MSc Financial Technology (FinTech)

Content

The optional modules listed are those that are most likely to be available, but they may be subject to change.

You will study:

• The FinTech Environment - This module examines the nature of FinTech in the current industry context, exploring contemporary market developments and evaluating the challenges and opportunities presented. The module will employ multiple guest speakers to immerse students in the reality of market developments and highlight creative innovation in FinTech.
• Finance for FinTech - This module will introduce you to the key concepts and issues in financial management, financial markets, institutions, and instruments to give you a foundation on the applications of finance. These three key areas will give you a solid foundation for you to understand the key products and developments in FinTech. You will cover the key financial decisions made by financial managers. You will then examine the key financial instruments, the concepts of risk and return, and portfolio theory. You will also study the functioning of modern banking systems, including financial intermediation, operation of payment systems, and the conduct and transmission channels of central bank monetary policy.
• Introduction to Programming and Data Science - This module introduces you to principles of data science and programming with a range of applications to appropriate domains. It aims to provide you with an understanding of the role computation can play in solving problems and, regardless of your previous programming experience, feel confident in your ability to write small programs that allow you to accomplish useful goals. It covers basic programming, statistical inference and analysis, data analytics practices, data management processing and manipulation.
• Interdisciplinary Group Project - In this module, students will work in mixed-specialism groups to identify, plan, prototype and develop a financial technology product, service or systematic data analysis. Alongside basics in project management, you will choose from a range of bitesize specialist workshops in areas such as design thinking and user experience methods, business opportunities and models in FinTech and emerging tools and platforms. You will work with a supervisor and with input from industry mentors to plan, prototype and test the project deliverable.
• FinTech Dissertation - This module allows you to carry out in-depth research in an area of FinTech of your own choosing, determined by your skills and interests. This could focus on a contemporary issue, challenge or problem in FinTech, or apply enterprise skills by developing and evaluating a new FinTech product or service. The project will require you to work with an academic supervisor and in some cases, where a live industry project is being pursued, an industry mentor.

Plus, two optional modules from:

• Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies
• Big Data
• Data Management
• Designing the User Experience
• Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics
• Information Security
• Financial Engineering
• Financial Investments in Practice
• Fund Management  
• Principles of Financial Intermediation
• International Financial Crime
• International Banking and Finance Law
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Information Technology Law.

This structure is for full-time students only. Part-time students study the same modules but the delivery pattern will be different.