Programme Structure: MSc Financial Economics
The programme is available on both a full and part time basis, starting in September (12 months FT or 24 months PT).
Teaching and learning
Students take four core modules in the first term. In the second term, students take one further core and two elective modules along with a Research Methods Seminar to help with their dissertation research. In the last term, students work full time on their project with the help of an assigned supervisor.
Part-time students take a total of four modules in the first year, and the remaining three modules plus the Research Methods Seminar in the second year. Work on the project starts in the second year.
The programme will be delivered through a flexible combination of lectures, class and computer lab sessions. Lectures will be used to introduce key theories, concepts and economic models. In classes the student will have the opportunity to solve financial problems and numerical exercises, to analyse case studies, to make presentations of research published in academic journals. The computer labs will provide students with the practical experience of using computer software to perform calculations and conduct realistic simulations. In addition, econometric methods will be taught in lab sessions, thus students will have the opportunity to apply econometric software to empirical research and financial market estimations. When appropriate "practitioner slots" will be incorporated into module delivery, like research seminars conducted by external financial experts, presentation by invited academics, etc. Pre-session induction courses on economic analysis will be offered for those students who need to build up their backgrounds on fundamental aspects of financial economics. In addition, a compulsory 10 hour research methods seminar will be offered in the second term to help students prepare for independent research on a dissertation topic.
Assessment
Each taught module will be assessed through a combination of assigned coursework, the nature of which will vary according to the module, and one final examination.
Project
All students are required to submit a dissertation of no more than 10,000 words on an appropriate area of financial economics. Work on the project will start in period two, with a research methods seminar which will help students develop the necessary skills for undertaking independent research. Also in period two, students will choose a topic under the guidance of their project supervisor and will write a preliminary report on their topic, consisting of a literature survey and an exegesis of a research paper (maximum 1500 words). In the summer term, students will work full time on completing the final dissertation, which will be due by the end of September.
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