Finance

This can be a truly transformative degree. We have strong connections to industry and provide opportunities for internships in the City of London and Shanghai. This flexible course is designed to prepare you for a successful career in investment and finance through a perfect balance of academic theory and practical experience.

Course overview
You will learn the practical skills needed to be a future leader in this challenging and exciting arena, and over the course of your degree, you will have plenty of opportunities to tailor your studies as your interests evolve.

You will begin by learning the bedrock of finance theory and methodology and move on to study programming for financial applications, portfolio management, international financial markets, and advanced corporate finance.

Your first year includes Accounting and Finance, Quantitative Methods for Finance and Investment, plus Microeconomics and Macroeconomics.

Second-year students learn about Corporate Finance, Financial Engineering, Econometrics and Programming for Finance Applications.

In your final year, you choose all your modules, from Portfolio Management, Financial Markets, Bloomberg Analysis and Advanced Corporate Finance.

Throughout, you will be led by academics at the frontier of financial research. Our researchers work on major European projects, including investigating how to apply artificial intelligence to banking, and on the art, precision and effectiveness of factor investing and hedge fund strategies. We have developed strong links with the Bank of England, top asset management companies, financial regulators and economists across the world. Our connections with Invesco allow us to deliver joint conferences and seminars, providing you with insights from both top academics and industry professionals.

Key facts
There is the opportunity to study Python, the programming language which is a key component of finance technology, and much of the degree content is relevant and desirable to Chartered Financial Analysts.

We will support you in finding internship opportunities in leading investment banks, asset management and insurance companies. We have established a highly-competitive internship exchange programme with Shanghai, open only to a small number of BSc Finance students and subject to international travel restrictions. This allows successful students to spend two months between their second and third years working with the Bank of Shanghai in a global financial hub.

Our Financial Services Careers Hub offers unique opportunities to access the world of finance and to prepare you for a successful career in a competitive industry. Finance Careers Coaches bring a wealth of financial services industry experience to the programme, for example, through delivering a third-year Financial Markets module, and supporting Lancaster students across the Financial Services industry. We work one-on-one with students, whether you are in your final year looking beyond your studies or in your first year applying for Investment Banking and Asset Management Spring Weeks.

As part of the course, there is the option to complete a period of study abroad, subject to availability. You can choose to study one module at one of our partner universities during the summer vacation period at the end of either your first or second year of studies. Alternatively, you can choose to spend one term in your third year studying abroad, learning selected modules in a new environment. Students have previously studied in the USA and Australia, among other countries.

Course outcomes
Our graduates leave as independent thinkers, problem solvers and skilled communicators. They have the hard skills that investment and financial firms are looking for and are incredibly well-prepared for interviews and entry assessments. Our graduates’ ability to analyse information quickly and precisely, respond to challenges, and work with others makes them highly attractive to employers.