Postgraduate study

Finance, Technology and Policy MSc

Awards: MSc

Study modes: Full-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Finance, Technology and Policy

Market functions hold significant societal impacts and are vital for the development of transparent, informationally efficient and fair financial systems.

How well financial markets operate influences real-world issues, including job creation and credit approval.

Technology has fuelled the rise of ultra-fast high-tech, opaque trading venues and expanded access to financial services across the globe.

While there are positive aspects to these changes, the emergence of new technology-driven paradigms has also increased concerns about the integrity and fairness of financial systems.

Concurrently, the pace of technological transformation in financial services and markets has led to the emergence of a knowledge gap in the fast-growing intersection between finance and technology.

The first programme of its kind in the world, our MSc in Finance, Technology and Policy was developed as an interdisciplinary response to this knowledge gap and as a platform to evaluate and debate the impact of technology on the financial services industry and financial markets.

Why Edinburgh

The programme offers a unique degree sitting at the intersection of the three most important drivers of a modern economy:

  • financial services/markets
  • technology
  • policy

On this programme you will gain an understanding of broader links between finance services and technology on the one hand, and policy and the technological transformation of the financial markets and services on the other.

Programme design

The programme design ensures that courses complement one another.

Courses are designed to provide you with a detailed analysis of modern (financial) markets and the transformation of the financial services industry against the backdrop of technological and policy innovations.

While our MSc offers you an unvarnished view of the functioning of existing financial market and financial services structures, it also advances criticisms of the current set up and offers the basis for the development of alternative markets and financial services products.

The programme applies principles of financial economics, sociology/philosophy, and practical programming/machine learning and big data analysis to help you focus on solving real problems and developing the skillsets that are relevant for employers now and in the future.

You will also have the opportunity to tailor your degree to include other relevant aspects of operating within the financial technology space.

Courses specifically designed for the programme further examine design, entrepreneurship and innovation, legal and the human-computer interface issues.

You will work with industry partners to develop cutting-edge solutions to live challenges as part of student consultancy projects sponsored by financial institutions.

Learning will primarily be through:

  • formal lectures
  • seminars
  • workshops
  • flipped classes
  • practical computer labs sessions
  • student presentations
  • guest speakers
  • master classes
  • research assignments
  • the research dissertation

Delivery of the taught element of the programme is primarily through a combination of lectures, seminars and workshops.

Assessment methods include examinations, reports, essays and team presentations.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScFinance, Technology and Policy1 YearFull-timeProgramme structure 2023/24

You will learn how to:

  • demonstrate an advanced knowledge of key theoretical finance and economic concepts underpinning financial markets
  • critically compare, contrast and evaluate the different machine learning techniques in terms of their applicability to solving problems in finance - demonstrating this by using appropriate software to apply techniques to a given set of data
  • have an in-depth understanding of the relationships existing among the key global financial systems (for example, how bond yields dictate investment in equity and its derivatives)
  • conduct valuation of financial instruments and projects within relevant regulatory contexts
  • demonstrate an appreciation of the role played by policies in shaping financial services delivery and financial markets
  • critically evaluate markets by being able to competently present arguments on the criticisms of the current set up and offer the basis for the development of alternative technology-based markets and financial services products.
  • demonstrate an appreciation of the social dimensions of technology use in financial markets.

MSc Finance, Technology and Policy provides training for pursuing careers in the industry/private (including voluntary) sector, public sector and further study or employment in academic institutions.

Knowledge and skills gained from this programme will help you to apply for jobs in, for example:

  • financial technology products-linked firms (for example, Seedrs, as product developers/managers)
  • trading/investment desks and back offices of financial institutions such as Barclays Capital, Baillie Gifford and RBS (as fund managers and product development team leads/members)
  • market and consumer research centres/firms
  • regulatory agencies/government ministries and departments (for example, the Financial Conduct Authority, the Prudential Regulatory Authority and the Bank of England)
  • academia through further research at PhD level

2023/24 and 2024/25 entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 11 July 2024.

Entrance to our MSc programmes is strongly competitive. You can increase your chances of a successful application by exceeding the minimum programme requirements.

Academic requirements

A UK first-class or 2:1 honours degree in one of the subjects below, or an equivalent overseas qualification.

  • An undergraduate honours degree in finance, economics, engineering or informatics is normally required.

  • You will need to have taken and passed at least one course with significant statistical analysis and/or programming as part of your undergraduate degree or be able to demonstrate that you have relevant work experience in the use of statistical and/or programming software packages.

  • Candidates with a first class or 2:1 honours degree in other disciplines will be considered on an individual basis if some level of finance/economics/informatics content formed part of the degree and you can demonstrate a high level of quantitative ability through your degree results.

  • Candidates with a first class or 2:1 honours degree in an unrelated subject area but have relevant work experience will be considered on an individual basis.

  • Candidates with a first class or 2:1 honours degree in an unrelated subject area but who have relevant professional qualifications will be given due consideration on an individual basis.

  • If you are a mature candidate with significant finance and tech industry experience or with relevant professional qualifications, you will be given due consideration on an individual basis.

Students from China

This degree is Band A.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

Application fee

This programme requires a non-refundable application fee.

  • £60

(Revised 11 September 2023 to add in the missing application fee)

Deposit

You will need to pay this deposit within 28 days of receiving your offer of admission (either unconditional or conditional).

  • £1,500 (this contributes towards your tuition fees)

Additional programme costs

See the programme website for more information on additional costs, as well as deposit payment.

Living costs

You will be responsible for covering living costs for the duration of your studies.

Tuition fees

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScFinance, Technology and Policy1 YearFull-timeTuition fees

Featured funding

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

  • your programme
  • the duration of your studies
  • your tuition fee status.

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • The University of Edinburgh Business School
  • 29 Buccleuch Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9JS
Programme start date Application deadline
9 September 2024 31 August 2024

Due to high demand, the School operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through the competitive process described on the School website.

Full details on the admissions process and the selection deadlines are available on the Business School website:

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2024/25:

Round Application deadline Decisions by
1 18 October 2023 7 December 2023
2 13 December 2023 22 February 2024
3 14 February 2024 25 April 2024
4 24 April 2024 6 June 2024
5 12 June 2024 25 July 2024

(Revised 19 September 2023 to add in the staged admissions deadlines for the 2024/25 academic year)

You must submit one reference with your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • The University of Edinburgh Business School
  • 29 Buccleuch Place
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9JS