Overview
The Brunel Finance and Investment MSc gives graduates the advanced knowledge and skills needed to pursue careers in financial management, with a focus on investment analysis and portfolio management.
In addition to core subjects including financial theory, financial markets and corporate finance, you’ll examine in detail financial modelling, investment strategies, performance evaluation, risk assessment, investment valuation and asset pricing.
Further, you’ll develop your quantitative and problem-solving skills and ability to critically evaluate and deliver midterm and long-term strategic solutions.
Throughout the course you’ll have access to a variety of professional databases used in business and finance including Datastream, Bloomberg, Fitch, Osiris, Reuters 3000 Xtra and Thomson One Banker.
We hold regular training sessions with Bloomberg, which will enhance your research and give you a taste of a real-world working environment.
You can choose to study one year full-time, two years full-time with a year's work placement or 16 months full-time with a 6-12 week work placement.
While you study for your Finance and Investment MSc you can take advantage of the opportunity to follow the CFA Program (Chartered Financial Analyst) specialist pathway and gain the skills required to complete the Level I CFA Program exam. The CFA Program has become the most respected and recognised professional qualification in finance in the world. Find out more on our Level I CFA® Program Pathway page.
This programme is also accredited by CIMA offering exemptions to some of their professional papers depending on your module choices.
As global capital and money markets grow, so does the demand for professionals with specialist skills and competencies in finance and investment. Your Brunel Masters will give you that and make you a sought-after job candidate to employers across the industry.
Course content
Work for your finance and investment postgraduate degree consists of four equally weighted modules in the first two terms and a dissertation on a relevant topic of your choice.
Compulsory
- Financial Theory
The module aims to provide students an understanding of capital markets through the study of portfolio theory, equilibrium asset pricing models and efficient market theory.
- Derivative Securities
The course enumerates and describes the various securities and financial markets in a clear and concise manner that accurately blends theory and practice. This course describes the financial derivative securities that are used in modern finance, and outlines the principles behind their valuation.
- Risk Management
The module aims to equip students with comprehensive multifaceted knowledge of risk management and hand-on skills for industry-oriented risk management. In particular, the module will help them to understand the concepts of volatility and value-at-risk, liquidity and deleveraging, credit and counterparty risks in a real-life context.
- Security Analysis and Funds Management
This module aims to provide an overview of securities traded in fixed income, stock and derivative markets and their characteristics along with the stylised facts of financial markets, and to introduce classical models used for portfolio selection and risk management.
- Modelling Financial Markets and Forecasting
The course aims to provide participants with the skills necessary to conduct their own empirical investigations of a range of economic and financial relationships and with the knowledge necessary to understand the related academic and practical literature.
- Corporate Finance
This module is designed to provide the student with a thorough knowledge of corporate finance through the study of the interaction between firms and the capital markets. This involves option pricing theory and applications, the firm’s capital structure decision, the firm’s dividend policy, the firm’s mergers and acquisitions decision, and the firm’s decision to go public.
- Macro and Financial Econometrics
The aim is to help students use statistical methods to estimate the parameters of economic models, and test economic hypotheses. This module provides a firm foundation in the theory and practice of econometric modelling of financial markets including a number of empirical examples and applications.
- Dissertation
The objective of the dissertation is to bring to bear the techniques and perspectives covered in the taught part of the course upon a specific issue of interest. The dissertation should provide an independent and critical appraisal of an issue, normally (although not always) involving an empirical analysis of the topic being investigated.
Optional
- Banking and Finance Workshop
This module will provide the opportunity for students to demonstrate a sound knowledge of the operation of financial institutions and their regulators and the theory underpinning macro prudential policy. It will also identify how theory and applications are linked in practice and be able to relate this to the techniques used to model financial institutions and their regulators decisions.
- Financial Analysis
This module aims to understand the importance of book values and earnings in deriving the intrinsic value of a firm and to analyse empirically their informative role over explaining future cash flows, earnings and returns, and to provide an overview of the relation between accounting-based equity models, excess volatility and efficiency in securities markets.
- International Finance
While a large part of Economics and Finance, in theory and practice, can be treated as a mainly domestic exercise, there exists an increasing number of areas that apply to a multi-country setting. This module aims to equip students with knowledge necessary to work in an international, multi-currency professional environment, and to provide students with knowledge on whose basis future academic research and doctoral studies in the area of international finance can be pursued.
- Behavioural Finance
This module aims to provide students with an understanding of the principles of behavioural finance and to apply behavioural finance tools to financial decision-making and to interpret their findings. Students will engage in critically evaluating the theories and tools of behavioural finance.
- Finance and Big Data Analytics
This course is designed to provide students with fundamental knowledge and skills of how to handle and analyse big data with a focus on financial applications. Students will also gain knowledge on designing and applying machine learning predictive models in finance.
This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.
This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
Our aim is to teach you ‘employable knowledge’, which can be applied to real-world situations giving you the skills you need to find the right role after you graduate. Therefore, you’ll be well prepared for work, especially if you undertake a work placement. Securing economics and finance degree jobs is highly competitive so we’ll support you to gain a strong foundation in the skills employers are looking for. We offer opportunities within the Department of Economics and Finance as well as through the University’s Professional Development Centre (PDC) to help you build skills and experience.
