MSc Finance and Management

Our MSc Finance and Management has been designed to train you in high-level finance and management principles to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals in these areas. The programme is perfect if you do not have a first degree in business or finance, or relevant work experience but are seeking to make a career change into finance and management. You'll become business ready to work in finance or management roles whatever your background or take your career to the next level as a finance or management professional.

If you're looking for a career that combines management success and creativity with an understanding of the financial world, then MSc Finance and Management is for you. You will study Principles of Finance in term one, which will provide you with the maths skills and core concepts in finance you need to succeed on the course and to apply in the workplace in your first finance role.

You'll then proceed to develop a deeper understanding of these finance principles alongside a management knowledge base that is both theoretical and practical, allowing you to also develop expertise in management. This will prepare you to face the challenges of working in complex economic, social, political and cultural conditions. By developing a diverse range of financial and management skills, you can graduate as an extremely attractive candidate to employers in a range of organisations.

By combining finance and management you can effect change for the better. At Essex, we encourage you to explore ethical finance and responsible management and to become sustainable finance practitioners in a turbulent economic environment.

Topics include:

• management and business strategy
• managing across culture
• principles of finance
• corporate finance

Essex Business School, where this course is based, is home to a number of cutting-edge financial research centres and institutes where the academics leading your course can share their latest research findings:

• The Essex Finance Centre (EFiC) works with leading financial services firms and public sector organisations, governments and policy institutions to produce work that makes real-world impact across the globe.
• The Essex Centre for Macro and Financial Econometrics brings together academic and industry expertise from inside and outside the University of Essex to research and help solve important issues in financial markets.
• Our Management and Marketing Group organises regular events, which provide you with access to academic and industry expertise, as well as the opportunity to network with scholars from around the world.

Our students can use industry-leading Bloomberg data in Essex Business School's Bloomberg Financial Market Labs. This state-of-the-art facility gives you access to the same tools used by traders and business analysts worldwide, offering a fantastic opportunity to hone your practical skills in finance and management.

Our student Bloomberg mentors will be on hand to help you navigate the trading floor and master the new skills. We also offer maths support to all Essex Business School students.

Discover our trading floor:

Our expert staff

You'll be taught by a varied team of experts, including academics from both our Finance and Banking and our Management and Marketing groups.

Our experts include:

Dr Jose Linares Zegarra. Jose is a Senior Lecturer with our Finance Group and his research explores responsible banking and financial inclusion.

He has worked extensively with the banking industry and public sector in Spain, including organisations such as the Spanish Savings Banks Foundation, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and the Andalusian Autonomous Government. This ensures his research and teaching is grounded in the issues facing financial organisations at any time. Jose is also a Fellow of Advance HE, in recognition of his ability to translate his research into inspiring teaching.

Dr Pasi Ahonen is another of our experts lecturers who focuses on research in Management of diversity and difference in organisations and Leadership, power and ways of leading. He has also worked with a Finnish location technology SME in London, UK, and for a regional development agency in Southeastern Finland on various EU-funded projects.

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.

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.

Our Management and Marketing academics are member of the Management and Marketing group, who focus on research which aims to understand the role of the consumer, the value of the employee and the importance of responsible management practices.

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

MSc Finance and Management 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
• dynamic blended learning provision for uninterrupted study and engaging online lectures with virtual guest speakers
• utilise study booths in our winter garden and versatile break out areas for group working throughout the building
• 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

Take the next step towards becoming a business leader of the future with our MSc Finance and Management. We foster your creativity, innovation and ethical awareness so you can meet the challenges of today's global business world.

Many of our recent graduates work for global organisations and innovative SMEs, including:

• Tata Steel
• Cisco Systems, a technology multinational
• Government of Pakistan
• Yes Bank, an Indian private sector bank
• Jewim Pharmaceutical Inc, a drug manufacturer
• Capital Markets Intelligence, a financial publisher
• Credit Data Research, a business funder
• Marex, a global tech-enabled liquidity hub

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.

“I’m an Assistant Analyst at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); I started working here a few weeks after my Masters finished. The dissertation was my favourite part of my course as I chose to explore the diversification benefits of carry trade portfolios; my supervisor and the Essex Business School Student Services team were really helpful and supportive. Essex will always mean ‘family’ to me – my experience taught me the importance of team spirit, mutual help and partnership. I loved the cultural celebrations, like Chinese New Year and the fireworks displays, and the employability guidance has been invaluable.”

Evelina Zerva, MSc Finance and Management

UK entry requirements

A 2:2 degree, or international equivalent, in any subject.

We will also consider applicants with a 'pass' or above in the CFA Institute Programme at Level 1, 2, or 3.

Applicants without a 2:2 degree or equivalent will be considered on a case by case basis, where they have at least one year of relevant work experience in the field of Economics, Finance, Banking, Investment, Financial Engineering, Risk Management, Entrepreneurship, Accounting, Public Administration, Non-profit Management or Quantitative Analysis (please include your CV with your application).

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.

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 problem or issue in the context of finance or management.