Subject overview

Programme outline

This degree is for you if you wish to enter a profession in financial markets but have not yet decided whether to specialise in risk or investment analysis. Employment in both these sectors is buoyant. This MSc at Sussex is the only specialist degree in the UK that qualifies students in both financial risk and investment analysis.

The course has a unique focus on financial markets and is taught by academic faculty who are globally renowned for their teaching excellence and extensive industry experience. At Sussex, you will enjoy a close academic (as well as physical) proximity to the activities of the City of London, the European centre for employment in financial markets.

On this accelerated learning course all taught-module assessment takes place during the autumn and spring terms. Two projects are assessed during the first half of the summer term, after which you may be tutored for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level 1 qualification. You can register for the CFA exam 12 months after commencing the MSc and take the CFA exam four months later.

We continue to develop and update our modules for 2013 entry to ensure you have the best student experience. In addition to the course structure below, you may find it helpful to refer to the 2012 modules tab.

Autumn term: you take Equity Investments and Foreign Exchange • Essential Quantitative Finance • Global Financial Institutions • Interest-Rate Sensitive Instruments.

Spring term: you take Commodities and Alternative Investments • Market and Credit Risk Analysis • Portfolio Management • Swaps, Futures and Options. You also choose one from International Accounting and Financial Reporting • Corporate and Social Responsibility • Corporate Governance.

Summer term (first half): you work on Risk Management Project • Portfolio Management Project. 

Assessment

All autumn and spring term modules are assessed by a combination of a mid-term test or coursework (which typically counts for 20 to 30 per cent of the final grade) and a formal examination, taking place after teaching has finished. The two summer-term projects are assessed by a combination of presentations and written reports. 

Entry requirements

UK entrance requirements

A first- or upper- second class undergraduate honours degree or equivalent in a quantitative degree subject such as Mathematics, Physics or Engineering. Applicants with Finance or Economics-related degrees will also be considered, provided the degree contains several modules with a high quantitative modelling content (such as Mathematics for Economics/Finance, Applied Statistics or Econometrics) which have been passed with high marks. Applicants should also have a basic level of competence using Excel.

Overseas entrance requirements

Please refer to column A on the Overseas qualifications.

If you have any questions about your qualifications after consulting our overseas qualifications table, contact the University.
E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk

Additional admissions information

In the induction week students will be asked to take tests for competency in both Mathematics (to GMAT level) and Excel, and students that do not pass these tests will be advised to switch to an alternative, less quantitative finance degree.

Related programmes

• Advanced Computer Science MSc
• Advanced Mechanical Engineering MSc
• Automotive Engineering MSc
• Computing with Digital Media MSc
• Corruption and Governance MA
• Development Economics MSc
• Economics Dip (Grad)
• Economics MSc
• Embedded Digital Systems MSc
• Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems MSc
• Human-Computer Interaction MSc
• Information Technology with Business and Management MSc
• Innovation and Sustainability for International Development MSc
• Intelligent Systems MSc
• International Economics MSc
• Science and Technology Policy MSc
• Scientific Computation MSc
• Sustainable Energy Technology MSc

Fees and funding

Fees

Home UK/EU students: £7,500¹
Overseas students: £16,000²

¹ The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.
² The fee shown is for the academic year 2013.

Funding

The funding sources listed below are for the subject area you are viewing and may not apply to all degrees listed within it. Please check the description of the individual funding source to make sure it is relevant to your chosen degree.

Faculty interests

The research interests of selected faculty are briefly described below. For more details, visit the Department of Business and Management, the Department of Economics, the Department of Mathematics, and SPRU – Science and Technology Policy Research.

Professor Carol Alexander Mathematical finance, financial econometrics, market risk analysis.

Mike Barrow Public-sector economics, local government, efficiency and value for money.

Lisa Blatch Delivers the Negotiation module on the MSc in Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management.

Dr Odul Bozkurt International human resource management.

Dr Ioanna Chini Social study of ICT, ICT policy.

Professor Ian Davidson Financial markets and instruments, application of quantum mechanics.

Dr Des Doran Supply chain management, modularisation, service operations.

Dr Bertram Düring Applied and financial mathematics.

Rob Eastwood Demographic change and economic development.

Dr Sonja Fagernas Development economics.

Professor John Forker Financial accounting and reporting, earnings quality, equity pricing.

Dr Bruce Hearn Emerging financial markets of Asia and Africa.

Dr Michael Hopkins Biomedical innovation systems, for products (eg drugs) or services (eg diagnostic testing).

Dr Surendranath Jory Mergers and acquisitions.

Dr Norifumi Kawai Internationalisation of Asian firms, strategic human resource management.

Dr Marv Khammash Interactive marketing, consumer behaviour, marketing communication.

Dr Andreas Kornelakis Globalisation and models of capitalism, outsourcing, training policies.

Dr Omar Lakkis Numerical analysis and scientific computing.

Dr Rebecca Liu New product development.

Professor Robert Livingston Intergroup relations, managing cultural and ethnic diversity, conflict resolution.

Dr Michelle Luke Self/identity, attitudes and values, positive psychology and risk perception. 

Dr Anotida Madzvamuse Bio-membranes.

Professor Emmanuel Mamatzakis Banking and finance, forecasting, public finance.

Dr Monica Masucci Strategy and entrepreneurship.

Professor Roman Matousek Bank efficiency, microeconomics of banking, monetary policy.

Royston Morgan Consultant who delivers the Outsourcing module on the MSc in Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management. 

Dr Piera Morlacchi New technological, organisational and institutional forms.

Dr Mike Osborne Applications in economic theory.

Dr Dimitra Petrakaki Implications of technology in organisational change.

Dr Matias Ramirez Relationship between labour mobility, knowledge flows.

Professor Barry Reilly Applied econometrics.

Dr Vikrant Shirodkar International business, strategy.

Dr Josh Siepel Development of the venture capital sectors in the US and the UK.

Dr Malcolm Stewart Global marketing, digital marketing, advertising and branding strategy.

Professor David Storey OBE The economic environment in which small firms operate.

Professor Roger Strange Corporate governance and FDI decisions.

Professor Mike Sumner Macroeconomics and public finance.

Richard Sykes Working for a range of clients in the public and private sectors.

Dr Qi Tang Mathematical and statistical modelling of financial, corporate and technological risks.

Dr Shqiponja Telhaj Economics of education.

Professor Joe Tidd Innovation strategy.

Dr Joana Vassilopoulou Organisational behaviour, employment studies.

Dr Jie Wen Banking and finance.

Dr Mirela Xheneti Entrepreneurship in post-communist countries.

Dr Biao Yang Logistics and supply chain management, service operations management, mass customisation.

Dr Yong Yang International business, applied economics, technology outsourcing.

Dr Xiaoxiang Zhang Corporate governance, corporate finance, information efficiency.

Careers and profiles

The trend for increased employment in risk management is set to continue as recent changes in banking regulations put increased focus on improving risk management standards. And there will always be a demand for investment analysis – not only from pension funds and large corporations – as private equity continues to grow in the current global economic environment.

On completion of this MSc you will be qualified to apply for graduate training positions as a quantitative risk analyst, a quantitative investment analyst or asset manager in a bank, corporation, hedge fund or insurance company. 

School and contacts