With the knowledge and expertise you'll gain on the course, you'll be well equipped to progress into academic careers and many of our graduates now hold teaching positions in institutions like the Australian Business School, EDHEC Business School in Nice, Glasgow University and Olso Business School.
Other have used the skills and experiences gained to purse a career within financial institutions and now hold senior positions in prestigious organisations like Standard Life in the UK, Bank of Cyprus, HBSC Istanbul and TD Bank Financial Group in Canada.
UK entry requirements
2:2 (or above) UK Honours degree (or equivalent internationally recognised qualification) in Economics, Finance, Accounting and Finance, Mathematics, Engineering or Accountancy.
Applicants with a 2:2 degree not in the specified subject area, but with mathematics/statistical exposure or relevant work experience will be considered on an individual basis.
EU and International entry requirements
English language requirements
- IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
- Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2024/25 entry
UK
£13,750 full-time
£1,385 placement year
International
£26,400 full-time
£1,385 placement year
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
Teaching Delivery
We expect that all lecture sessions, except some of those delivered by special guests, for all modules will be delivered as live on campus sessions, with recording software used to make recordings available afterwards.
We expect that all seminars/workshops/labs will also be held on campus in person. We anticipate class sizes of around 40 students in these sessions.
Dissertation supervision will be offered on campus in person or online via video conferencing.
On those programmes that offer a Placement option, Placements are available either (i) for 3 months, starting in June, with the summer dissertation delayed until the autumn term, or (ii) for 12 months starting in September, after completing the summer dissertation.
We believe that students learn most successfully when they are active participants in their learning among a community of scholars, and our decision to return fully to campus is motivated by this. We expect students to return to campus and to actively engage with their learning programmes in real-time. Course materials will be made available on our virtual learning platform ahead of teaching sessions so that students can prepare well prior to coming to class.
The timetable is being constructed to produce the most efficient allocation of time for students both when they are on campus, and when they are off campus.
Personal Tutoring
Your Personal Tutor, who will most likely be your academic Programme Leader, is responsible for monitoring and supporting your academic and personal development both in your transition to university and between years. It is someone you can discuss, in confidence, your academic progress with or any special requirements you may need.
We provide both - group tutoring sessions and (if you want), a one-to-one session. You can book this with your tutor at a time suitable for you. We provide online options for this too through some video conferencing platforms.
Assessment
It is expected that examination-style assessments, except for some computer-based tests, will be held on campus, and students will be expected to attend their examination sessions. Assessment formats will include a mix of formal examination, coursework (problems, exercises and essays), computer-based tests, presentations, reports, individual projects and group projects, designed to meet the varied learning outcomes and develop a range of transferable skills.
Assessments for modules that lead to exam accreditations for ACCA, ICAEW and CIMA will be guided by the requirements of those professional bodies.
Feedback and Consultation
We provide set times where you can talk to your lecturers and module leaders, either in person or via phone or video conference, to discuss academic matters relating to your course. You can also use these opportunities to obtain and discuss feedback on an assessment and exams. These hours can be found on the virtual learning platform and at the Taught Programmes Office.
Please email your lecturer or drop by their office to make your booking and we'll find a time convenient for both of you.
Departmental Communication
You can keep up with subject and module updates through our virtual learning platform. We'll also send important updates to your student email account, so please keep an eye on those.
Co-curricula
We arrange and host many events designed to support your personal development and career path. We'll email you about these opportunities at the start of each term and send a reminder before the event. Some of these events will be on campus, some may involve trips off campus, and some will be live-streamed, according to the requirements of the topic, the location of the speaker and what has worked most successfully in the past.
For students on MSc Finance and Investment and MSc Banking and Finance (for 22/23 only), there may be some additional costs for those wishing to pursue the CFA training programme that we offer.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
Our staff have national and international reputations for their research, publications and applied work. This means that your education will be innovative, inspiring and cover up-to-date industry knowledge.
Your course will consist of lectures, seminars, directed independent study, workshops and oral presentations.
Dissertation research will give you the opportunity to integrate your knowledge of important themes, frameworks and research findings in finance and accounting obtained via lectures, seminars, and workshops.
You’ll also have access to industry-standard data and software programmes used in research methods.
While you study for your Finance and Investment MSc you can take advantage of the opportunity to follow the CFA Program (Chartered Financial Analyst) specialist pathway and gain the skills required to complete the Level I CFA Program exam. The CFA Program has become the most respected and recognised professional qualification in finance in the world. Find out more on our Level I CFA® Program Pathway page.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
Modules are assessed by combinations of coursework, contribution to seminars, oral presentations and examinations. Students who successfully complete the taught part of the course can proceed to the dissertation stage.
Students are expected to work on their dissertation in the summer and to submit the final draft in mid-September. Students who follow the Professional Practice pathway will complete their placement during the summer and work on their dissertation afterwards, submitting in January.
