Finance MSc
2 Year Full-Time | September Start (with Advanced Practice)

This flexible MSc takes an applied approach to learning. You will learn six taught modules in investment, econometrics and finance in Year 1. In the Semester 1 of Year 2, you will do Business Clinic PG Group consultancy project working on a business problem faced by a real organisation. In Semester 2 of Year 2 you will choose between Master’s Dissertation or Master’s Management Enquiry or Applied Management Work Investigation. The choice of Applied Management Work Investigation is subject to achieving at least 80% in Business Clinic PG Group consultancy project.

You will be part of a global cohort of dedicated students. You will benefit from the experience of staff who have taught research-informed and cutting-edge topics to international students for many years, in a positive multicultural learning environment.

The course is delivered via lectures, seminars, workshops and one-to-one sessions. From the outset you will apply academic knowledge to real life business issues via tutorial-based activities, case discussion and group-work sessions.

To complement the formal modules we focus on developing your key capability skills. This includes a residential weekend, in the first semester, which is aimed at strengthening skills in self-reflection, independent learning and critical thinking.

You will be assessed through a combination of personal development planning, group and peer assessments, constructing and managing financial portfolios and reflective reports as well as traditional exams and essays. This will help you to become an independent, reflective and critical thinker who is culturally and ethically aware, with strong leadership and financial management capabilities.

When you join Newcastle Business School you will become part of a business school with a global reputation for delivering some of the best business management courses in the UK.

We hold double accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in business and accounting – an international hallmark of excellence – in large part due to the exceptional quality of our staff.

The academic team have extensive experience in both research and industry, with specialisms including investment, risk and derivatives, professional banking, credit analyst and consortium finance. We incorporate our professional experience and ongoing research into the syllabus, to ensure you are up-to-date with current developments in a fast changing subject field.

From the postgraduate suite to seminar rooms, lecture theatres to social spaces, Newcastle Business School offers first-class teaching in a world-class environment.

As a finance student you will have access to the cutting-edge trading room which features the Bloomberg Terminals that are used by top traders throughout the world. This hands-on experience gives you access to real-time data as well as historical financial news and information. We are one of only a handful of universities with this facility.

Technology is woven into the course via statistical and econometric packages such as E-Views, SPSS, and Stata along with live Bloomberg terminals providing live economic and financial data, to increase your skill set and enhance the experiential learning elements of the course.

Newcastle Business School is a vibrant and research-rich school with research expertise in the areas of financial economics, asset pricing, financial reporting, auditing and taxation, risk management, corporate governance, performance measurement and money laundering.

The course draws heavily on the high-impact research of staff and modules are informed by their own findings as well as from the wider field of research.

Our strong history of applied research is closely linked to local industry as well as the public and voluntary sectors. This business relevant approach to teaching and learning has been developed to maximise your leadership, management and employability potential.

This course is also the ideal stepping stone if you’re interested in a career in academic research, and successful graduates may be eligible for advanced entry onto our PhD or DBA programmes.

As an increasing number of businesses look to a global marketplace, there is a growing need for financial experts with practical, legal and cultural understanding of finance.

That the skills and knowledge you will gain will help you to achieve aspirations within the field of quantitative finance, portfolio management, and financial analysts.

The personal development skills acquired in modules such as Leadership and Management Development will also help you to stand out. This module includes a residential weekend to build your understanding of individual and group behaviour.

To further improve your practical skills you have opportunity to undertake a project in place of the dissertation. This involves working on behalf of an external organisation that is looking for answers to a current business problem or question. You will work in a small group – participating in group and individual activities to identify solutions – giving you valuable experiences to boost your CV.

Our graduates have moved into a range of careers in the financial sector and beyond, including:

• Analyst at a stock broker

• Investment and security departments of large commercial and investment banks

• Trainee manager within the treasury of an international company

• Recruitment consultant specialising in finance personnel

• University lecturer

A Masters course that takes two years, instead of just one, will carry particular weight with employers. They’ll understand that you’ll have a deeper understanding of topics as well as more experience through consultancy project.