Banking and Finance MSc
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Course Summary
This MSc course in Banking and Finance will enhance your professional skills and employability in the banking and finance sector.
This course gives you the skills you need to work in today’s banking and finance industry with a focus on concepts such as credit risk management, strategy, corporate governance and ethics, sustainability, and quantitative techniques.
Through hands-on experience, you will learn the importance of innovation within banking and finance to increase your future employability.
In the final year, students have the opportunity to apply key skills within their final projects in the form of a dissertation, new business development proposal or a case study analysis.
This course prepares you for today’s banking and finance world, covering core concepts such as credit risk management, corporate governance, market, and securities alongside the information technology skills needed to enhance your employability.
Our academics have both the industry and academic credentials to ensure that the application of theory into practice is at the heart of your course.
The location of Chester Business School provides a unique opportunity to add value to this course by providing expert masterclasses from local, top-ranking companies such as Bank of America, M&S Bank, Airbus and Bentley Motors.
There is an option to choose a Project/Placement year for this course, at an additional cost.
Optional 2-year master's to suit your needs
Choosing a Professional Placement MSc is a win-win for your career, giving you the chance to get real experience, apply your cutting-edge skills in the workplace and stand out to future employers.
In the first year you will have help from the University to find a placement, whilst developing your expertise. You will then spend your second year out in industry on placement, getting the chance to work with industry professionals and grow your network of industry contacts. Bringing the latest business school insights to industry, you will get to make a difference to the workplace and make lasting links with your employer.
Students need to find and secure their own placement, supported by the University. A preparation module will also help you to get ready for your placement.
Preparing you for today's banking and finance industry
Taught by academic thought leaders and former industry executives
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An attractive blend of technology skills and key theories
What you'llStudy
You will take six modules to gain greater understanding in the areas of corporate governance and ethics, investment banking, operations, and technology. There is also a final project which may take the form of a dissertation, case study analysis or the writing of a new business proposal.
If you choose a placement or project year, the Research Dissertation module will be replaced by a placement or project module.
Module content:
This module covers the following topics:
- Professional standards of practice
- The development of corporate governance regulation
- The changing nature of regulation
- Agency cost theory
- Challenges in corporate governance
- Corporate governance best practice and recommendations
- Corporate governance in public organisations
Module aims:
To develop students' awareness and understanding of Corporate governance and ethical frameworks in the accounting and investment industry.
Module content:
- Financial data - sources, collection, ethics and sampling techniques
- Descriptive statistics-mean, median, mode, standard deviation, variance, coefficient of variation,
etc. - Inferential statistics-correlations, regression, t-test,
etc. - Time series analysis-auto regression and moving averages (ARIMA models)
- Ms Excel - analysis toolpak and solver
- Use SPSS, Ms Excel and AMOS for data manipulation (for example structural equation modelling)
- Financial Analysis-estimation of beta, event study, testing market efficiency, portfolio optimisation-variance-covariance matrix
Module aims:
This module aims to equip student with the requisite quantitative skills required for the interrogation of data to build a solid foundation for the understanding of finance analytical concepts.
Module content:
- Introduction to Case Study Analysis – mini, macro, and integrated business case study
- A modelled approach to case study analysis for decision making
- The environmental audit and the case study contexts
- Assessing the challenges within the live case study
- Problem Identification & Analysis and Strategic Intent
- Assumption setting and strategic business planning related to case study example
- Objectives, strategies, action plans, by function to time scales
- Application of key quantitative and qualitative techniques
- Monitoring, review & control planning for performance
- How to write a case study report
- Pitfalls of case study analysis
Module aims:
Provide opportunities for students to solve business case studies (including live cases) examples and justify the solutions that have been put forward from an available pool of different solutions and scenarios
Module content:
- Introduction to company start-ups; legal requirements of setting ups
- Strategic planning – mission, vision, and value proposition
- Conducting the market research and gap analysis
- Creativity and innovation
- The business model and evaluation
- Sources of finance, investment appraisal techniques
- Contribution; break even analysis and sales forecasting
- Stakeholder analysis, pitching and business networking
- Sustainability and business ethics
- Structure of a business plan.
Module aims:
To equip students with relevant skills required to identifying clear business opportunities which are justified by market research and financial feasibility to launch a new business start up.
To enhance the student ability to pitch the business idea to potential investors for consideration for direct investment.
To equip the student with relevant skills required to manage a new business efficiently in the context of ethics, sustainability, decarbonisation and the use digitalisation tools.
Module content:
- The commercial lending environment – the legal factors, regulation, and impact of digitisation. Sources of information-credit rating agencies, financial statements
etc. - Loan syndication – arranger banks, lead arrangers, project finance, benefits
- Business Analysis and Financial Accounting – analysis of non-financial information, cashflows, financial ratios and customers in financial difficulty
- Funding Solutions-lending products and services, alternative sources of funding
- Analysing and managing risk
- Different types of risk – strategy, interest rates, currency, credit, political and economic
- Cybersecurity and Artificial intelligence in the context of risk management
Module aims:
To develop the learner’s knowledge, understanding and skills relating to the credit risk in within the commercial lending environment in a digital age and these potential risks could be mitigated.
Equip learners to understand the key drivers of change, the challenges faced, and the impact on banks and customers of technological developments and regulatory changes.
The learner will develop their ability to build trust-based relationships with customers, appraise the creditworthiness of a business, and propose suitable funding solutions to meet customers’ needs in a competitive marketplace.
