Overview
The Business School's research has been awarded Centre of Excellence status by the Chartered Banker Institute (CBI) and on our MSc Banking and Finance, you will be joined by leading industry experts who will share their experiences of the financial world.
This course is ideal for those wanting to pursue a career in the financial markets department of an international bank before moving into a high-level managerial position.
It will enable you to develop skills in the analysis of financial institutions and instruments, markets, consumer demands and competition, and provide you with a conceptual and theoretical grounding in current concepts and techniques in banking, policy, economics and risk management and associated areas.
You will also be introduced to a range of empirical techniques enabling you to analyse industrial dynamics, the impact of innovation on performance, and the impact of regulation and policy interventions on banking and finance in corporations. The modules you will take consider international aspects of banking and finance and you will be able to analyse your chosen country for the summer dissertation.
Applying
MSc Banking and Finance will reopen for two weeks (Monday 2 to Sunday 15 March 2020 inclusive) to applications from all fee statuses. It will then remain open to applicants with Home/EU fee status only thereafter.
Applications may be closed earlier depending on how many places are still available.
Academic English preparation and support
If you require additional support to take your language skills to the required level, you may be able to attend a presessional course at the Centre for English Language Education, which is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK. Students who successfully complete the presessional course to the required level can progress to postgraduate study without retaking IELTS or equivalent.
Specialist business and management courses are available and you could be eligible for a joint offer, which means you will only need to apply for your visa once. Students who enter via the CELE route are exempt from paying the school's £2,000 course deposit. For more details, please contact us.
Key facts
- This course is accredited by the Chartered Banker Institute, the gold standard for banking professionals
- This course is delivered by the Centre for Risk, Banking and Financial Services
- Part of an elite group of EQUIS and AMBA accredited business schools
- 6th in the UK for research power in the latest Research Excellence Framework, with teaching underpinned by the latest developments
- An inspiring research portfolio worth £799m
- 91.1% of MSc graduates from Nottingham University Business School secured work, self-employment or further study within six months of graduation
- More than 19,000 Business School alumni connect you to a powerful global network of business contacts
Across the autumn and spring semesters, you will take 120 credits of taught modules. Each module typically consists of 10 two to three hour sessions.
You will complete a 60-credit dissertation over the summer, and will be allocated an appropriate dissertation supervisor who will oversee your progress.
Core modules
Semester one
Bank Theory, Operations and Management
The module content includes:
- an examination of the theories of the retail bank
- an overview of the sector
- central banking
- bank capital
- analysis of the balance sheet and income statement of banks
- bank data and performance analysis using FRA
- managing liquidity and liabilities
- asset management and the lending decision
- managing the investment function
- the use of loan sales and securitisation
Consumers, Ethics and Regulation in Finance
This module covers the context of financial services with a particular focus on the UK, including:
- current regulatory developments, consumer policy initiatives and current market developments and controversies
- a focus on the challenges associated with the marketing of financial services and how the principles and tactics of marketing are employed in financial services markets
- coverage of the debate surrounding the importance of ethics and professionalism in financial services provision
- detailed analysis of consumer behaviour and in particular decision making in financial services markets
Corporate Financial Strategy
The module covers:
- investment, capital structure and divident decisions from a shareholder value perspective
- capital market behaviour (background)
- mergers
- real options
Research Methods for Banking
This module covers:
- bank data sources
- analysing bank data
- stata – panel data analysis
- bank modelling theory
- estimating asset scale bank economies
- estimating translog and share equations (clustering)
Semester two
Financial Restructuring and Governance in Banking
The module covers the following areas:
- Central banks and financial markets
- Exchange rates and inflation
- Interest rates swaps, currency swaps
- Duration and the term structure of interest rates
- The role of investment banks/international banks in the bank restructuring process
- Financial markets/products
- M&As in banking
- Restructuring processes of the failing financial institutions
- Crisis management
- Corporate governance principles in banking
Quantitative Research Methods for Banking
This module covers:
- data sources in banking
- analysis of bank accounts and interpretation, dynamic modelling of financial ratios
- estimation of economies of scale and X-efficiency
- empirical estimation of market concentration
- risk management modelling
Summer
Dissertation
You will develop the ability to undertake independent research in the area of banking and finance either in the context of further academic research or consultancy. You will carry out independent research of either qualitative or quantitative nature and identify theoretical issues underlying contemporary debates.
