BSc Finance and Investment Banking

A career in the financial markets and especially investment banking and securities is the first choice of many bright, well-qualified graduates. It is not hard to see why; starting salaries exceed £40,000 pa. There is also the exciting prospect of working on transactions you read about in the press, or watching while the markets move in response to breaking news. Our students gain not only the knowledge and skills to give them a head start securing a role in the financial markets but will also be well equipped to gain entry into a range of other professions. Our dealing rooms give students hands-on experience which enables them to demonstrate to employers a practical understanding of financial markets. The degree attracts students from all over the world with an interest in finance. Students come from a wide range of backgrounds and have studied a range of subjects but all share an aptitude for mathematics.

This three-year honours degree provides you with an all-round set of skills including finance theory backed with solid practical trading and financial modelling skills. The Centre also incorporates a valuable Career Management Skills module, which not only enables you to match your strengths with appropriate career paths but also provides you with the skills to make effective applications. In addition to this module the Centre's Career Development Unit run supplementary presentations and workshops led by industry professionals and recruiters. Each year a panel of alumni are invited to share their experience and give tips to undergraduates on getting a job in the financial markets. The Career Development Unit also organise a Finance Fair, which attracts both companies and professional institutions from the finance industry, making it a great networking event. The unit will help you to research and apply for opportunities to gain relevant work experience, including summer internships with investment banks and other firms. Our students have completed internships and obtained graduate jobs with a very wide range of firms including BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, Nomura, Rabobank and Standard Chartered Bank to name a few. The ICMA Centre maintains excellent links with industry evidenced by continued support by the International Capital Market Association, the trade association and market regulator for member organisations active in the globalsecurities markets. This provides us with a key link to the majority of leading financial institutions. The Centre has accreditation from key organisations including being a CFA Program Partner and a CISI Centre of Excellence, which provides many opportunities for our students. As you can see we are keen to offer our students a variety of additional opportunities to add to their skill set and CV. One of these is the Rotman International Trading Competition in Toronto. Each year we enter a team of students to compete in this event, which is attended by universities from all over the world. The Centre is proud to have won and been the top European business school in the past five years.

Year 1

Compulsory Modules
Principles of Microeconomics
Principles of Macroeconomics
Introductory Financial Accounting
Introductory Quantitative Techniques
Introductory Securities and Markets
Introductory Finance/Trading Simulation I

Year 2

Compulsory Modules
Introductory Econometrics
Corporate Finance
Financial Modelling/Trading Simulation II/Careers
Debt Markets and Instruments
Portfolio Management

Optional Modules
Mathematics for Economists
Languages through the Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP)

Final Year

Compulsory Modules
Derivative Securities/Trading Simulation III
Management of risk

Optional Modules
Research Project
Languages (IWLP)
Foreign Exchange and Money Markets
Private Equity and Venture Capital
Topics in Finance
Social Enterprise
Financial Engineering