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Finance

MSc

Find out more about our courses by joining a live master's webinar (click here)

Start dates: January 2024 / September 2024 / January 2025 / September 2025

Full time: 12 months

Part time: 24 months

Location: Headington

Department(s): Oxford Brookes Business School

Overview
Course details
Careers
Entry requirements
How to apply
Tuition fees

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Overview

How are business decisions made from a financial perspective? Do we need banks and stock markets to support economic growth? How do different financial markets operate? These are just some of the questions you’ll explore in our MSc Finance.

As well as gaining technical knowledge, you’ll develop practical skills in financial modelling and mathematical techniques. And you’ll gain an understanding of the broader issues of finance from our leading researchers in corporate social responsibility.

Don’t worry if you haven’t studied mathematics as your first degree. Our MSc Finance is for anyone who wants to move into this industry. We accept any subject from history to Japanese literature.

Our focus is on preparing you for the real world. You’ll be taught by experts from industry who will help hone your professional and digital skills. Plus, you’ll gain insights from high-profile guest speakers from companies like KPMG and Jaguar Land Rover.

Attend an open day or webinar Ask a question Order a prospectus

Students listening to lecture

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Industry and academia

    Our experienced team is made up of leading researchers and financial experts with real world insights. This means you get an ideal mix of theory and practice.

  • Bloomberg Trading Suite

    Develop your skills by using our interactive Bloomberg Terminals. Access data and analytics from companies, industries and markets in real time.

  • Small, interactive groups

    We believe in active learning, so you’ll be involved in workshop activities, discussions and problem-solving initiatives.

  • International field trips

    Broaden your experience with one of our international study trips to places like Boston. Visit major companies and organisations where you’ll see global business in practice.

  • Enhanced employability

    Our course focuses on giving you the edge in business. We’ll work on your professional development, not just the technical side. That’s what employers are looking for.

Course details

Course structure

In your first semester, we’ll ensure you have a grasp of the skills necessary to study finance in depth. Including being able to analyse key accounting statements to help management make informed decisions.

You’ll also learn about corporate finance and company value and gain a practical understanding of how companies operate. By gaining experience of financial tools and quantitative methods, you’ll be able to back up a business case with evidence.

As we turn to financial markets and institutions, you’ll be examining topics such as asset pricing, market efficiency and the effects of globalisation.

As you progress, you’ll consider the bigger picture of the essential role that finance plays in supporting corporate strategy. You also get the chance to shape your study with our range of optional modules so you can focus on corporate social responsibility or financial modelling.

In the final semester, you can choose Strategic Business Simulation to give you experience of tackling real issues. For your final research project, you can choose a specialist area to explore in depth.

Lecturer presenting to class

Learning and teaching

Our teaching and learning methods include:

  • small interactive seminars
  • workshop activities
  • discussions
  • problem-solving activities.

You will develop critical enquiry skills and a firm grounding in practice. And gain confidence so you can take on graduate jobs in leading organisations.

Our teaching staff are researchers and/or from an industry background. They have in-depth practical experience of business and management issues. You will also learn from visiting speakers from:

  • business
  • industry
  • consultancies
  • research bodies.

Students on our Accounting, Finance and Economics courses can gain certification and experience of trading on the financial markets by making mock transactions using real-world financial market data. Read our in-depth news story to find out more.

Bloomberg Trading Suite News Article

Assessment

We will assess you on the quality of written or visual presentation work during your modules. Verbal presentations can also form part of the assessment.

The majority of assessments are based on individual assignments but there is some assessed group work.

You may also be assessed with:

  • reports
  • seminar papers
  • formal written examinations.

Field Trips

The International Business in Practice Study Trip module allows you to experience ideas and practices of global business. During the trip you will have direct interaction with management executives and practices. You will: attend presentations from local management executives and experts go on site visits to major corporations and agencies. This study trip is voluntary and you will need to fund all costs associated with the trip. It is not linked to university assessments in any way.

We also run a study trip to Chengdu, China. If you choose the study trip (which runs in July), we will give you all the details by March so that you can make your decisions ahead of the trip in July.

If you successfully complete this non-credit bearing module, it will be recorded on your transcript as P58335 International Business in Practice: Study Trip.

Start this course in January

You have the option to start this course in January. You will study a range of modules between January and May. During the summer months of June, July and August you will study further modules and begin work on your dissertation. Between September and December you will complete your final modules and focus on your dissertation.

Find out more about January entry

Study modules

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

  • Analytical Techniques for Finance

    This will help you acquire the essential skills to study finance in depth. You will study areas of mathematics, statistics and the interpretation of accounting statements.

  • Corporate Finance Concepts

    You will acquire theoretical knowledge on the elements of company value including how financial decisions contribute to meeting a corporation’s objectives. By having practical focus, the module contributes to your understanding of how financial decisions are taken by companies.

  • Financial Markets and Institutions

    This module compared how international markets and institutions link the users and providers of funds within financial systems. It focuses on issues of asset pricing and market efficiency, and the effects of globalisation on organisations, technical innovation and regulatory change.

  • International Finance

    Focusing on the operation of foreign exchange and derivative markets, you will examine the main theories of exchange rate determination and speculative attacks. It will consider the issues with currency risk management and hedging instruments.

  • Finance and Strategy

    You will investigate the relationship between finance and corporate strategy. It will help you understand how financial decisions are affected by strategic issues and how corporate strategies need to take into account financial considerations.

Optional modules

Applied Financial Econometrics

Corporate Governance

Corporate Social Responsibility

Financial Modelling

Strategic Business Simulation

Final project

Compulsory modules

  • Research Project

    This module incorporates research methods and a research project. This is a key component of the master's degree. The project provides you with an opportunity to explore a specialist area in depth. You have a choice to undertake a traditional dissertation or follow a structured research project which incorporates both theoretical and applied research. You will be provided with guidance and advice throughout the process.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Research

There are two research clusters in the International Centre for Coaching and Mentoring Studies and the Centre for Diversity Policy Research and Practice which relate to this subject.

Two researchers in a meeting

Careers

With our MSc Finance, there are various directions you can follow. You may decide to go into the finance sector and pursue a career in banking, trading, or insurance. Alternatively, you may choose a career in general business and take up a financial position within a national or international corporation.

Previous graduates have developed careers at prestigious global organisations such as Apple, Deutsche Bank, Citibank, IBM, and HSBC. Some have joined consultancy firms such as Accenture while others have chosen to work in financial roles in charities like Oxfam or Cancer Research.

Some of the roles you may go on to include:

  • financial trader
  • investment banker 
  • financial analyst
  • fraud detection
  • treasurer.

As well as increasing your financial knowledge and technical ability throughout the course, you’ll also develop desirable skills such as digital literacy, team working and presentation techniques.

Whichever path you take, you can be confident that a finance degree from Oxford Brookes will act as a springboard for many interesting careers.

Entry requirements

International qualifications and equivalences

How to apply

Application process


Apply now

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) full time
£10,800
Home (UK) part time
£5,400
International full time
£16,800
Home (UK) full time
£11,350
Home (UK) part time
£5,675
International full time
£17,650

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2023 / 24
Home (UK) full time
£10,800
Home (UK) part time
£5,400
International full time
£16,800
2024 / 25
Home (UK) full time
£11,350
Home (UK) part time
£5,675
International full time
£17,650

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support. 

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

Postgraduate Master's Loan - England

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.