The details

Course: Corporate and Investment Banking

Start date: October 2025

Study mode: Full-time

Duration: 1 year

Location: Colchester Campus

The banking and finance sector has a direct influence on wider society as well as the global economy and is therefore subject to rigorous regulation. You will investigate the impact of regulation, how banks create value for stakeholders and how the banking and finance sector has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of its health, social and economic fallout.

MSc Corporate and Investment Banking builds on your existing knowledge of finance, economics or business to prepare you for a challenging and rewarding career in the banking sector.

You'll explore bank efficiency, bank failures and crises, regulatory frameworks and risk. You'll investigate the challenges of modern banking and understand how innovation in financial technology has disrupted the sector.

MSc Corporate and Investment Banking covers contemporary banking and finance issues, such as:

portfolio management
modern banking methods
bank strategy and risk
regulation and the internationalisation process
financial technology (Fintech)

This course is taught at Essex Business School at our Colchester Campus. Our students and staff join us from all over the world and our teaching is grounded in contemporary issues and professional practice.

Essex has one of the largest groups of finance academics in the UK, providing a wide range of courses in banking, finance, investment, risk management and financial econometrics. This means you'll also be able to choose from a huge range of optional modules to tailor your course to your interests and aspirations.

Our aim is to give you the best foundation for a career in banking or elsewhere in the finance sector. We want to help you understand the theory and put it into practice.

You'll learn to use our Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab, which gives you access to the data and analytical tools found in financial institutions across the City of London and throughout the world.

Discover our trading floor:

Why we're great.

Be taught by world-leading researchers in international banking.
Our Bloomberg Financial Market Lab gives you an insight into the tools you'll use in the workplace.
Further your knowledge of finance and banking with this specialist course.

Our expert staff

Finance research at Essex Business School is world-leading in a number of areas, including:

banking
corporate finance
behavioural finance
financial econometrics
forecasting
commodities markets

Our expert finance researchers work alongside the financial industry, regulators and policy-makers both in the UK (for example at the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Bank of England) and internationally (such as the European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve and the Bank for International Settlements). This ensures their research is having a genuine impact on people's everyday lives.

You'll be taught by this team of experts, including Professor Claudia Girardone. Claudia is Professor of Banking and Finance at Essex Business School and is also Director of the Essex Finance Centre (EFiC) and the School's Director of Research.

Her research focuses on banks' financial and social performance, banks' corporate governance and stability, the industrial structure of banking and access to finance. Professor Girardone has published over 50 articles on various aspects of banking and finance in books and peer-reviewed international journals and is currently on the editorial board of several journals. She is a co-author of the textbook ‘Introduction to Banking' used by university students around the world studying banking for the first time.

All our finance researchers are members of the Essex Finance Centre (EFiC), our research centre that promotes internationally renowned, high-quality academic research in areas such as asset pricing, banking, behavioural finance and financial modelling.

Finance academics are also members of the Essex Centre for Macro and Financial Econometrics, our interdisciplinary research centre established in partnership with the world-class Economics Department at Essex. The Centre aims to conduct and publish world-leading research in macro and financial econometrics.

The Centres run regular seminars that are open to all postgraduate students and which offer an opportunity for you to hear the very latest research and developments in the finance sector.

Specialist facilities

Our MSc Corporate and Investment Banking course is based at our Colchester Campus.

You'll be studying at Essex Business School, home to the first zero carbon business school in the UK– demonstrating our sustainable approach to business first-hand. Set around a lush winter garden, with shared spaces to encourage collaborative working, you'll find a wealth of inspiring teaching and study zones:

a virtual trading floor with Bloomberg Financial Market Labs, where you'll gain hands-on experience and learn how to model financial data in a practical setting
learn in modern lecture theatres with ‘listen again' recording to aid your study
utilise study booths in our winter garden and versatile break out areas for group working throughout the building
dynamic blended learning provision for uninterrupted study and engaging online lectures virtual guest speakers
study skills support provided by the Essex Business School Learning Team
networking opportunities with visiting businesses and careers events
Bonds café and adjacent foyer to enjoy on-site fresh food and drink

You'll also benefit from fantastic University facilities located close by, including our state-of-the-art Silberrad Student Centre, complete with an open-access 24-hour Learning Hub and a cutting-edge media centre. You benefit from access to a wide range of specialised banking and finance databases, textbooks and e-books and can book appointments with our subject librarian.

Essex Business School students also have access to quantitative analysis software, such as MatLab, Stata and Eviews which can be accessed remotely and from all university computer labs.

Our building is located on the Knowledge Gateway, home to some of the region's most exciting enterprises in the science, technology and creative sectors. The Knowledge Gateway provides potential networking and career opportunities for students directly on campus.

Your future

The course provides you with the foundation for a rewarding career in corporate and investment banking, equipping you with the skills to lead at a global level.

Many of our graduates enjoy roles in a host of occupations, including financial analysis, management, public administration and accountancy. They work for high-profile organisations and innovative SMEs such as:

National Bank of Kazakhstan
KPMG
Cerulli Associates, a research and consulting firm specialising in asset management
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Groupon
Capital Markets Intelligence, a financial publisher
Credit Data Research, a business funder
PwC Deutschland

Our Student Support team work closely with the University's Employability and Careers service to help you with careers information and advice and CV support. They will help you find work experience, internships, placements and voluntary opportunities and provide access to employer talks on campus. We also work closely with the Essex Startups team to support our budding entrepreneurs get their business ideas off the ground.

"Looking back, the thing I enjoy the most way the unconditional support and help from teachers. I also enjoyed the module on risk management, which I found very intriguing to study. The teacher delivered the content in such a very easy to understand way. I now work for an international airline as an Executive in the Investment Department"

Ha Linh Vo, MSc Banking and Finance (2017)

UK entry requirements

A 2:2 degree, or international equivalent, in one of the following subjects (with no module requirements):

Accounting
Actuarial Science
Business
Commerce
Computer Science
Data Analysis
Economics
Engineering
Mathematics
Natural Science
Statistics

We will also consider applicants who hold a CFA Institute Programme Level One, Two or Three (pass or above).

Applicants from any other background will be considered on a case by case basis, where they have at least one year relevant work experience in the field of economics, finance, banking, investment, financial engineering, risk management, entrepreneurship, accounting or quantitative analysis (please include your CV with your application).

International & EU entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.

Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please contact our Graduate Admissions team at pgquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum component score of 5.5.

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Additional Notes

The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.

Course structure

We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists. Please be aware that we are planning changes to our first year to make it more relevant to your chosen course.

Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The following modules are based on the current course structure and may change in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption such as COVID-19, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose.

Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits.

In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available.

Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code. For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

100

The department or school the module will be taught by.

In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.

The module number.

The UK academic level of the module.

A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course.

A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules.

A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.

The term the module will be taught in.

AU: Autumn term
SP: Spring term
SU: Summer term
FY: Full year
AP: Autumn and Spring terms
PS: Spring and Summer terms
AS: Autumn and Summer terms

COMPONENT 07: OPTIONAL

(40 CREDITS)

Teaching

Tailor the content of your course to more closely fit your interests and aspirations
Optional modules will enable you to gain in-depth specialisation and understanding across several banking and finance topics
Courses focus on practical applications and links with industry
Our postgraduate students can attend conferences and seminars on campus and beyond

Assessment

Regular assessment is by coursework, presentations, case studies, group work, tests and examinations

Dissertation

You will undertake an individually supervised research project that involves the in-depth study of a specific finance problem or issue

At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.

Find out more

The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.

The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.