Study location	United Kingdom, Egham, Surrey
Type	Master courses, full-time
Nominal duration	1 year
Study language	English
Awards	MSc

Entry qualification

Undergraduate diploma (or higher) 2:1 (Honours) or equivalent in Economics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Engineering or other maths-based disciplines.. The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original.

Language requirements	English IELTS: 6.5 (with a minimum of 6.0 in all other subscores) CAE: 176 overall (with a minimum of 168 in all other subscores)

Other requirements	At least 2 reference(s) must be provided. Academic A motivation letter must be added to your application.

More information	royalholloway.ac.uk/..-year-programme.aspx

Overview

Interested? To learn more about this study programme, entry requirements and application process, please contact one of our consultants in a country nearest to you.

Programme structure

Year 1
Microeconomics
This module will develop your understanding of the basics of modern microeconomic analysis. You will become familiar with the tools that economists use to analyse problems of resource allocation in market settings, beginning with a formal analysis of the optimising behavior of consumers and producers. You will be introduced to markets and the notion of competitive equilibrium, in both partial and general equilibrium settings. You will then look at how individual market participants can affect prices, analysing the problem of a monopolist. Finally you will consider static game theory to analyse markets where a small number of firms compete with each other (oligopolies).

Macroeconomics
This module will provide you with an introduction to modern intertemporal macroeconomics. You will learn about the tools used for dynamic economic analysis and apply them to topics such as economic fluctuations, unemployment, long-run growth, consumption decisions by households and investment decisions by firms. You will develop an understanding of dynamic macroeconomic models of economic behaviour, the main theories of economic fluctuations, the modern theory of unemployment, the principal determinants of consumption and investment decisions, and look at the process of economic growth.

Quantitative Methods in Economics
In this module you will develop an understanding of, and gain practical experience in, the essentials of empirical research techniques used by applied economists. You will look at standard econometric techniques and how these can be used to formally test economic hypotheses, and how to manipulate and analyse data sets in order to conduct your own econometric investigations, both in writing and using computer software.

Year 2
Corporate Finance
In this module you will develop an understanding of the techniques used in financial decision making in the modern corporation. You will look at how corporations appraise investment opportunities, raise finance to fund such projects, and increase shareholder wealth via sound management and planning. You will examine the discounting methods used to value financial assets, the processes firms go through to raise funds from share issue, and the factors that affect the optimal capital structure of the firm.

Foundations of Finance
In this module you will develop an understanding of the technical, analytical and quantitative methods used for analysing financial and equity markets. You will look at the theory of choice under uncertainty, and the modern theories of asset pricing and asset valuation, with consideration for the concepts of arbitrage pricing and the notion of market completeness. You will also learn avout market microstructure, gaining practical experience in trading using simulation software.

Quantitative Methods in Finance
In this module you will develop an understanding of the basic tools of quantitative analysis used in both economics and finance. You will look at the linear regression modules and non-linear regression functons. You will look at sources of bias and inconsistency in Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimation, and become familiar with methods for testing hypotheses. You will examine the restrictions placed on models by econometric theory and consider the advantages and limitations of commonly used procedures and methods.

Financial Economics
This module will provide you with an insight into the nature of financial markets and how they are used by investors and corporations. You will start by looking at the equity market, considering issues of optimal asset allocation, asset pricing theory, market efficiency and market microstructure. You will then concentrates on fixed income securities and the uses and applications of derivative financial instruments, covering pricing of fixed-income securities, futures, options and swaps and hedging.

Mathematical Methods
This module will provide you with an introduction to the basic mathematical and statistical methods used in Economics and Finance, with a particular emphasis on optimisation and basic matrix analysis. You will develop your ability to carry out differentiation and integration of standard functions, manipulate vectors and matrices, and understand and solve various optimisation problems, both constrained and unconstrained with equality or inequality constraints. You will look at probability and distribution theory, becoming familiar with estimation and inference, and be able to use the main theorems of the large sample distribution theory.

Dissertation
You will attend a set of preparatory classes to equip you with the necessary skills required for research, including a hands-on approach to using statistical packages and reading peer-reviewed articles. You will be expected to use either econometric or statistical techniques, and apply your knowledge and skills from the other quantitative methods and theory modules taken during your studies, to produce your own piece of research around 10,000 words in length.

Optional modules
In addition to these mandatory course units there are a number of optional course units available during your degree studies. The following is a selection of optional course units that are likely to be available. Please note that although the College will keep changes to a minimum, new units may be offered or existing units may be withdrawn, for example, in response to a change in staff. Applicants will be informed if any significant changes need to be made.

Career opportunities

A Finance masters degree at Royal Holloway will equip you with an enviable range of transferable skills and can lead into a variety of career paths as well as the knowledge and a solid foundation for continued PhD studies. Employers recognise and reward the real knowledge and skills developed in a Finance degree.

We will help students to recognise their own strengths, skills and abilities so that they can make strong applications for their chosen job or further study. We also provide careers support including application and interview coaching, career strategy discussions and the opportunity to network with major employes.