Financial Economics

Entry requirements

2.1 Honours degree or non-UK equivalent (eg, a GPA of 3.0 or above) in economics, finance, engineering, physics, or another highly mathematical discipline.

International students with academic qualifications below those required should contact our partner institution, Glasgow International College, who offer a range of pre-Masters courses.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This programme offers training in the key macroeconomic and microeconomic issues fundamental to financial decision making. It draws on the most recent developments in these areas.

Why Glasgow

• The programme draws on the most recent developments in financial economics, giving you a strong foundation for PhD research and providing you with the tools to gain employment in a wide range of spheres.

• The Adam Smith Business School has been ranked in the top 10 worldwide for economics and finance (RePEc), with two of our academics rated in the top 1%.

• The Adam Smith Business School celebrates the legacy of Adam Smith by developing enlightened, enterprising and engaged graduates and internationally-recognised research with real social impact.

Programme Structure

You will take four core and two optional courses and complete a substantial independent piece of work, normally in the form of a dissertation, on a topical business, finance or management related issue.

Teaching is provided by lectures. Technical subjects are supported by weekly or fortnightly tutorials, which provide opportunities for you to engage with issues and questions in a group format. Some courses also involve lab sessions in which you will use specialised software, for instance in the study of econometrics.

Core courses

• Basic econometrics
• Economic fundamentals and financial markets
• Macroeconomics
• Microeconomics.

Optional courses may include

• Applied computational finance
• Behavioural economics: theory and applications
• C++ in finance (Mathematical finance is a co-requisite for this course)
• Corporate finance and theory
• Empirical asset pricing
• Financial market micro structure
• Foreign direct investment and development
• Game theory with applications in economics and finance
• Intermediate econometrics
• International financial management
• Investment, finance and asset prices
• Mathematical finance
• Modelling and forecasting financial markets
• Public finance.

Career prospects

As a graduate of the programme you will be qualified to work in finance for organisations like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. The programme is also suitable for careers in academia. Recent graduates of this programme have been employed by companies including KPMG, Emirates Airline, Bank of East Asia, and the university sector.

Our dedicated College of Social Sciences Employability Officer works with students to enhance their employability.

Information for international students

Please refer to our website for more information.

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training):

• overall score 6.5
• two sub-tests no less than 6.5, no sub-test less than 6.0
• or equivalent scores in another recognised qualification:

Common equivalent English language qualifications

All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:

• ibTOEFL: 90; no sub-test less than:
  • Reading: 20
  • Listening: 19
  • Speaking: 19
  • Writing: 23
• CAE (Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
• CPE (Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English): 176 overall; no sub-test less than 169
• PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English, Academic test): 60; no sub-test less than 59
• Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English: ISEII at Distinction with Distinction in all sub-tests

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept an IELTS test (Academic module) from any of the 1000 IELTS test centres from around the world and we do not require a specific UKVI IELTS test for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We also consider other BALEAP accredited pre-sessional courses:

• School of Modern Languages and Cultures: English for Academic Study
• BALEAP guide to accredited courses

Fees and funding

• Fees and funding
• Scholarships and funding

Qualification and course duration

MSc

Course contact details