Optional modules
One of:
Bank Risk Measurement and Management
This module covers:
- a re-examination of bank asset transformation and risk exposure
- measuring and managing credit risk
- measuring and managing liquidity risk
- measuring and managing interest rate risk
- market risk exposure and management
- using bank capital in risk management
- operational and conduct risk
- the use of derivatives in bank risk management
Quantitative Risk Management
The module covers:
- Introduction and historical overview
- Statistical underpinnings of quantitative risk management
- Measures of financial risk
- Risk measurement in practice: Parametric approaches, non-parametric approaches, Monte Carlo approaches, extreme value approaches
- Liquidity risk
- Backtesting
- Credit risk
Two from:
Central Banking Theory and Practice
This module covers the following:
- International finance and globalisation
- Exchange rates regimes: to float or not to float?
- In search of an international monetary system
- Central banks and monetary policy
- Bank vs. market based economies
- Economics of bond markets and interest rates
Contemporary Issues in Banking
This module covers bank regulation, stress tests, digital banking, and current issues.
Islamic Banking, Finance and Accounting
The module will cover:
- the underlying concepts, practices and new trends of Islamic banking and finance
- the differences and similarities with the theories and business models of conventional banking and finance
- financial, risk and governance implications of Islamic Law (Shari'ah)
- Islamic insurance (Takaful)
- Islamic financial instruments
- interactions between Islamic accounting standards and IFRS
- development and integration of Islamic windows in conventional financial institutions
Financial Security Valuation
Equity, fixed income and derivative securities will be considered individually and portfolios. These will be presented as extensions of previously studied material as well as new topics.
Among individual security classes topics will be:
- Equities: Mean-variance efficient portfolios, CAPM, dividend discount valuation
- Fixed Income: Basic bond terminology and valuation, interest rate term structure and forward rates, duration, convexity and hedging
- Derivatives: Common options, real options
- Principles of financial derivative valuation and analytic and numerical methods for valuation
FinTech and Financial Innovation
This module covers:
- Financial innovation and the impact on financial markets, corporate and individuals,
- Technological trends in FinTech
- Digital Lending Innovation (Disintermediation)
- Payments
- Fintech and Cryptocurrencies
- Blockchain
- Financial innovation and Business strategy for Corporate banking and SMEs
- Crowdfunding
- Artificial intelligence and Roboadvisory in Investment banking
- Business and regulatory implications of technology for the financial industry
- Cybersecurity and Regtech
The above is a sample of the typical modules that we offer but is not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules that will be available in any given year. This course page may be updated over the duration of the course, as modules may change due to developments in the curriculum or in the research interests of staff.
Teaching methods and assessment
You will be assessed through a combination of individual assignments or group projects and written exams.
Accreditation
This course is accredited by the Chartered Banker Institute, the gold standard for banking professionals.
Careers
Professional accreditation
This course is accredited by the Chartered Banker Institute, the gold standard for banking professionals.
Career destinations
Career destinations for our postgraduates include:
- accountants
- finance and investment analysts
- higher education teaching professionals
- investment bankers
- IT business analysts
- management consultants
- marketing professionals
- public relations professionals
- university researchers
Postgraduate careers team
Our in-house Postgraduate Careers Team provides expert advice and guidance so that you can make an informed decision about the right career path for you.
As soon as you have accepted your offer of a place at the Business School, we can begin working with you to support your career planning needs. You can take part in pre-course careers discussions and take advantage of remote and online support through Career Leader, an online assessment tool which helps you to measure your business interests and motivations before starting your course.
Our support continues throughout your time at Nottingham and after you graduate.
Average starting salary and career progression
91.1% of postgraduates from Nottingham University Business School secured work or further study within six months of graduation. £25,000 was the average starting salary, with the highest being £57,200.*
* Known destinations of full-time home postgraduates who were available for employment, 2016/17. Salaries are calculated based on the median of those in full-time paid employment within the UK.
Careers support and advice
We offer individual careers support for all postgraduate students whatever your course, mode of study or future career plans.
You can access our Careers and Employability Service during your studies and after you graduate. Expert staff will help you research career options and job vacancies, build your CV or résumé, develop your interview skills and meet employers.
More than 1,500 employers advertise graduate jobs and internships through our online vacancy service. We host regular careers fairs, including specialist fairs for different sectors.
Additional costs
As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses.
You should be able to access most of the books you'll need through our libraries, though you may wish to purchase your own copies or more specific titles.
Scholarships and bursaries
See information on how to fund your masters, including our step-by-step guide. Further information is available on the school website.
Government loans for masters courses
Masters student loans of up to £10,906 are available for taught and research masters courses. Applicants must ordinarily live in the UK or EU.
International and EU students
Masters scholarships are available for international and EU students from a wide variety of countries and areas of study. You must already have an offer to study at Nottingham to apply. Please note closing dates to ensure you apply for your course with enough time.
We provide guidance on funding your degree, living costs and working while you study. You can also access specific funding opportunities, entry requirements and other resources for students from specific countries.