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King's College London
You are viewing a course in < Computer science
Postgraduate degree

Computational Finance MSc

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The Computational Finance MSc will introduce students to the computational methods that are widely used by practitioners and financial institutions in today’s markets. This course will provide students with a solid foundation not only in traditional quantitative methods and financial instruments, but also scientific computing, numerical methods, high-performance computing, distributed ledgers, big-data analytics and agent-based modelling. These techniques will be used to understand financial markets from a post-crisis perspective which incorporates findings from the study of financial markets at high-frequency time scales, modern approaches to understanding systematic risk and financial contagion, and disruptive technologies such as distributed-ledgers and crypto- currencies.

Key benefits

  • Located in central London, giving access to major libraries and leading scientific societies, including the Chartered Institute for IT (BCS) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
  • The Department of Informatics has a reputation for delivering research-led teaching and project supervision from leading experts in their field.
  • 92 per cent of research outputs ranked as world leading or internationally excellent in the most recent assessment of excellence in UK universities – confirming the department’s position as a world-class institution for research in Computer Science.
  • Friendly and supportive learning environment, with students from across the globe.

This course provides an understanding of modern financial technology (FinTech) including electronic trading and distributed-ledger technology. You will gain practical hands-on techniques for working with and analysing financial data, which draw on modern developments in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data technology. There will be opportunity to understand the practical aspects of quantitative finance and FinTech from Industry experts located in the heart of one of the World’s financial centres.

Base campuses

strand-quad
Strand Campus

Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.

waterloo-banner
Waterloo Campus

Waterloo campus is home of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and facilities for other faculties

Regulating bodies

King's is regulated by the Office for Students

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Teaching methods - what to expect

Lectures
Tutorials
Independent Study
Coursework
Preparation for examinations

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work., e.g. 150 hours work for a 15-credit module. These hours cover every aspect of the module, including independent study.

Assessment

  • Coursework
  • Written/Practical Examinations
  • Oral Presentations
  • In-Class Tests
  • Online Examinations
  • Individual Project Dissertation

Structure

Required modules

You are required to take:

Individual Project (60 credits)
Scientific Computing for Finance (15 credits)
Quantitative Methods in Finance (15 credits)
Agent Based Modelling in Finance (15 credits)
High-Frequency Finance (15 credits)
Case Studies in Finance (15 credits)

Optional modules

In addition, you are required to take 45 credits from a range of optional modules that may typically include:

Financial Markets (15 credits)
Fundamentals of Digital Signal Processing (15 credits)
Cryptography (15 credits)
C++ for Financial Mathematics (15 credits)
Nature-Inspired Learning Algorithms (15 credits)
Statistics in Finance (15 credits)
Software Engineering & Underlying Technology for Financial Systems (15 credits)
Distributed Ledgers & Crypto-currencies (15 credits)
Security Management (15 credits)

You will be able to select up to 15 credits from a range of level 6 modules but should note that there are specific regulations surrounding this option that must be carefully considered before making your module selection. Modules may typically include:

Machine Learning (15 credits)

If you are a student who has previously studied in the Department of Informatics and have taken and passed any modules before (at level 6 or 7), you are not permitted to take these again. This is not permitted by the academic regulations.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Employability

The Careers Service run tailored sessions for Informatics students and a careers programme which includes skills sessions and visits from top employers.

Our graduates have gone on to have successful careers working for IT companies, and the IT departments of large institutions (private and public sector).

Other graduates have entered into the field of academic and industrial research.

Tuition Fees

UK:

Full time: £11,040 per year (2022/23)

International:

Full time: £32,940 per year (2022/23)

These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

Deposit

When you receive an offer for this course you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. The deposit will be credited towards your total fee payment.

The UK deposit is £500.

The INTERNATIONAL deposit is £2,000.

  • If you receive an offer on or before 31 March, payment is due by 25 April 2022.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 April and 30 June, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 July and 31 July, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 August and 21 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer from 22 August onwards, payment is due within three days of receiving the offer.

If you are a current King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.

Please visit our web pages on fees and funding for more information.

Additional Costs

In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:

  • Books if you choose to buy your own copies 
  • Clothing for optional course related events and competitions 
  • Course packs, which are a vital part of your learning at King's and normally contain extracts from books and other useful documents that will inform your study.
  • Library fees and fines 
  • Personal photocopies 
  • Printing course handouts 
  • Society membership fees 
  • Stationery 
  • Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses 
  • Graduation costs

Funding

This course provides an understanding of modern financial technology (FinTech) including electronic trading and distributed-ledger technology. You will gain practical hands-on techniques for working with and analysing financial data, which draw on modern developments in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data technology. There will be opportunity to understand the practical aspects of quantitative finance and FinTech from Industry experts located in the heart of one of the World’s financial centres.