Module content:
- Strategic dimensions and objectives of operations
- Improving operations (TQM, Lean, Re-engineering, Transformation)
- Process technologies (Customer, Information, Materials)
- Global challenges for ‘Operations and Technology’ in Banking and Finance
- Supply chain management (focus on Banking and Finance)
- Digital technologies (within the Banking and Finance industry)
Module aims:
To enhance students’ knowledge, understanding and skills relating to bank strategy, and develop their ability to analyse the external and internal bank environment, evaluate strategic options, develop strategy, and manage its implementation through effective leadership and management of operations.
Help students to contextualise the impact of digital innovations on bank strategy and operations, and how banks can harness advances in technology to help them grow and flourish in an uncertain future.
Module content:
- Personal and private banking environment-financial intermediation, Evolution of BASEL, the retail banking, eternal trends
etc. - Distribution channels-key drivers and challenges, operational strategy for multi and omni-channel operations
etc. - Customer lending-credit appraisal, principles of lending, lending products, banking securities
etc. - Legislation, regulation and supervision-regulatory framework, key drivers, culture, conduct and governance, risk and risk management
etc. - The impact of technology-banking in a digital age, payment systems, FinTech’s, Open and blockchain, key drivers
- Relationship management-customer retention and acquisition, competitive advantage, networking with technology
- Microfinance-lending to low income, risk mitigating factors, impact on beneficiaries
Module aims:
Students will be able to:
- To develop the learner’s knowledge, understanding and skills relating to the personal and private banking environment in a digital age
- Apply the key drivers of change, the challenges faced, and the impact on banks and customers of technological developments and regulatory changes, particularly in relation to bank business models, delivery channels, and the ways in which customers engage with their banks.
- To equip learners with the relevant skills to build trust-based relationships with customers, appraise the creditworthiness of a personal customer, and propose suitable products and services to meet customers’ needs in a competitive marketplace
Module content:
- Developing the research idea (case study, business development proposal and dissertation)
- Theory, literature and hypotheses
- Research ethics in accounting and finance
- Data collection, sources, measurements, cleaning, summary (descriptive statistics)
- Big Data (4Vs - Volume, Velocity, Veracity and Variety)
- Inferential statistics (predictive analytics)
- Quantitative and qualitative research approaches
- Software - Power BI, SPSS, AMOS, Advanced Ms Excel, Stata, NVivo and others
- Specific techniques for case study, business development proposal and dissertation.
Module aims:
The aim of this module is to enable learners to:
- Design and implement an Accounting and Finance research project using methodologies and methods appropriate to research questions and objectives.
- Identify specific research techniques required for case study analysis, business development proposal and dissertations.
- Analyse and report Accounting and Finance research findings meeting academic and practitioner needs.
- Familiarise themselves with the use of contemporary data analysis tools relevant to the field of Accounting and Finance.
Module content:
A programme of individual study and research project in accordance with established research principles involving the completion of the following elements:
- Introduction to Accounting and Finance research
- Critical review of literature for an Accounting and Finance research project
- Evaluation of appropriate data collection methods
- Data analysis techniques for various research strategies
- Resource and risk planning in research
- Undertaking Accounting and Finance research
Module aims:
The aim of this module is to enable learners to:
- Provide students with the skills to develop an existing research proposal into a piece of rigorous Accounting and Finance research with their supervisor (s).
- To provide students with the skills to write up an extended piece of research, demonstrating academic rigour, including consideration of methodological and ethical issues associated with the programme of academic research.
- To enhance students' project planning, presentation, critical reflection and analysis skills.
Michael Smith
Programme leader for MSc Banking & Finance
Dr Anna Sung
Programme Leader for MSc FinTech and Business Analytics
Dr Vivian Ariguzo
Programme Leader in Banking Finance
Associate Professor David Acquaye
Head of Division-Business, Management, Accounting & Finance
Beyond the Classroom
Students will have employability skills sessions offered by the University, chances to meet industry leaders, and "virtual internship" opportunities with leading banking and finance organisations.
Entry Requirements
2:2 honours degree
Students are required to have a 2:2 Honours degree, or equivalent in any discipline.
Non-standard qualifications will be considered for entry on their own merit.
All applicants will be required to complete a standard application form and may be invited to attend an informal interview if required.
Candidates should also meet the University's requirements for English.
2:2 honours degree
Students are required to have a 2:2 Honours degree, or equivalent in any discipline.
Non-standard qualifications will be considered for entry on their own merit.
All applicants will be required to complete a standard application form and may be invited to attend an informal interview if required.
See below for your country specific requirements. Please note, some programmes have special entry requirements and if applicable, these are listed below.
English Language Requirements
For those who do not have IELTS or an acceptable in-country English language qualification, the University of Chester has developed its own online English language test which applicants can take for just £50.
For more information on our English Language requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.
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Fees and Funding
£8,775 per year (2025/26)
Guides to the fees for students who wish to commence postgraduate courses in the academic year 2025/26 are available to view on our Postgraduate Taught Programmes Fees page.
£15,000 per year (2025/26)
The tuition fees for international students studying Postgraduate programmes in 2025/26 are £15,000.
The University of Chester offers generous international and merit-based scholarships for postgraduate study, providing a significant reduction to the published headline tuition fee. You will automatically be considered for these scholarships when your application is reviewed, and any award given will be stated on your offer letter.
For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.
Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes.
Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees.
If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.
The University of Chester supports fair access for students who may need additional support through a range of bursaries and scholarships.
Full details, as well as terms and conditions for all bursaries and scholarships can be found on the Fees & Finance section of our website.
Your Future Career
Job Prospects
An MSc in Banking and Finance offers the specialised skills for those looking to set up their own business, as well as the knowledge you need for a career in general and investment banking or as a financial analyst or adviser.
Careers service
The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.
Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.
We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.