The MSc in Banking & Finance at King’s Business School is an innovative course designed to provide you with an in-depth understanding of the finance and banking industry. The programme will also equip you with essential research, analytical and critical thinking skills, preparing you for a range of careers across the finance sector and expose you to challenges raised by the availability of large dataset in corporate finance and asset returns.
You’ll build a strong foundation in key financial principles and techniques through the following selection of core modules:
Quantitative Methods for Finance – Learn the industry-standard methods and modern techniques essential to understanding financial data and approaching issues facing banks today.
Investments - Gain a strong understanding of the end-to-end investment management process and modern investment techniques.
Commercial & Investment Banking – Discover modern financial markets, intermediaries, financial crises and the role of regulation in the financial sector.
Financial Statement Analysis – Study the analysis used by financial institutions to identify suitable investments and learn from current industry practitioners.
Financial Derivatives – Learn the theory and practice of pricing & hedging derivative securities.
You’ll also have the chance to shape your degree to reflect the career you want through our extensive range of elective modules:
Asset Pricing – Explore the core principles of asset pricing theory and understand the risks & premiums of financial assets.
Empirical Finance – Compare the effectiveness of alternative financial theories using real world data.
Applied Risk Management for Banking – Build your understanding of the risks that financial institutions are exposed to and the key tools used to manage them.
Financial Econometrics – Examine the relevant econometric techniques applied to key problems in finance.
Corporate Finance – Learn the methods used to value investments, make corporate financing decisions and evaluate policies corporates undertake to make cash returns or dividend decisions to stakeholders.
Empirical Macroeconomics – Observe modern economic trends and explore large scale financial & economic factors.
Financial Regulation & Governance – Further your understanding of the public policy instruments available in banking, alongside the latest developments of the regulatory landscape to counter the effects of financial crises.
Topics in Applied Finance – Explore the operations of wealth management, financial engineering and shipping finance.
Behavioural Finance – Examine the behavioural biases that financial market participants exhibit and study the resulting asset pricing anomalies.
You’ll also undertake a 15,000 word Research Project (Dissertation), where you will conduct your own in-depth research and apply the knowledge & methods gained from studying our taught modules.
Ungraded modules
As part of the course, you will also have the chance to take ungraded modules alongside the above modules. These will allow you to gain practical, real world financial skills geared towards maximising your employability once you graduate.
We currently offer ungraded modules in the key programming languages, software and environments for finance, including Matlab, Python, C++, R, VBA and Stata. We also offer classes in English for financial career and International Banking and Finance.
Our MSc in Banking & Finance provides a diverse, well rounded and general education in the core principles of finance, giving you the skills to progress into a diverse range of financial careers once you graduate.
Students who complete the MSc successfully will be able to:
- Employ industry standard techniques and methods used in modern banks and financial institutions.
- Apply their knowledge and skills to solve theoretical and applied problems in finance.
- Critically evaluate the impact and effectiveness of current banking practices.
- Analyse the banking & financial systems of advanced and transitional economies.
- Communicate effectively and exhibit key skills valuable for both employment in the finance sector and lifelong learning.
The course is suitable for students who have studied finance previously at an undergraduate level, those who have studied management / business / economics, or those who come from quantitative disciplines such as Maths, Engineering or Physics.
We use lectures, seminars and group tutorials to deliver most of the modules on the course. You will also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study.
Teaching
| Module | Lectures, seminars and feedback | Self-study |
|---|
| Per 15-credit taught module |
Between 20 and 30 hours which typically consist of a combination of lectures, case discussion and class activities; there may be some variation in the precise format. |
Each 15-credit taught module has approximately 120-130 hours of self-guided learning time. |
| Dissertation module |
Dissertation workshops and one-to-one supervision. |
Approximately 596 hours self-study and project work. |
Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.
Throughout the degree students are assessed by a variety of methods, which could include written examinations, coursework and individual or group projects and presentations. The dissertation will be assessed on one 15,000-word extended piece of writing. Assignment feedback is provided within four working weeks of submission.