Law and Finance

Entry requirements

We typically require a good 2:1 Bachelor (Honours) degree (or overseas equivalent), in law or a relevant business degree such as accounting, finance, or economics.

We can also consider applicants who also have other legal qualifications and/or substantial professional legal, regulatory, or finance experience.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The MSc in Law and Finance combines two highly technical and evolving sectors into one distinctive study programme. Ideally suited to aspiring financial lawyers or regulatory compliance professionals with a limited background in mathematics and statistics, the course provides an understanding of the fundamental legal and financial concepts needed to work in the modern financial industry.

The interdisciplinary course is taught jointly by the Law School and the Department of Finance. Starting out with an intensive induction you will learn the basics of statistics and mathematics and the fundamentals of UK law.

Following the induction, the course takes in key concepts from across the legal financial landscape including Banking Regulation, Capital Markets Law, Corporate Finance and Fundamentals of Finance.

Academic theory is brought to life through the Case Study in Financial Regulation, an innovative module which transports current national and international issues from the financial law/regulation or policy world into the classroom. Much of the case study content is delivered in conjunction with industry professionals from the banking, capital markets, and legal sectors, to strengthen the bridge between academic theory and practical industry application.

You will extend your real-world knowledge during a two-day London tour which takes in regulators, financial institutions and law firms. Added to this, our database resources, including Bloomberg, Capital IQ, Thomson Reuters, DataStream and Orbis will develop your practical skills. The dissertation draws together the knowledge and skills gained through the course.

By the end of the course, you will be fluent in not only the regulatory aspects that govern the world of finance, but also the core financial theory that underpins capital market and banking transactions and the financing of businesses more generally.

Course structure

Year 1 modules

Core modules:

Financial Regulation

introduces the structure and functioning of the financial system, including banks, investment firms, payment firms, investors, consumers and regulators. The module examines the basic institutional architecture, governance and regulatory obligations from the UK financial system and further afield.

Capital Markets Law

introduces the structure and functioning of capital markets, including actors, regulators, infrastructures, core products, services and instruments offered in capital markets. You will learn about the nature of securities and develop an awareness of the social and economic contexts and the systemic goals that influence the regulation of capital markets.

Fundamentals of Finance

provides a rigorous grounding in the theory of modern finance and examines the most important current research in finance, with an emphasis on applying theoretical principles to the practice of financial management. Areas covered include valuation, risk and return, portfolio theory, asset pricing models and market efficiency.

Corporate Finance (MSc Finance)

explores the theory and practice of corporate finance at an advanced level and provides a thorough examination of key areas of research in corporate finance, with an emphasis on real-world applications. Areas converted include capital budgeting, capital structure, corporate financing, payout policy and mergers and acquisitions.

Case Study in Financial Regulation

analyses real scenarios in financial regulation in a learning environment. Guest lectures by practitioners are an integral part of the module. The innovative format enables you to learn from experts and practitioners the practical problems typically found in the day-to-day application of financial regulation.

Dissertation in Law and Finance (Law)

is an in-depth study on a topic in financial law, regulation, corporate finance or finance theory of your choice. You can either choose to complete a theoretical written piece of research or conduct an in-depth analysis of a real case scenario. The dissertation can also be linked to a summer internship or project to be agreed with the programme director.

Optional modules:

Plus two modules in Law from options that in recent years, have included:

• Advanced Issues in Corporate Law
• Artificial Intelligence and Finance
• Financial Products and Contracts
• International Finance Law

And two in Finance from options that in recent years, have included::

• Islamic Banking and Finance
• Multinational Finance
• Climate Finance
• FinTech Regulations

Information for international students

Fees and funding