out more about Newcastle University Business School

Entry requirements

A 2:1 honours degree, or international equivalent. Your transcripts need need to show an understanding of::

• basic calculus
• probability theory
• statistical inference.

You can use your personal statement to show your mathematical knowledge if it is not clear from your transcripts.

International Students

To study this course you need to meet our Band 6 English Language requirements:

Direct Entry: IELTS 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in all sub-skills)

If you have lower English Language scores, you may be accepted onto a pre-sessional English course.

Our typical English Language requirements are listed as IELTS scores but we also accept a wide range of English Language tests.

The equivalent academic qualifications that we accept are listed on our country pages.

Pre-sessional English Course Requirements

• 6 week Pre-sessional entry: IELTS 6.0 overall (with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in all other sub-skills)
• 10 week Pre-sessional entry: IELTS 6.0 overall (with 1 sub-skill at a minimum of 5.0 and 3 sub-skills at a minimum of 5.5, including writing)

You can study a pre-sessional English course at our INTO Newcastle Centre.