MA Finance and Business

Year 1

You will study 4 compulsory courses:

• Global Challenges for Business and The Business of Edinburgh - which introduce key concepts of management and business including strategy, finance, marketing and the management of people.

• Accountancy 1A and Accountancy 1B

• Introduction to Financial Markets

You may choose one course option in other subject areas, subject to availability and timetabling constraints.

Your business studies will focus on developing your understanding of the nature of business including organisational forms; the impact of globalisation and global inequality; the shift to a low carbon economy; and the impact of technology and digital disruption. You will gain an insight into the practice of management by using examples of widely-used concepts and techniques in local businesses and the day-to-day role of managers. This will include guest lecturers, cases and recorded interviews, with some developed in partnership with local organisations.

Accounting is central to any modern organisation. It is concerned primarily with the measurement of, accounting for and communication of financial information to aid decisions and control in a variety of business and other public and not-for-profit organisations. You will produce financial statements from the relevant transactions and events affecting organisations; analyse, interpret and facilitate the use of accounting information; and relate accounting to the broader context of the strategic and operational aspects of organisations. The study of internal management accounting systems places particular emphasis on cost calculation and control, and the provision of information for managerial decision making and performance evaluation.

In Introduction to Financial Markets, you will be introduced to, and supported to develop your understanding of the basic principles of finance. A practical course, it is designed to give a theoretical introduction, looking at the way assets are valued in financial markets. It considers interest rates and the pricing of fixed-income bonds; stock market prices and returns; stock market risk and the influence of risk on the pricing of shares; and the characteristics and pricing of financial futures and options.

Year 2

You will study Business Research Methods I: Introduction to Data Analysis, Introduction to Corporate Finance and Applications of Finance.

You will also choose a minimum of one or more options from the following business courses:

• Organisational Behaviour 2
• Business Economics
• Human Resource Management 2
• International Business
• Marketing
• Business Analytics and Information Systems
• Fundamentals of Programming for Business Applications
• Business Simulation
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Organising for Social Change: Creating Value and Impact

You may choose one or two course options in other subject areas, subject to availability and timetabling constraints.

Year 3

You will study the compulsory courses Strategic Management, Research in Management, and Research Methods for Finance or Business Research Methods II: Applications and Analysis.

In addition, you will choose two more specialist courses in finance, for example, Investment and Securities Markets, Futures and Options and two more specialist courses in business.

Year 4

You will study the compulsory course Corporate Finance as well as one other specialist course in finance, for example, Behavioural Finance and Market Efficiency, Financial Modelling with Excel.

You will also choose two more specialist courses in business. You will complete a finance-based research dissertation.

Programme structure

Find out more about the compulsory and optional courses in this degree programme.

To give you an idea of what you will study on this programme, we publish the latest available information. However, please note this may not be for your year of entry, but for a different academic year.

Programme structure (2020/21)

Our facilities

Teaching takes place in the Central Area of the University.

Study abroad

The University's Business School exchange programme offers exciting opportunities to study abroad in Year 3. Available partner universities in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Canada or the USA vary from one year to the next. We publish an up-to-date list to our students each year.

To participate in our study abroad programme, you will need to achieve an average mark of at least 55 per cent in Year 1 to be eligible to study abroad in Year 3.

What are my options for going abroad?

How will I learn?

Courses are taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, practical exercises and computer-based learning.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed on presentations, reports, essays, exams and individual and group projects.

Programme details

Find out more about this programme's aims, what you will learn, how you will be assessed and what skills and knowledge you will develop.

To give you an idea of what to expect from this programme, we publish the latest available information. However, please note this may not be for your year of entry, but for a different academic year.

Programme details (2020/21)

A key aim of our programmes is to combine academic knowledge with transferable skills in order to enhance employability.

Business graduates are highly valued by employers across the world. Our business-related programmes will help you develop the necessary personal and professional competences required to work across a range of roles central to contemporary business.

You will have a choice of careers open to you, including management, consulting, finance, marketing and human resources.

Standard entry requirement

The standard entry requirement is:

• SQA Highers: AAAAA-AAAA (achievement by end of S5 preferred). BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S5.
• A Levels: AAA - ABB.
• IB: 43 points with 776 at HL - 39 points with 666 at HL.

Minimum entry requirement

The minimum entry requirement for widening access applicants is:

• SQA Highers: ABBB by end of S6. BBB must be achieved in one year of S4-S5.
• A Levels: ABB.
• IB: 34 points with 655 at HL.

More information for widening access applicants

Required subjects

The grades used to meet our entry requirements must include:

• SQA: Highers: no specific Higher subjects required. National 5s: Mathematics at B and English at C.
• A Levels: no specific A Level subjects required. GCSEs: Mathematics at B or 6 and English at C or 4.
• IB: HL: no specific subjects required. SL: English at 5 and either Mathematics at 5 or Mathematical Studies at 6.

Find out more about entry requirements

International applicants

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.

Entry requirements by country

International Foundation Programme

If you are an international student and your school qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to the University you may be eligible for admission to this degree programme through our International Foundation Programme.

International Foundation Programme

Mature applicants

We welcome applications from mature students and accept a range of qualifications.

Mature applicant qualifications

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.

SQA, GCSE and IB

For SQA, GCSE and IB students, unless a higher level is specified in the stated entry requirements, a pass is required in English at the following grades or higher:

• SQA National 5 at C
• SQA Standard Grade at 3
• SQA Intermediate 1 at A
• SQA Intermediate 2 at C
• GCSE/IGSCE at C or 4
• Level 2 Certificate Grade C
• IB Standard Level at 5 (English ab initio is not accepted for entry)

English language tests

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

• IELTS Academic module overall 7.0 with 6.0 in each component
• TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition) 100 or above with 20 in each section. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• Cambridge English: Advanced or Proficiency overall 185 with 169 in each component
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with a pass in all four components

We also accept a wider range of international qualifications and tests.

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

English language requirements

*(Revised 27 April 2020 to include TOEFL-iBT Special Home Edition.)

As this degree is very popular, we strongly recommend that international students apply by 15 January 2021 as we can't guarantee to consider all applications after this date.

This information is part of a government initiative to enhance the material that higher education institutions provide about their degree programmes.

It is one of many sources of information which will enable you to make an informed decision on what and where to study.

Please note that some programmes do not have Discover Uni data available.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees for MA Finance and Business

Additional costs

If studying abroad in Year 3, your costs will vary by country. In Year 4 you will undertake a dissertation and, depending on the field of study you choose, there may be costs associated with undertaking surveys and conducting interviews.

Funding

For more information on how much it will cost to study with us and the financial support available see our fees and funding information.

Fees and funding

• Enquiry Management Team
• Email: futurestudents@ed.ac.uk