Programme Specification MSc Finance (Full-time)
1. Awarding Body
2. Details of accreditation by a
professional/statutory body, e.g. ESRC;
BPS etc
3. Name of final award
4. Programme Title
5. Duration of the course
6. Based in the Department/Institute:
7. Relevant QAA subject benchmark
statements
8. UCAS Code
9. First written/last amended
LSE
N/A
MSc
Finance (full-time)
10 months (including pre-sessional)
Department of Finance
N/A
N3UA
Dec 2007 / Nov 2012
10. The programme aims to:
The programme offers the following benefits;
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The opportunity for high level graduates without necessarily a specific background in
finance to gain a comprehensive foundation and subsequent depth in the field, allowing
access to a variety of finance based careers;
Study in one of the most highly rated departments in the subject area in the world,
both for its research and its institutional links. Exposure to the LSE's Financial
Markets Group;
The programme’s balance in emphasis on both theory as well as case study based
teaching enables the students to draw upon the expertise of the Department’s
internationally renowned academics who are leaders in research and development of
their fields, thus providing both a professionally driven and academically rigorous
programme;
Prepares students for a range of a careers in the financial services sector.
11. Programme outcomes: knowledge and understanding; skills and other attributes
Knowledge and understanding:
At the end of the programme, students will have a board and thorough understanding of the
key aspects of corporate finance and asset markets, in addition to in depth study of a range of
areas including fixed income securities, portfolio management, valuation, financial engineering
and risk analysis.
Skills and other attributes:
At the end of the programme, students should be able to demonstrate:
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appropriate ability to evaluate arguments and evidence critically;
appropriate ability to locate, extract, analyse, and draw reasoned conclusions from
multiple sources—including electronic sources—of appropriate literature and relevant
data;
appropriate ability to acknowledge and reference sources;
appropriate capacities for independent and self-managed learning;
appropriate use of communications and information technology, such as spreadsheets,
word-processing and on-line databases;
appropriate communication skills such as ability to present quantitative and qualitative
information, together with analysis, argument and commentary, in an appropriate form;
ability to work in groups and other appropriate inter-personal skills, including oral and
written.
Information relating to careers can be accessed here
12. Teaching, learning and assessment strategies to enable outcomes to be achieved
and demonstrated
Teaching and learning strategies:
This programme provides both research-led and practice-based teaching which aims to
deliver a broad foundation in the key topics and concepts of corporate finance and asset
markets allowing the subsequent development of depth in range of areas of finance.
Students acquire their detailed knowledge and understanding of the course, and their subject
specific skills, through a combination of lectures, problem classes and professional practitioner
seminars.
Course reading lists include not only leading textbooks but references to current research
literature and primary sources, including relevant examples from current practice, official and
professional policy documents, websites and other electronic data sources.
Academic teaching staff are leading-edge researchers who give students an insight into current
thinking and recent developments in their fields. Several teachers are also involved in policy
advice and formation and give students insights into real-world developments in finance,
economics and econometrics and the forces that shape them.
Assessment strategies:
Summative assessment of knowledge and understanding and of subject-specific skills is
primarily by 3hr unseen examination in the core courses at the end of the first year, and by 2hr
unseen examination of optional courses in the second year, with a 6,000 word dissertation
submitted in lieu of examination in one optional course. All course also include a percentage
of coursework assessment, ranging from 10%-30% of the final course grade.
Formative assessment is through class assignments, including numerical and computer-based
exercises and individual and group presentations, for example on case studies and miniprojects or on professional publications.
Cognitive and non-subject specific skills are developed in parallel with the development of—and
through the same teaching and assessment structures that are designed to achieve the
appropriate levels of—the knowledge and understanding and subject specific skills described
above.
13. Programme structures and requirements, levels, modules and awards
See the MSc Finance programme regulations programme regulations
Additional information
14. Criteria for admission to the programme
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The programme is aimed at people with excellent undergraduate degrees and
quantitative skills;
Applicants without a UK undergraduate degree are required to submit a GMAT test
(GRE is acceptable exceptionally). The GMAT is also recommended for all students
with UK undergraduate degrees, especially those who have not achieved, or are not
expected to achieve a first class degree, or those whose quantitative skills are not
demonstrated by their undergraduate studies;
Non-English speakers also have to meet the School’s standard requirement for English
language for all graduate programmes - IELTS 7.0, TOEFL 627 in the paper test, 263 in
the computer-based test.
15. Indicators of quality
Departmental Indicators:
 RAE rating (2008): Business and Management Studies: 70% of research outputs graded at
3* or 4* and ranked in top 5 UK HEIs;
 Finance Faculty lead and are associated with major ESRC funded research centre, the
Financial Markets Group (FMG);
 The last TLAC review of the Department of Finance was in March 2009.
Programme Indicators
 In 2012/13; over 2,000 applications for 80 places;
 External examiners reports rate programme one of the best worldwide;
 The LSE Careers Centre website provides data on career destinations of LSE graduates.
16. Methods for evaluating and improving the quality and standard of teaching and
learning
School mechanisms (*operate at departmental level):
 regular staff appraisal*;
 induction and mentoring* system;
 student satisfaction survey by TQARO;
 external examiner check-up system by TLAC;
 review of all new courses and programmes, and major modifications, by GSSC;
 full departmental TLAC review every 5 years.
The Department’s additional quality evaluation procedures are coordinated through its
Teaching Quality Enhancement Panel. Primary responsibility lies with individual course
leaders, course lecturers, class teachers, and supervisors and their own self-evaluation is
focussed primarily through the Department’s annual course reviews and peer-teaching
observations, the TQARO student questionnaires and the School’s mentoring and staff
appraisal processes. Other Departmental structures and processes include:
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the annual Examination Sub-Board meeting constituted for this degree and the appointed
External Examiner’s reports;
the termly Departmental meeting;
the responsibilities of the Programme Director and the programme steering committee for
the MSc Finance programme;
student feedback and consultation through the MSc staff-student liaison committee (SSLC)
constituted for this degree;
ad hoc reviews.