Entry requirements

Application Deadlines There is high demand for places on these programmes – typically we receive around 10 applications for each place the University is able to offer. To maximise your chances of being offered one of these places, we recommend that you submit your application to the University as early as possible. In order to manage the volume of international applications received by the University to allow the University to ensure each application is properly reviewed, considered and processed, applications from candidates must be received as follows: Applications from individuals resident in Mainland China must be received by 31 January; Applications from any other individuals who would be required to hold a visa in order to study in the UK, must be received by 30 June. Applications from those individuals who fall outside of either category specified above, must be received by 31 August. Should you miss the deadlines specified above, then it may be possible for the University to add your application to a waiting list, which may be consulted in the event that following review and processing of all applications received prior to the deadlines, vacant places remain available on the programme. The University is under no obligation to make any offer of a place on the programme to any applicant, nor is the University obligated to fill all spaces available on the programme. Consideration of any application received by the University after expiry of the deadlines specified herein, shall be made at the sole discretion of the University. The Masters in Finance is designed for new or recent graduates. Certain programmes will be of interest if you are already a practitioner in the financial field. You should have a strong background in a related discipline and your first degree should have a substantial economics and statistics content. What do I need first? The equivalent of a UK first or upper second class honours degree with evidence on your degree transcript of strong grades in statistical modules in your second, third or fourth year. Check the full list of equivalent qualifications. How do I apply? You will need to complete an online application form. Please note you can only apply for one Masters Finance programme. >>Fill out the online application form To support your online application form, you will need to provide the following documents. Two academic references using our standard form (Download the form - Word format) Official transcript of marks Copy of degree certificate (if available) Copy of English test results (if available). You can either upload your supporting documents with your online application or email or fax them to the Postgraduate Admissions Office using the contact details below. Application fee Once we receive your online application form, you’ll get an automatic email within 48 hours asking you to pay the £60 application fee* which is required to progress your application. You’ll need to follow the link in the email to the webpage where you can confirm your details and make the payment using a debit or credit card. This is a secure website operated by Secpay, which will send you an automatic receipt of payment. Once we receive confirmation that your application fee has been paid, we’ll be able to progress your application. If you do not pay the application fee your application will be automatically withdrawn. *Please note you will only be able to make a payment for one programme in each suite i.e. one MSc Finance programme, one MSc Management programme, one MSc Marketing programme, one Islamic Finance programme. College membership If you’re applying for a full-time programme you’ll need to become a member of one of our Colleges as well as being accepted by a department. Here’s more information about how the college system works. Once you accept your programme offer, the College Postgraduate Office will get in touch with you to arrange accommodation. Please note that demand for college accommodation usually exceeds availability, so please try to arrange it as soon as possible. Admissions process Here are the steps in the admissions process: We will let you know when we’ve received your application. Once we’ve received all of your supporting documents, we will email you to let you know our decision. If the decision is to make you an offer of a place on the programme we will let you know by email. Please note we do not issue hard copy offer letters as these are not required to obtain a student visa. If you have requested university accommodation on your application form, the college will contact you direct. They will send you an accommodation application form, which you should complete and return direct to the college. You should confirm acceptance of your offer as soon as possible. In order to secure your place, you are required to pay a deposit within six weeks of the date of your original offer (check your offer documents for details of payment methods). International students requiring a student visa will receive a CAS (Certificate of Acceptance of Studies) via email once all offer conditions are met, acceptance and deposit have been received and you are within five months of the start date of your programme. Contact us Postgraduate Admissions Office, Durham University Business School, Mill Hill Lane, Durham, DH1 3LB, UK Tel: +44 (0)191 334 5295 Fax: +44 (0)191 334 5136 English Language requirements Please check requirements for your subject and level of study.

Months of entry

October

Course content

Our MSc Finance programmes are designed to provide you with rigorous training at the frontier of research, as well as the advanced analytical and technical skills that are highly sought after by global employers and, if you wish to continue your studies, by world-leading PhD programmes.

Our MSc programmes have partnership status with the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA). The CFA is the world’s premier association for investment professionals and the accepted benchmark for technical excellence in financial markets. It guarantees you benefit from a curriculum of the highest standards and enables you to participate in the CFA Global Investment Research Challenge, as well as CFA employer network events and scholarships.

The programme consists of a set of core and elective modules, culminating in a practice-based business project or a research-based dissertation.

Core and elective modules

You will study:

Advanced Financial Theory
Corporate Finance
International Finance
Mergers and Acquisitions
Econometric Methods
Financial Modelling and Business Forecasting

You will then choose two elective modules. The list of modules may vary from year to year, but has typically included:

Auditing and Assurance Services
Behavioural Finance and Economics
Derivative Markets
Financial Risk Management
Portfolio Management.

Dissertation or Business Project

In the third term, you will complete a dissertation which could be undertaken as a consultancy project within an organisation or with one of our international partner institutions. Supervised by a faculty member with relevant experience, you’ll investigate in greater detail a subject that you’ve already studied as part of your programme.

This is an opportunity for you to develop your business insight and present your analysis and ideas in a scholarly and professional manner; combine critical discrimination and a sense of proportion in evaluating evidence and the opinions of others.

Adding to your experience

International Opportunities

We’re proud of our strong international connections. Helping you get an inside perspective on global business is a key part of the programme. That’s why we offer a range of opportunities to help you immerse yourself in a country’s business and academic environment, make new contacts and stand out in a competitive job market. These include:

Dissertation Abroad: If your ambitions lie beyond the UK, we offer a number of places on our unique Dissertation Abroad scheme. This will involve writing a dissertation at one of our international partner institutions in the period June to August. A number of scholarships are available.
International Study Tour: We organise an optional International Study Tour to a European destination, typically Switzerland. This intensive programme takes place over several days, normally in March/April, and offers you a great opportunity to get an ‘inside perspective’ on international business, and to network with key staff within organisations.

Guest Speakers

As part of your programme, you have the opportunity to enjoy presentations by academics and practitioners within your chosen area of interest. Past speakers have included representatives of major global multinationals and leading academics, providing an ideal opportunity to gain practical knowledge and progressive insight.

Investment Club

Ten students are selected to manage a genuine fund and meet on a monthly basis to evaluate their research and place their trades. At the end of the year, the monetary fund and a report on its performance are passed to next year’s club. This exciting initiative gives you the chance to put your financial skills to the test and enhance your CV.

Trading Challenge

This challenge will give you the opportunity to monitor and analyse real-time financial market data movements to build a hypothetical portfolio with securities of your choice. This gives you hands on experience and the chance to improve your investment and security selection skills. It looks great on your CV, plus there is a cash prize for the winner.

Additional Resources

The School has made a significant investment in database resources to give you access to both live and historical data from providers which include Thomson Reuters, Datasteam and Orbis. These state-of-the-art databases give you the opportunity to interrogate the financial records of millions of companies worldwide and add valuable insight to your research.

Trading Room

As part of our provision of a wide range of software and databases, we offer training on our Bloomberg terminals for accessing economic and financial data.