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Lancaster University: Investment Management and Financial Analysis
| Institution | Lancaster University View institution profile |
|---|---|
| Department | Accounting and Finance |
| Web | www.lancaster.ac.uk |
| pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk | |
| Telephone | +44 (0)1524 592032 |
| Study type | Taught |
MSc
Summary
If you aspire to have a successful career in investment management, investment banking, trading, or hedge funds, our MSc Investment Management and Financial Analysis is designed for you.
You will acquire in-depth investment knowledge while developing technical skills in data analytics, programming, and artificial intelligence (AI) applications, as well as soft skills in communication, teamwork, and leadership.
The programme offers unique opportunities to take the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Level I and/or II examinations as part of your master's, and/or prepare for the CFA Institute’s Certificate in ESG Investing. Designed with a strong focus on employability, the programme’s curriculum emphasises practical knowledge and skills, enabling you to apply your learning effectively throughout your career.
Practical training MSc Investment Management and Financial Analysis provides training on key financial databases such as Datastream and Bloomberg and offers opportunities to gain practical experience in programming languages (e.g. Python, R, SQL, VBA and MatLab) designed for those without prior programming experience. These skills and the knowledge you will acquire will enable you to perform comprehensive financial and quantitative analysis, including:
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model development
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investment trading and strategy development
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testing and implementation using real data
Led by industry experts This programme allows you to experience a practitioner’s approach to fund management. It has been designed and is led by a multi-year award-winning hedge fund manager at a world-leading hedge fund and a former member of the CFA Institute's Council of Examiners, who has written questions at all three levels of CFA exams.
You will be taught by world-leading faculty members on topics at the forefront of modern portfolio management, such as machine learning and textual analysis, behavioural finance, cryptocurrencies and ESG.
Support for CFA exams Extensive support and preparation are provided for the CFA Level I and Level II exams with dedicated and experienced tutors from Fitch Learning. A non-CFA pathway also exists for those who wish to engage in the programme without the CFA focus. Our programme is also open to you if you have obtained either Level I or Level II CFA prior to the programme, and offers you opportunities to complete other CFA levels.
Flexible pathways and core modules Based on your selected pathway, you will take up to six core modules and can select up to two optional modules to tailor your learning to your personal career aspirations.
For the CFA pathway, the core modules include:
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Data Analytics for Finance and Investments
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Asset Pricing and Investments
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Financial Technologies
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Advanced Investments
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CFA Level I and II Training
If you choose the non-CFA pathway, you will study an alternative core module in place of the CFA Level I and II Training:
- Corporate Finance and Financial Markets
The core module ‘Career Accelerator: Technical Toolkit and Professional Development’ will help you develop soft skills (such as communication), database management skills (such as SQL, Bloomberg, LSEG Workspace and Datastream), coding skills (such as VBA, Python and R) and employability skills for job applications and interviews.
The programme culminates in a rigorous research project, which will showcase your ability to evaluate and implement investment strategies and manage portfolios successfully.
| Level | RQF Level 7 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | 2:2 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or another business-related subject. We assess applicants based on their overall academic performance and typically expect strong results in finance and quantitative modules (e.g., mathematics, statistics). Relevant work experience and/or significant programming skills are also viewed favourably. Graduates from non-business disciplines with a strong quantitative focus (Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Computer and Data Science, and related disciplines) are encouraged to apply. We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously. We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications. |
| Location | Main Site Admissions Bailrigg Lancaster LA1 4YW |
Summary
The investment management and financial analysis sectors require industry professionals with advanced technical knowledge, plus practical experience with programming. Our Investment Management and Financial Analysis MSc (IMFA) programme is designed to equip you with these skills, and help you acquire your CFA Level II professional qualification.
As such, the course offers modules that are academically more advanced and, at the same time, more practice-oriented than those offered by a typical UK master's programme in finance. You will study technical and practice-oriented modules. LUMS accounting and finance specialists and expert tutors from Fitch Learning will prepare you to complete CFA Level II. Core modules embed training in financial programming languages including VBA, R and MATLAB, and provide hands-on experience with data platforms such as Thomson EIKON or FactSet.
Course outline You can elect to prepare for the February CFA Level I exam or if you already have CFA Level I, you will study alternative modules to benefit a career in Investment Management or Financial Analysis. You then prepare for the August CFA Level II exam. An alternative non-CFA pathway is available for those who do not want to acquire the CFA qualification, or those who already have the qualification but still wish to benefit from this practitioner-oriented programme.
You will study the following modules, outlined in the course structure:
Term 1 core modules: - Fund Management
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Financial Modelling and Analysis
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Programming and Databases for Financial Applications
Students without CFA Stage 1 will also study Topics in Professional Analysis
Students who have already attained CFA stage 1, or those on a non-CFA pathway will also study Quantitative Methods for Finance
Term 2 core modules: - Advanced Financial Markets and Investment Management
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Advanced Financial Reporting and Analysis
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Advanced Investment Research Methods
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Careers Skills in Finance with Applications to ESG
Students without CFA 1 will take the February examination.
Term 3 Students taking the CFA Level II examination will complete the following modules followed by the examination in August: - Advanced Topics in Fund Management and Investment Analysis
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CFA level 2 training
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Capstone project
Students not taking the CFA Level II examination will instead complete a dissertation.
| Level | RQF Level 7 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | 2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Finance, or in Accounting with a significant number of finance and/or quantitative modules studied. Applicants from other commerce (e.g. Business Studies or Economics, that contain finance or quantitative modules) or science related (e.g. Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, Computer Science or another quantitative subject) subjects are also encouraged to apply. We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously. We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications. |
| Location | Main Site Admissions Bailrigg Lancaster LA1 4YW |
Lancaster University is home to a dynamic postgraduate community and offers a wealth of both taught and research study options across a wide range of subject areas. Studying at Lancaster is all about broadening your horizons, finding new perspectives and discovering new experiences. By living and studying with students and staff from over 130 countries students join a global community and have the opportunity to make international connections.
We are proud to be highly ranked in three major UK league tables. We’ve also been awarded 5 Stars for overall performance in the globally renowned QS World Ratings. The …
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