Course description
Course overview
The City of London is one of the world’s major financial centres and is an exciting place to study banking and international finance. Every day, banks and other institutions in the City make decisions on how to attract and invest billions of dollars of funds from around the world. Banks in London do much more than just take deposits and make loans to the British public. They are involved in the management of international portfolios of bonds and shares; foreign exchange dealing; eurocurrency and Eurobond trading; the provision of advice on corporate finance and takeovers; the finance of international trade; and the management of risks using derivatives such as forwards, futures, options and swaps.
Each year, the majority of the programme’s graduates go into banking, finance or accountancy. Others take jobs in industry and government or take a higher degree.
Course content
In the first year, all students study core courses in banking, finance, economics for finance, quantitative methods, and financial and management accounting, along with one elective. Banking and financial management form the focus of the programme and are studied throughout the three years.
In the second and final years, you take some compulsory subjects but also choose from a list of options. These include trade theory and policy, personal finance, monetary history, bank strategy and management, forecasting and corporate finance. You may also take French, Spanish or German for Business, provided you have an A-level or equivalent qualification in the relevant language.
You have the opportunity to spend a year working in a professional placement or studying abroad.
Teaching and assessment
You will spend about 17 hours per week in lectures and seminars, and a significant amount of time in personal study. There are group projects each year and a dissertation in the final year. Group work and presentations are particular features of the programme, and enable you to develop the communication and teamwork skills that are so sought-after by employers. You will be assessed by examination and coursework each year. Your results at the end of the second and final years count towards the degree classification in the ratio 35:65, with about 70 per cent based on examination results.
