Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Finance Management

Course Description

The Master of Science in Finance Management is designed to help you advance your career in management within banks and other financial firms. Combining theoretical evidence with an empirical point of view, this programme will enable you to be more efficient and effective in your day-to-day decision-making within the financial sector.

There is also an emphasis on the current legislations and regulations, both from an EU perspective as well as from a local perspective where applicable.

You can also tailor the programme to reflect your particular interests or career aspirations by specialising in one of three areas: Banking, Corporate Finance or Financial Analysis.

The overall course objectives are:

Knowledge:

Core Modules:

• Critically analyse financial decision-making methods, with particular emphasis on asset pricing, corporate funding and valuation, and risk management; – demonstrate thorough understanding of relevant econometric techniques.
• Analyse and assess financial management from a global perspective and applying efficiently and effectively the related financial services law.
• Develop the skills of learning how to apply the theory to the financial world in practice, with a particular focus on portfolio management and securities.
• Demonstrate knowledge on the underlying risks that affect this sector and how to manage such risks

Skills:

Core modules:

• Learn how to relate theory to the practice, and therefore develop the skills of learning how to apply the quantitative tools to the theoretical issues in order to assess and understand better finance data
• · Interpret and investigate the information from a broad spectrum of financial documentation;
• Use a wide range of financial modelling techniques to analyse data, conduct research and forecast variables

Competences:

Core Modules:

• Interpret and evaluate the principles, tools and techniques of both finance and management, as well as how to apply them in real work situations;
• Build the vision of the complete financing process and be prepared for the gap between buy sides and sell sides of financial instruments;
• Make assessments within finance, taking into account relevant scientific, social and ethical aspects, and demonstrate an awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work

Entry Requirements

Candidates who apply must be in possession of at least one of the following:

• a Level 6 degree in a related field;

OR

• a Level 5 diploma or higher diploma in a discipline related to finance or equivalent, and 5 years’ work experience in a supervisory or managerial role within the sector.

Preference is given to applicants having a Level 6 degree in a discipline related to finance and a minimum of 3 years’ work experience in management within the sector.

Students whose first language is not English will be required to demonstrate English language capability at IELTS level 6.5 or equivalent.

Selection process of candidates at level 5 is followed by an interview to ascertain that they have the qualities and experience required to follow the study programme.

Target Audience

The course is targeted at:

• Professionals seeking a career in the financial services industry;
• Professionals already working in finance who are aiming to move into banking, corporate finance, financial analysis and/or investment/portfolio management.

Career Paths

The possible positions for which this programme aims to prepare you for include, but are not limited to:

• Financial Analyst
• Senior Finance Manager
• Finance Director
• Chief Financial Officer
• Risk Manager
• Portfolio Manager
• Investment Manager
• Fund Manager
• Compliance Manager

Modules

You are required to complete all 7 compulsory modules (42 ECTS), and only 1 selected area of specialisation with 3 modules (18 ECTS) out of the proposed 3 areas of specialisation , as well as the Dissertation (30 ECTS) to fulfil the requirements of this Master’s Degree.

How you’ll be assessed

This is a part-time programme that will typically take 30 months to complete. The programme comprises a total of 10 modules. The method of
assessment is assignment-based.

The course comprises:

• 6 lectures per module;
• 3-hour lectures (evening);
• 12 hours of guided learning, presentations, comprising synchronous online discussions, tutorials and/or videos;
• Self-study hours comprising research, reading and assignment work.

The course also includes additional, specialised support to help you write your Dissertation, including classes on Qualitative/Quantitative data analysis tools, as well as Dissertation Workshops.

Assessment

Overall assessment of this programme consists of two main components: 1. Modular Assessment carries 60% of the final grade. 2. The Dissertation carries 40% of the final grade.

The formative and summative assessment tasks may include an in-class assignment and/or a home-based written assignment using diverse assessment tools which may take the form of online and in-class discussions, examinations, case studies, reports, proposals, essays, and presentations, etc., as applicable to the diverse modules.

1. Modular Assessment

The modular score achieved at the end of the study programme modules is calculated by summing up and working an average of the overall grades obtained in all of the study modules. The final grade achieved by the modular component of the programme is calculated by working out 60% of the modular score obtained for the study modules.

Overall assessment weighting for each module consists of two assessment tasks, each carrying a weighting as below:

a) One Formative assignment carries 20% of total module mark achieved. b) One Summative assignment carries 80% of total module mark achieved.

2. Dissertation Assessment

Assessment of dissertations is primarily based on:

• Depth of critical understanding of the theoretical framework;
• Application of appropriate research tools;
• Critical approach to analysis, interpretation and evaluation of research findings;
• Depth and level of argumentation build-up;
• Original contribution to the generation of new knowledge/hypothesis/models;
• Scholarly presentation meeting academic standards.

Assessment of Dissertation is described in further detail in Section: Dissertation at the end of the Study Programme.