MSc Management and Finance

The Aberystwyth MSc Management and Finance will appeal to students who want to carry a sound grasp of Business Finance into a career in Management. In recent times, the terms on which Businesses can access credit and finance have become more stringent and more difficult to predict. It thus becomes increasingly important that Business Managers and entrepreneurs have a sound and sophisticated grasp of all aspects of Business Finance. On the other side of the fence, this Master’s in Management and Finance will also appeal to students planning a career in the Financial Sector, who want to take with them a good understanding of theory and good practice in the management of people and organisations.

The Aberystwyth Master’s programme in Management and Finance will provide you with a solid grounding in business and management, whether or not you have studied them before. It will also furnish you with a very strong grasp of the workings of national and international financial markets and institutions. We aim to give you not only a sound knowledge base; not just an awareness of finance market trends and business opportunities; but, most importantly, a set of analytical and applied skills and strategies which will stand you in good stead throughout your managerial career.

The Master’s in Management and Finance is a taught, one-year, full-time programme. The course is divided into three 15 week semesters. In the first two semesters, contact time averages about 15 hours a week for the first ten to twelve weeks, leaving the last three to five weeks for examinations. The third semester is given over to the Managerial Reports Module, which involves 12 hours of workshops and then ongoing contact time with your tutor as you prepare a substantial piece of work (up to 14,000 words) on a real-world business and management topic.

Some of our Master’s students already have some business experience; some are coming straight from their first degree. Some are already committed to a career in Management and/or Finance; some are thinking of continuing to work in an academic context. Whatever your own previous experience or future aspiration, you will be given, in the first Semester, an all-round grounding in the essentials of Business and Management, based on the most up-to-date understanding of management theory and good practice.

The second Semester then focuses more directly on the specialist areas of Financial Markets and Investment and Corporate Financial Management. These are the white hot topics of the moment in the business world. Studying them will equip you for career opportunities either working directly in the Financial Sector or in business areas where a sophisticated understanding of the workings of finance is essential.

You will benefit from an outstanding variety of in-class and outside learning environments. In-class activities include lectures, seminars, workshops, guest speakers and career development activities. Outside activities include managerial field trips, case study visits, outward-bound skills development activities, managerial reporting and liaison with professionals in business and industry.

We offer small class sizes and a friendly environment to encourage communication and the sharing of experiences, opinions and observations among you and your colleagues.  Alongside new knowledge and skills, as a graduate of the Aberystwyth Master’s in Management and Finance, you will emerge with broadened horizons and a network of new friends and contacts in the Business world, locally, nationally and internationally.