Master of Science Financial Technology

This exciting unit is an introduction to the world of postgraduate study for all of our students. This unit brings together students that will have a wide range of prior educational and professional experiences. The focus of this unit will be on demonstrating how we can convert this wide range of experiences into the tools and capabilities needed to successfully engage in this postgraduate qualification. As such, it will incorporate encourage critical thinking and writing through a range of learning and teaching approaches. At the end of this unit, all students, regardless of their prior academic experiences, should feel more confident in their ability to engage with a postgraduate qualification in Accounting, Finance and Banking.

The unit is intended to give the student a grounding in financial technologies and their many promising applications within the financial sector. As part of this, the student will critically examine the disruptive impact of these technologies as well the many risks they entail. While many of us are familiar with some of the more prominent financial technologies that have emerged in recent years, the extent to which innovations in technology have captured the market is unprecedented. By exploring innovations in technology through real-life developments and applications, you will have an opportunity to more fully appreciate the extent to which they have begun to merge and replace traditional activities.

This is a core unit which will develop student understanding of financial risk and regulation using a case study-based approach to explore historical examples of both corporate and market failings. Particular emphasis will be given to the macroeconomic context, financial strategy, instruments, behavioural finance, the impact of regulation, Reg Tech and corporate reporting decsisions that facilitated these real-world failings as well as the lessons that have been learnt since.

The unit will explore a range of cases ranging in scale from entrepreneurial owner-manager businesses through to multinational organisations.

Students will also identify the similar risks going forward that still exist for the modern-day organisation and how these risks can be monitored and mitigated thereby ensuring that corporate failure is avoided.

The aim of this unit is to develop the strategic thinking and leadership skills required of students for managing the strategic contribution of digital technologies to organisational success and transformation. The unit focuses on business transformation and addresses several key areas, including: Strategic Planning, Business Leadership, Change Management, Organisational Learning and Knowledge Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Digital business transformation is a highly contemporary subject in the business world, and the subject of many high-profile consultancy projects in digital transformation. Developing effective leaders in this area, who understand the complex interplay between technological, operational, and business drivers in supporting digital transformation projects in crucial.

Business Model Innovation & Fintech is concerned with the theory and practice of innovation and digital disruption as applied in the context of Financial Services and Financial Processes. While the term disruption is often used to discuss businesses like Uber and Deliveroo that appear to have quickly captured markets and delivered a new approach to service, this unit explores what disruption really is in the above context. As such, it provides an opportunity to explore cutting edge activity and research using real life cases.

The unit is intended to give the student a grounding in information technologies and appropriate programming, which underpin many contemporary business applications.

Most programming languages have similar basic constructs for building logic within them. In this unit, students will learn some of these constructs or concepts - including, variables, data types, decision and looping structures, basic algorithms, arrays, structured programming and reuse of code. The student will also learn how to use programming languages such as Python, and further assess and examine the transformative and disruptive potential and impact of such application technologies. While many of us are familiar with some of the more prominent information technologies and applications that have emerged in recent years, the extent to which emerging innovations, information technology and contemporary programming paradigms are capturing the market is unprecedented.

By exploring such advancements and technological innovations through real-life developments and applications, the student will have an opportunity to more fully appreciate the extent to which they have begun to merge and replace traditional business practices and activities.

This unit investigates and introduces basic theories, concepts and application of
financial accounting, management accounting and finance in a modern
organisation. Students are not expected to become proficient in specific aspects
of the different financial tools and techniques discussed in the unit. Rather, as
aspiring middle managers, they are expected to understand how the financial
professional in an organisation can integrate with the other management
functions to support and achieve the organisational strategic objectives.

Risk Management has never been more heavily scrutinised, particularly following the global financial crisis and the continued negative publicity financial institutions receive. In addition to risk management regarding traditional activities, financial institutions are now also faced with the evolving nature of their product and service offerings and the implications this will have going forward.
This module covers aspects related to the management of risk at commercial and investment banks, investment managers, financial regulators and depositories, etc. It provides exciting insight into the differing requirements of stakeholders and encourages you to reflect on how these are balanced.

In this unit, students are expected to investigate a complex managerial or business issue, by collecting, analysing and producing a substantial written document of their achievements and conclusions. This unit is the application of the research project developed in Extended Research Proposal Unit.

This unit presents a particularly exciting opportunity for students to engage in some independent research, with the support of a dedicated supervisor. The chosen topic will be one that interests and challenges you. If you were intrigued by the social responsibility practices of organisations or fascinated by the dividend decisions made by top management teams, this is your chance to explore these areas in further detail. Perhaps, you’ve figured out where you want to focus your graduate career and accordingly engage in some independent study related to that position.

As you will be supported by a dedicated dissertation supervisor, you can run ideas and drafts past this person. You can also avail of a wide variety of workshops to support this independent study. But above all, you will be able to develop a whole range of skills that you should feel confident of when seeking future graduate positions.