Investment and Risk Finance MSc
University of Westminster
Key Information
Select location
Campus location
London, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
1 year
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 15,000 / per year **
Application deadline
Request info *
Earliest start date
Request info
* we urge applicants to apply as soon possible and recommend applicants to apply at least three months before the course starts
** international | UK: £14,500
Introduction
Attitudes to money management have changed since the credit crisis, the emphasis now is on understanding enterprise and broader risks and managing these appropriately. With its practical focus, our MSc responds to the increased global demand for talent in both investment and risk management. You’ll develop a strong sense of market awareness from weekly updates on current market conditions drawn from the same commercial research used by several investment banks and hedge funds.
The course provides a thorough theoretical and practical grounding in the key aspects of investment and risk finance, developing sound analytical, numerical and technological skills. Suitable for experienced financial management practitioners who wish to advance their knowledge and those seeking front or middle office careers, the highly practical nature of the course, together with the unique access to professional insight and input, are key strengths.
In our state-of-the-art Financial Markets Suite (FMS), you will apply your knowledge to real-world problems facing the international financial services industry and the corporate financial management community. Using Bloomberg terminals, a leading source of economics and capital markets information available to the global professional financial community, this virtual trading floor allows you to monitor and analyse real-time financial market movements, company performance and financial data. You’ll learn how to use financial products to solve investment management problems or to mitigate financial risks.
Sharing their insight from over 30 years of experience in financial services, the teaching team produces a suite of dedicated learning resources, which includes:
- Weekly Fintech Flash News to keep you abreast of the fast-moving world of financial technology
- The Week Ahead reviews the last week’s capital market performance and predicts significant upcoming market events
- SFA Explainer Videos break down complex Fintech-related topics, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Big Data, into digestible five-minute chunks
The University of Westminster is located close to the City of London, the world-famous financial district where some of the largest global financial institutions and companies are based. Our status as a CISI (Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment) Centre of Excellence in Financial Markets provides eligibility for student membership, giving you access to free attendance at CPD events, industry news and online resources. Since our degree has been designed to align with CISI standards, upon completion, you can sit the prestigious CISI L3 derivatives examination with little to no new study necessary.
Top reasons to study with us
- Dedicated suite of financial learning resources from a teaching team with over 30 years of experience in financial services who remain actively engaged in research and consultancy.
- Unique access to insight on the City’s market performance from Course Leader Dave Coker’s Deep Opportunity research, which is sold to several Investment Banks and Hedge Funds.
- Opportunity to complete an in-course work placement with one of over 20 financial services partner organisations or undertake a research project to consolidate your learning.
- State-of-the-art Bloomberg-powered virtual trading floor, the largest of its kind in any London university.
- Guest lectures from industry practitioners: recent talks featured a senior business manager from Barclays and a seasoned entrepreneur.
- Field trips to financial institutions: students had a guided tour of the new Bloomberg HQ in London.
Why study this course?
Outstanding facilities
State-of-the-art Bloomberg-powered Financial Markets Suite (FMS) featuring industry-leading technology and software.
Combine theory and practice
Link theory to global practice through real-life case studies, guest lectures, field trips and insight from one of the world’s largest financial databases.
Professional software
Free access to professional software including Bloomberg, Datastream, Fame, Factiva, EViews, Matlab, Nvivo, SPSS, Sage, Statista, EIU Viewswire, Mintel, Passport (Euromonitor), and LinkedIn Learning.
Professional recognition
Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, CISI
CFA Institute University Affiliation Program
Career Opportunities
This course is designed to prepare you for a variety of roles and as the end of your studies approaches, Course Leader and former Investment Banker Dave Coker will coach you in interviewing techniques via a one-to-one Interview Workshop.
Career choices include security and financial analysis, trading and fund management, capital market sales and administration. Our graduates go on to develop careers in treasury and front office positions in global financial institutions, investment banks and securities companies. They occupy management positions as financial analysts, finance, sales administrators and senior posts at S&P Dow Jones, United Bank for Africa Cameroon, HSBC, RBS, EY, Deloitte, Prudential, J.P Morgan, Fidelity International, Well Fargo, Deutsche Bank, Barclays, Standard Chartered, Citibank, and governmental agencies, such as the Central Bank of Nigeria, World Economic Forum and Taiwanese government.
