Introduction
Our Masters in Finance and Risk Management places an emphasis on real-world experiences to equip you with the skills you’ll need for a successful career in finance and financial risk management.
As you study, you’ll acquire a broad knowledge of finance, finance theories and the practical methods used to analyse financial data. The course provides specialist knowledge of financial risk management, and the analytical skills needed to understand 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.
You’ll have access to professional financial databases including Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters Eikon, Datastream, S&P Capital IQ and Financial Times. Other features of the course include the Amplify Trading Boot Camp, where students get the first-hand experience in real-world trading, and the Student Managed Investment Fund, which provides students with the experience of managing actual funds. There’s also an opportunity to attend our series of guest lectures by professionals from the industry. All these features help to enhance employability, increase participation, improve learning, and play a part in the world-leading student experience.
Top reasons to study with us
The course covers at least 70% of the Global Association of Risk Professionals syllabus, preparing you for their Financial Risk Manager Certification exams.
You'll be specialised in financial risk and equipped to become a professional Financial Risk Manager, in accordance with relevant professional bodies.
The course dissertation project focusses on finance and/or financial risk and serves as a portfolio you can bring with you to the job market.
Course objectives
This course gives you a broad knowledge of finance and financial risk management. The importance of finance in both businesses and the wider national and international economy has been heightened following the financial crisis, with an increased need for well-qualified risk managers.
The course provides fundamental knowledge related to finance theories, investments, banking and relevant regulations, and you’ll gain an understanding of the different types of risks faced by corporations and markets. You’ll also learn to analyse, model, manage and develop strategies to hedge against risk. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, there is an increased need for a better understanding of corporate risk management, including operational risk, foreign exchange risk, liquidity risk, market risk, interest rate risk, portfolio risk and enterprise risk.
A key part of the course is the opportunity to be creative and gain valuable training experience via real-world experiences such as the Amplify Trading Boot Camp, Student Managed Investment Fund and our guest speaker series.
Faculty facilities
You'll have access to professional financial databases including Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters Eikon, Datastream, S&P Capital IQ and Financial Times.
The course provides real-world experience by giving you the opportunity to participate in the Student Managed Investment Fund and Amplify Trading Boot Camp.
The SMIF is a student-led project, aiming to provide students with the experience of managing actual funds through targeted investments with diversification according to agreed rules and procedures.
Amplify is a global financial trading and training company, which provides training to some of the largest global financial institutions, including HSBC and Bank of America. During the Spring semester’s reading week, Amplify delivers a Boot Camp to our students, helping them to gain practical experience to financial markets driving factors.
Research
The course champions the Stirling Management School’s mission as an exceptional place of research and learning. It combines an established research area of excellence with a high-quality component of the faculty’s course portfolio to include not only Master courses in Finance, Investment Analysis, Banking, Economics and Accounting, but also add the related area of Financial Risk Management.
The University of Stirling Management School is rated among the top 25 in the UK for research impact, according to REF 2014. In Scotland, the School was ranked in the top five.
The Guardian University Guide 2020 ranks the University of Stirling in the top 5 in Scotland for Accounting and Finance.
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
A minimum of a second class honours degree or equivalent. Applicants without these formal qualifications but with significant appropriate/relevant work/life experience are encouraged to apply.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
IELTS: 6.0 with 5.5 minimum in each skill
Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE) 180 with minimum 162 in each skill
Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE) 169 with a minimum of 162 in each skill
Pearson Test of English (Academic): 54 with 51 in each component
IBT TOEFL: 80 with no subtest less than 17
Pre-sessional English language courses
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO University of Stirling offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.
Program details
MSc Finance and Risk Management is a one-year, full-time course. The course is designed to equip you with coherent finance and financial risk knowledge, enabling you to:
Identify and evaluate types of financial risk
Apply modelling techniques relevant to financial risk and
Provide critical relevant analysis
You will undertake four taught modules over the autumn semester, and five modules over the spring semester, followed by a supervised dissertation over the summer. The dissertation gives you the opportunity to apply your knowledge by undertaking research on an area that matches your interests and career objectives.
Modules
The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery in the next academic intake of this course. These may be subject to change as the University regularly revises and refreshes the curriculum of our taught programmes.
Year 1 - Autumn semester
Compulsory modules
Flying Start Leadership Programme (MANPFSL)
Corporate Finance (INVP001)
Quantitative Methods in Finance (BFIP013)
Economics for Banking and Finance (BFIP025)
Contemporary Issues in Banking (BFIP036)
Year 1 - Spring semester
Compulsory module
Derivatives (INVP010)
Risk Management in Banking (BFIP0RB)
Financial Risk Assessment (FINP007)
Option modules
Empirical Methods in Finance and Accounting (ACCP009)
Behavioural Finance (FINP006)
International Corporate Finance (FINP013)
Mergers & Acquisitions (FINP014)
Investment Regulation and Ethics (INVP005)
Investments: Equity Portfolios and Pricing (INVP012)
Investments: Fixed Income and Alternative Investments (INVP013)
Year 1 - Summer semester
Dissertation (FINP098)
Course Details
Teaching
Teaching is carried out through lectures, seminars, problem-solving lectures, computer workshops and practical case study sessions.