Base campuses

strand-quad
Strand Campus

Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.

waterloo-banner
Waterloo Campus

Waterloo campus is home of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery and facilities for other faculties

Regulating bodies

King's is regulated by the Office for Students

Loading...

Teaching methods - what to expect

Lectures
Tutorials
Independent Study
Coursework
Preparation for examinations

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work., e.g. 150 hours work for a 15-credit module. These hours cover every aspect of the module, including independent study.

Assessment

  • Coursework
  • Written/Practical Examinations
  • Oral Presentations
  • In-Class Tests
  • Online Examinations
  • Individual Project Dissertation

Structure

Required modules

You are required to take:

Individual Project (60 credits)
Scientific Computing for Finance (15 credits)
Quantitative Methods in Finance (15 credits)
Agent Based Modelling in Finance (15 credits)
High-Frequency Finance (15 credits)
Case Studies in Finance (15 credits)

Optional modules

In addition, you are required to take 45 credits from a range of optional modules that may typically include:

Financial Markets (15 credits)
Fundamentals of Digital Signal Processing (15 credits)
Cryptography (15 credits)
C++ for Financial Mathematics (15 credits)
Nature-Inspired Learning Algorithms (15 credits)
Statistics in Finance (15 credits)
Software Engineering & Underlying Technology for Financial Systems (15 credits)
Distributed Ledgers & Crypto-currencies (15 credits)
Security Management (15 credits)

You will be able to select up to 15 credits from a range of level 6 modules but should note that there are specific regulations surrounding this option that must be carefully considered before making your module selection. Modules may typically include:

Machine Learning (15 credits)

If you are a student who has previously studied in the Department of Informatics and have taken and passed any modules before (at level 6 or 7), you are not permitted to take these again. This is not permitted by the academic regulations.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Employability

The Careers Service run tailored sessions for Informatics students and a careers programme which includes skills sessions and visits from top employers.

Our graduates have gone on to have successful careers working for IT companies, and the IT departments of large institutions (private and public sector).

Other graduates have entered into the field of academic and industrial research.

Tuition Fees

UK:

Full time: £11,040 per year (2022/23)

International:

Full time: £32,940 per year (2022/23)

These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

Deposit

When you receive an offer for this course you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. The deposit will be credited towards your total fee payment.

The UK deposit is £500.

The INTERNATIONAL deposit is £2,000.

  • If you receive an offer on or before 31 March, payment is due by 25 April 2022.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 April and 30 June, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 July and 31 July, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 August and 21 August, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer from 22 August onwards, payment is due within three days of receiving the offer.

If you are a current King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.

Please visit our web pages on fees and funding for more information.

Additional Costs

In addition to your tuition costs, you can also expect to pay for:

  • Books if you choose to buy your own copies 
  • Clothing for optional course related events and competitions 
  • Course packs, which are a vital part of your learning at King's and normally contain extracts from books and other useful documents that will inform your study.
  • Library fees and fines 
  • Personal photocopies 
  • Printing course handouts 
  • Society membership fees 
  • Stationery 
  • Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses 
  • Graduation costs

Funding

Application closing date guidance

We recommend that you submit your application as soon as possible as we may need to request further information from you to assess your application. This is particularly important if your application is successful and you are required to meet any offer condition, and/or you need a Student Visa to study here at King's.

King's College London is committed to the recruitment of students with the greatest academic ability and to maintain a diverse student population. In order to ensure a balanced international student population for our most competitive programmes, we have implemented the following deadlines:

  • The final application deadline for any students who are currently residing in mainland China is Friday 7 January 2022, 23:59 (UK time).

    Please note: if you reside in mainland China and apply for any of the above programmes after this deadline, your application will be automatically withdrawn, and you will not be eligible for an application fee refund.

  • Our first application deadline for any other applicants is on Friday 25 March 2022 (23:59, UK time). After this date, the programme will close at any point once it is full. If there are places still available, the programme will remain open until the final application deadlines below:

    Overseas (international) fee status: Friday 29 July 2022 (23:59, UK time)

    Home fee status: Friday 26 August 2022 (23:59, UK time)

    Please note, you will not be eligible for an application fee refund if you apply after the first application deadline listed and we are unable to process any further offers because places are filled before the final application deadlines.
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