Your exposure to simulated financial trading in the Financial Markets Suite will prepare you for professional practice. You’ll be able to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of core investment and finance principles and the numerical and analytical skills to succeed in this rapidly changing complex environment. You will also graduate with a range of interpersonal, leadership, digital and analytical skills that employers want.
The University's Careers and Employability Service has built up a network of over 3,000 employers around the world, helping all our students explore and connect with exciting opportunities and careers.
- Careers support
Postgraduate students have access to the University’s Careers and Employability Service for up to three years after graduation. - Kickstart your career
Learn how to use social media in your job hunt or LinkedIn to kickstart your career. - Develop your CQ
Develop your cultural intelligence – or ‘CQ’ – by studying alongside students and staff representing more than 100 nationalities.
Industry links
We have excellent industry links with some of the top firms in financial services, along with leading financial technology and data vendor services providers such as Bloomberg. Our course was designed with input from a range of industry professionals with expertise in financial markets, institutions and financial regulation. To retain currency and relevance, we receive ongoing feedback from the Business School’s Departmental Employability Board, whose members include representatives from Vanguard, JPMorgan and Global Structured Finance.
Staff who currently teach this course also have extensive professional experience that includes the following professions: financial analyst; credit risk analyst; lending specialist in the banking sector; global entrepreneur; risk management; software development and management; research consultant; and financial consultant.
Job roles
This course will prepare you for roles such as:
- Asset manager in a bank, corporation, hedge fund or insurance company.
- Credit controller
- Financial consultant/manager
- International financial analyst
- International financial manager
- Investment analyst
- Market analyst
- Quantitative investment analyst
- Quantitative risk analyst
- Venture capitalist
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course have found employment at organisations such as Vanguard, Blackrock, JP Morgan, to name but three.
Westminster Employability Award
Employers value graduates who have invested in their personal and professional development – and our Westminster Employability Award gives you the chance to formally document and demonstrate these activities and achievements.
The award is flexible and can be completed in your own time, comprising a set of core and optional extracurricular activities.
Activities might include gaining experience through a part-time job or placement, signing up to a University-run scheme – such as mentoring or teaching in a school – or completing online exercises.
Admissions
Curriculum
During the course, you will take eight core modules and one option module. These will help you acquire the ability to perform quantitative investment and risk analyses on a variety of financial instruments and structured products. You'll also learn how to use capital market products in both investment and risk finance applications. As a result, you will develop good transferable skills and solve financial problems in a group setting.
Semester 1
The first semester is designed to build a strong foundation of knowledge of finance and financial risk management, including how to identify, measure and manage a broad range of financial risk types, including operational risk, foreign exchange risk, liquidity risk and market risk. Receiving training in Bloomberg and Excel for Finance, you will learn to use mathematical and statistical analytical methods.
Semester 2
The second semester builds on this strong foundation, and a broad choice of electives helps you customise the MSC IRF qualification. The research and project modules are designed to develop your research abilities and create opportunities to explore finance subject areas of your own interest in more depth. This will enable you to apply the analytical and technical management skills you will encounter to real-life situations. You will conduct an intensive piece of research and prepare an 8,000 to 10,000-word dissertation. Previous students have investigated Bitcoin, Asset Correlations in Times of Financial Crisis, Forecasting Equity Markets, Effective Risk Management, Managing Credit Risk and the performance of Pension Plans, to name but a few.
The following modules are indicative of what you will study in this course.
Core modules
- Financial Derivatives
- Financial Modelling
- International Risk Management
- Modern Portfolio Management
- Project
- Research Methods in Finance and Accounting
Choose two or three of the following:
Core elective modules
- Financial Analysis and Valuation
- Financial Markets and Institutions
- Fixed Income Analysis and Trading
- Forecasting Markets and Risk Modelling
If you take two core elective modules, you then need to choose one option module.
Option modules
- Financial Accounting Policy
- Financial Information Systems
- International Financial Reporting
- Managerial Accounting
- Modern Finance
You may also take another module from the postgraduate portfolio at the course leader’s discretion.
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Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible undergraduate students, which cover all or part of your tuition fees.
Program Leaders
English Language Requirements
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