MSc Degrees

Our MSc programmes emphasise employability and the development of practical skills essential for financial analysts and professional economists. Taught by leading academics engaged in cutting-edge research and seasoned industry professionals, these programmes bridge the gap between advanced research and real-world applications, equipping students to excel in their careers.

All our MSc programmes offer comprehensive training in finance or economics, but they vary by entry requirements, quantitative level, and career focus. See the table below.

Programme	Minimum Entry Requirements	Special Focus	Careers
Banking and Finance - September entry	2.2 honours degree in any subject with some quantitative elements	Commercial and investment banking, especially regulation and risk management for banking	Risk management and regulation in commercial banks, investment banks, and supervisory financial institutions (e.g. central banks)
Banking and Finance - January entry	2.2 honours degree in any subject with some quantitative elements	Commercial and investment banking, especially regulation and risk management for banking	Risk management and regulation in commercial banks, investment banks, and supervisory financial institutions (e.g. central banks)
Banking and Finance (Conversion) - January entry	2.2 honours degree in any subject without quantitative modules in a bachelor degree. This is an admissions option for students without quantitative modules in their bachelor’s degree. The degree certificate will state the official award title is MSc Banking and Finance	Commercial and investment banking, especially regulation and risk management for banking	A route into banking and finance if you do not hold a degree in a quantitative subject. Risk management and regulation in commercial banks, investment banks, and supervisory financial institutions (e.g. central banks)
Behavioural Finance*	2.1 honours degree in any subject with some quantitative elements	Irrationalities and puzzles in decision-making (especially regarding savings and investment) and on financial markets	Analyst/ trader/ portfolio manager in investment banks, hedge funds, and pension funds Public policy (especially in so-called "nudge units") Marketing
Corporate Finance	2.2 honours degree in any subject	Valuation of firms and investment projects. Optimal capital structure	Companies' finance departments and investment banks
Economics**	2.1 honours degree in a quantitative subject with excellent performance in the quantitative elements	Applied economic analyst skills through three Pathways: Big Data and Quantitative Analysis, Competition and Public Policy, Macroeconomic Outcomes and Financial Markets	Professional economist in public sector (government departments, central banks, international organizations) or private sector (consulting, banks); MRes/PhD
Finance*	2.1 honours degree in a quantitative subject with good performance in quantitative elements	Advanced study in all key areas of finance	Commercial and investment banks, hedge funds, pension funds, governmental financial institutions, companies’ finance departments
Finance and Machine Learning	2.1 honours degree, or equivalent. This does not have to be in Economics or Finance, though it is strongly preferable to have a solid quantitative background in statistics and mathematics	Grounding in machine learning methods and how they are used in finance	Data analyst, quantitative researcher, fintech specialist, risk analyst
Investment Banking*	2.1 honours degree in any subject	Financial and strategic analysis of investment banking functions	Investment banking and corporate advisory
Investment and Finance*	2.1 honours degree in any subject with some quantitative elements	Asset pricing, portfolio construction, and financial derivatives	Analyst/ trader/ portfolio manager in investment banks, hedge funds, and pension funds
Wealth Management	2.2 honours degree in any subject	Asset pricing, portfolio construction, and wealth management for high-worth individuals	Wealth management for high-worth individuals

*CFA pathway available

** generous scholarships available, please select the programme to find out more

Students who do not meet the entry requirements for any of our MSc’s can consider the Pre-Masters Graduate Diploma in Economics and Finance (6 or 12 month versions), MSc Investment and Finance with Integrated Pre-Masters, or MSc Banking and Finance with Integrated Pre-Masters. Successful completion of the Diploma will allow you to enter one of our MSc programmes.

Other key features

The School of Economics and Finance is highly ranked based on our teaching and research:

4th in the UK for research output in economics and econometrics in the Research Excellence Framework in 2021
In top 50 in the Shanghai Global Ranking for Economics in 2024
In top 100 in the Shanghai Global Ranking for Finance in 2024
84th in the QS World University Rankings for Economics & Econometrics in 2023

In addition to the core modules, each programme offers a wide range of electives which allow students to further specialise according to their interests and chosen career focus.

We provide opportunities for professional skills development through our student-led investment fund as well as through short, practically focused professional development modules, including our popular Financial Trading Programme. We also provide extensive careers support services.