Guest lectures
As a student on the MSc Finance and Data Analytics, you’re given the chance to go to regular guest lectures. These are typically held on a Wednesday afternoon and are delivered by eminent speakers drawn from leading financial institutions, think tanks, regulatory and professional bodies. Previous speakers include:
Russell Napier - Co-founder of ERIC (Electronic Research Interchange)
Nick Bartlett - Director of Education at CFA Society of the UK
Ross Lorrimer - Client Service Associate at State Street
Maxim Skorniakov - Investment Manager at Walter Scott Global Investment Management
Richard Dunbar - Head of Economic and Thematic Research at Aberdeen Asset Management
Kweku Adoboli - Former Trader at UBS
John Goodwin - Executive Vice-President and CFO at Lego
Colin McLean - CEO at SVM Asset Management
Assessment
Our MSc degree is awarded on satisfactory completion of a dissertation, following the Diploma examinations. Dissertation topics range over all areas of relevance to financial risk management.
Fees and costs
2020/21
Home/EU Students
Fees shown are for full-time, one-year Masters course*
If you’re domiciled in Scotland, you may be eligible to apply to the Students Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for a loan of up to £10,000 to cover your tuition fees and associated living costs. Students domiciled in the EU can also apply for tuition fee support, although may not be eligible to receive funding to support living costs.
If you're domiciled in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, you should be eligible to apply for a loan from your regional body.
English students apply for a loan of up to £10,609 per year as part of the UK Postgraduate Loan Scheme, Welsh students can apply for a non-means-tested loan of up to £13,000 from the Welsh Government and Northern Irish students are eligible to apply for support of up to £5,500.
*Fees for students who apply for a Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate will be paid on a pro-rata basis.
If the course is taken over two years then the fee will be split evenly over the two years. Fees are not pro-rated for students who enrol in a Masters course and decide to exit with a Postgraduate Diploma - the full fee is charged.
£8,500
Overseas (Non-EU) Students
Fees shown are for full-time, one-year Masters course. Fees for students who apply for a Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate will be paid on a pro-rata basis.
If the course is taken over two years then the fee will be split evenly over the two years. Fees are not pro-rated for students who enrol in a Masters course and decide to exit with a Postgraduate Diploma - the full fee is charged.
£18,950
Please note: You will be liable to pay tuition fees for every year you’re in attendance, and your fees will be held level upon entry. If you need to extend your period of study, you may be liable for an additional fee.
Scholarships and funding
If you have the talent, ability and drive to study with us, we want to make sure you make the most of the opportunity – regardless of your financial circumstances.
Additional costs
There are some instances where additional fees may apply. Depending on your chosen course, you may need to pay additional costs, for example for field trips.
Cost of living
If you’re domiciled in the UK, you can typically apply to your relevant funding body for help with living costs. This usually takes the form of student loans, grants or bursaries, and the amount awarded depends upon your personal circumstances and household income.
EU and overseas students won’t normally be able to claim living support through SAAS or other UK public funding bodies. You should contact the relevant authority in your country to find out if you’re eligible to receive support.
Payment options
We aim to be as flexible as possible and offer a wide range of payment methods - including the option to pay fees by instalments.
After you graduate
As a graduate of our MSc Finance and Risk Management course, you’ll be equipped with fundamental knowledge in finance and financial risk management that will enable you to pursue a career in financial risk management, risk control, risk audit, banking, financial analysis and in general financial services sectors.
The University of Stirling Management School has a dedicated Employability Manager and from the very beginning of the course, your career is our focus.
You’ll take part in an innovative week-long global financial trading boot camp run by Amplify.
96% of our postgraduate leavers are in employment or further study within six months of graduating (Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey 2016/17).
HigherEd Global Talent Portal
As a Management School student, you'll have access to the HigherEd Global Talent Portal where you’ll find internships, trainee positions, apprenticeships and graduate positions from companies around the world. It helps international students looking for placements back at home and local students that want to explore an international experience.
The global talent portal is in addition to all other existing initiatives and resources available for you through the Careers and Employability Service, and the Target Connect vacancy and events system.
Employability skills
The course provides the analytical skills needed for a successful career in financial risk management, finance and related areas.
Elements of the coursework and dissertation are designed to serve as a portfolio that you can present to the job market.
The course offers you the opportunity to attend guest lectures by professionals, and to participate in the Student Managed Investment Fund and Amplify Trading Boot Camp. These opportunities give you real-world experience that connects your studies with industry.
You'll have a mentor/advisor of studies that will help to enhance the student experience and guide you throughout your studies. The Careers and Employability Service also provide support for CV design, interview skills, and all aspects of careers support.
On successful completion of this programme you will have developed the following graduate attributes:
Ability to make correct career choices and strengthen your CV with Finance and Risk Management knowledge;
Develop your employability skills in risk financial management in particular as well as in general financial sectors;
Ability to research and conduct critical analysis following guidelines a potential employer may require.
Companies we work with
During your studies, you'll have the chance to go to regular guest lectures. These are typically held on a Wednesday afternoon and are delivered by eminent speakers drawn from leading financial institutions, think tanks, regulatory and professional bodies. Previous speakers include:
Russell Napier - Co-founder of ERIC (Electronic Research Interchange)
Nick Bartlett - Director of Education at CFA Society of the UK
Ross Lorrimer - Client Service Associate at State Street
Maxim Skorniakov - Investment Manager at Walter Scott Global Investment Management
Richard Dunbar - Head of Economic and Thematic Research at Aberdeen Asset Management
Kweku Adoboli - Former Trader at UBS
John Goodwin - Executive Vice-President and CFO at Lego
Colin McLean - CEO at SVM Asset Management
