Finance
The MSc in Finance is designed to give you advanced specialist knowledge and a practical understanding of finance theory and practice relevant to the financial services industry. The programme is suitable for graduates with an educational track record in business, economics, finance or any degree with a significant quantitative element.
| Award Name | Degree - Masters (Level 9 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | National University of Ireland |
| NFQ Level | Level 9 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Masters (Level 9 NFQ) | Major | National University of Ireland | Level 9 NFQ |
Duration
12 months full-time, 24 months Part-Time.
Entry Requirements
Please review the entry requirements below. The UCD Smurfit Admissions Office staff have expertise in reviewing international qualifications from around the world and will be able to assess your application's comparability to the Irish entry requirement.
An honours bachelors degree in:
a. Business/Commerce to include a number of quantitative subjects such as Economics or Finance
or
b. Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or a Finance-related-area
with a minimum 2.1 award at NFQ Level 8 (or international equivalent) in a. or b. above.
Applicants should have demonstrated strong academic ability (a 1.1 or 2.1) in a number of quantitative modules in their degree, such as mathematics, statistics, or econometrics.
Candidates may be asked to sit the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) subject to individual application.
If English is not your first language, an English language qualification is required for admission to all of our programmes. The exception to this rule is if you have completed your primary degree or an entire third level qualification through English, in an English speaking country.
Some students might have to get a student visa in order to come and study in Ireland. Please check the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Services website to see if you require a visa.
Careers / Further progression
The MSc in Finance from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School gives you the specialised skills and knowledge you need for a career in the financial services sector. 90% of our graduates from this programme were employed after 6 months across a range of industry sectors. Source: Latest Graduate Outcomes Survey, published in December 2022.
Potential careers for our graduates include:
Stock Brokerage
Portfolio Management
Corporate Finance Consulting
Investment Banking
Venture Capita
Trading
Regulation
Senior Treasury Analyst
Further information
Starting End August 2024
90
Fees Full-Time EU: €19,500 (academic year 2024/2025)
Full-Time Non-EU: €27,450 (academic year 2024/2025)
Fees Part-Time EU: €9,980 per year* (academic year 2024/2025)
Part-Time Non-EU: €13,720 per year* (academic year 2024/2025)
Important Note: Tuition fees and other charges are subject to change each year. *Part-Time students may be subject to fee increases in Year 2.
UCD Alumni can now enjoy a 5% tuition reduction when they are accepted to a programme at UCD Smurfit School. T's and C's apply.
The PWC Maitiú Breathnach Award, amounting to €1,000, is presented to the student on the MSc Finance programme with the best overall performance in semester 1.
Musgraves award a prize of €1,000 to the top student each year.
The Application Process
Once you have collated the required documentation and reviewed the entry requirements for your programme of interest, you can now apply online.
You must apply online using our dedicated student information portal. You will be required to enter contact details, upload your documents and answer two essay questions (each approximately 300 words). We would ask that you seriously consider both essays and answer these in the context of the programme you are applying to. Try to not replicate your CV and demonstrate what makes you different from other applicants. There are no right or wrong ways to complete these essays.
Application Deadlines:
Applications are assessed on a rolling basis and courses will close once they are filled. We advise you to apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Please note certain scholarships may require you to apply before a certain date – please refer to our scholarship page. If you have any questions in relation to deadlines or availability please email smurfit.admissions@ucd.ie.
You will acquire the necessary theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as the skills required for a career in the financial services industry - in investment banks, commercial banks, fund management, insurance companies, securitisation and trading houses, stock brokers, and in finance divisions of firms in other industries.
The focus on empirical and theoretical finance research nurtures the desire to conduct independent research beyond completion of the programme, enabling graduates to remain up-to-date with changes in international financial markets.
The MSc in Finance receives special recognition from the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA). As our programme contains at least 70 percent of the CFA body of knowledge, you will benefit from a head start towards the internationally recognised CFA qualification.
The programme can be undertaken on a part-time basis, thus enabling current professionals with the relevant background to combine working life with study, however this is dependent on students’ employment commitments. Note that this is not a dedicated part-time programme and students will be required to attend lectures, tutorials and complete group assignments in conjunction with the full-time cohort, for whom the schedule is primarily during working hours for a block of hours on several days a week. Modules in autumn trimester will be delivered in a compressed format meaning that modules are taught intensively over two 6 week periods, requiring additional attendance at lectures and tutorials. Employer support is therefore essential.
Acquisition of applied theoretical research and the essential practical skills for a future career in financial services. Particular emphasis is placed upon the study of corporate finance and investment markets.
The 1 year full-time and 2 year part-time formats of this course comprise core modules covering many aspects of finance management and capital markets.
Students must complete 10 core modules in the Autumn and Spring Trimesters.
In the Summer Trimester, students must complete 1 core module, plus 1 of 3 pathways as outlined below. In a small number of cases, students may apply for a limited number of possible internships. With any possible internship opportunity students have to go through a competitive recruitment process, including interviews with employers, to be selected. Places on summer modules will be made available for online registration in March.
Autumn Trimester
Capital Markets and Instruments
Derivative Securities
Financial Analysis
Financial Econometrics
Financial Theory
Quantitative Methods for Finance
Spring Trimester
Strategic Finance
Empirical Corporate Finance
Portfolio and Risk Management
Equity Asset Valuation
Summer Trimester
Core Module
Ethics in Financial Services
Choose one pathway:
Pathway A
Banking and Financial Institutions
plus 2 option modules
Financial Technology
Structured Finance
Mergers and Acquisitions
Pathway B
Banking and Financial Institutions
plus
Summer Internship
Pathway C
Research Dissertation
Please be advised that the above reflects the 2023/2024 curriculum structure and is subject to change each year. Option modules listed are indicative of what has been delivered in previous years and are also subject to change.
Programme Goal 1: Our graduates will be current in their knowledge of the theory and practice of the financial services sector.
Learning Outcomes:
Critically assess financial theories with respect to their relevance and application in the financial services industry.
Employ financial theory, statistical analysis and financial modelling in addressing financing challenges faced by investors and corporations.
Programme Goal 2: Our graduates will be effective communicators in current topics of corporate finance and risk management.
Learning Outcomes:
Synthesise and summarise data, information and results from financial models and professionally communicate outcomes of the analysis & their recommendations to key stakeholders.
Select and use appropriate communication strategies (oral, written & visual) to communicate challenges in finance and to advance objectives to meet these challenges.
Programme Goal 3: Our graduates will be able to critically evaluate investment decisions by corporations in the context of wider industry and global economy.
Learning Outcomes:
Undertake and present a detailed analysis of a core industry value drivers in written and oral forms.
Utilise relevant financial, industry and economic information required as per project specification drawing on appropriate databases and literature.
Programme Goal 4: Our graduates will be able to comment critically on the organizational and governance context in which financial decision making is undertaken.
Learning Outcomes:
Demonstrate an understanding of diverse corporate governance and organizational structures.
Appreciate the impact of ethical considerations on individual and collective financial decision making.
Programme Goal 5: Our graduates will possess the ability to become effective team players as their career develops.
Learning Outcomes:
Engage in collaborative learning by completing business projects and assignments in teams.
Contact details
smurfitschool@ucd.ie
+353 1 716 8934