Banking And Finance BSc (Hons)

The UK’s financial market offers diverse career opportunities, attractive salaries and scope to work overseas. Our course aims to give you a solid foundation and knowledge of banking and finance while enhancing your professional and employability skills, opening a broad range of potential career opportunities. Key topics include the operation of financial markets and banking, regulation, risk management, application of financial data and how financial institutions operate.

Why You Should Study This Course:

• Gain knowledge about banking and the wider financial sector alongside a wide range of financial skills.
• You can expect to gain a solid understanding of the financial sector, learning about the operation of financial markets, banking and financial services, understanding and using financial data, professional, ethical and regulatory issues in banking, personal employability and professional skills. 
• You’ll also look to develop a wide range of other financial skills such as buying a property, preparing and analysing financial statements, valuing investments and bonds, and measuring banking risks.
• Tailor your studies
• Our wide range of economics and finance courses share a common first year. This gives you the flexibility to decide the direction you want to take your degree after you have received a thorough grounding in economic and financial concepts, and principles.
• The Trading Floor
• This provides hands-on experience to work with market leading financial databases such as Thomson Reuters Eikon, Bloomberg, Fitch Connect and Refinitiv Datastream.
• Sigma Maths and Statistics Support
• Access maths and statistics support through drop-in sessions with experienced tutors. 
• Practical focus
• Prepare and analyse financial statements, as well as the study of the impact of finance on real businesses through case studies of a diverse range of organisations.
• Gain real-world exposure
• Prepare for a future career in banking and finance with a work placement.

What You'll Study:

• Year One:
• This course has a common first year.
• The common first year enables you to work alongside students doing similar courses to you, to widen your knowledge and exposure to other subject areas and professions. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other students, so you can share your insights and experience which will help you to develop and learn.
• If you discover an interest in a specific subject you have studied, upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degrees with another course in your common first year (subject to meeting progression requirements).
• Common first year courses:
• Business Economics BSc (Hons)Business and Finance BSc (Hons)Economics BSc (Hons)Finance and Investment BSc (Hons)Financial Economics BSc (Hons)Global Financial Planning BSc (Hons)
• In the first year, the curriculum is shared across related courses allowing you to gain a broad grounding in the discipline before going on, in the second and third years, to specialist modules taught by experts in their fields.
• Modules
• Principles of Microeconomics - 20 credits
• Principles of Macroeconomics - 20 credits
• Mathematics and Statistics - 20 credits
• Principles of Finance - 20 credits
• Business Accounting - 20 credits
• Entrepreneurial Thinking - 20 credits
• Year Two:
• In year two, you will develop more advanced knowledge and skills to do with financial markets and institutions, and the underpinning theory, practice and regulation of modern-day banking.
• Modules
• Designing a Research Proposal – 20 credits
• Econometrics and Data Analysis – 20 credits
• Financial Services – 20 credits
• Banking Regulation – 20 credits
• Principles of Banking – 20 credits
• Financial Markets and Institutions – 20 credits
• Placement Year:
• There’s no better way to find out what you love doing than trying it out for yourself, which is why a work placement2 can often be beneficial. Work placements usually occur between your second and final year of study. They’re a great way to help you explore your potential career path and gain valuable work experience, whilst developing transferable skills for the future.
• If you choose to do a work placement year, you will pay a reduced tuition fee3 of £1,250. For more information, please go to the fees and funding section. During this time you will receive guidance from your employer or partner institution, along with your assigned academic mentor who will ensure you have the support you need to complete your placement.
• Whilst we would like to give you all the information about our placement/study abroad offering here, it is often tailored for each course every year and depends on the length of placement or study abroad opportunities that are secured. Therefore, the placement and study abroad arrangements vary per course and per student. Request further information about going on a placement or study abroad year.
• Modules
• UK Work Placement – 0 credits
• International Study/Work Placement – 0 credits
• Final Year:
• Year three aims to bring you to the level to enter the world of work by consolidating your knowledge and skills from years one and two. You could also work on a large final project in an area of your interest, with the support of a supervisor.
• Modules
• Project - 40 credits
• Advanced Issues in Banking – 20 credits
• Investment and Risk Analysis – 20 credits
• Risk Management in Banking – 20 credits
• Optional Modules

How You'll Learn:

• You will be taught using case studies of real-life challenges facing global banks, and apply your skills and knowledge to make recommendations to solve problems.
• We aim to offer opportunities to attend guest lectures delivered by speakers from the banking industry (subject to availability).
• You will be taught in one of the largest educational trading floors in Europe, running Bloomberg trading terminals and provided with access to a wealth of live and historical trading market data.
• Typically, a module involves interactive lecture(s) weekly, delivered synchronously online or on campus, followed by a range of active learning sessions such as seminars and workshops.
• In addition, you will meet other students on the course and your tutors weekly during term time to engage in community-building activities, receive support and raise concerns relating to the course.
• The assessment strategy is designed to be efficient and manageable and consists of authentic assessments, very similar to those tasks students will have to complete in their future careers.