Congratulations on your well-deserved place on the MSc in Finance course, including specialisations MSc Finance (Corporate Finance) and MSc Finance (Investment Management). In September, you will be joining a diverse international group of students most joining straight from undergraduate courses.
Below, we wish to provide some useful information about the start of the academic year, what you can expect before Term 1 begins, and some tips on how best to prepare for it.
Pre-study Modules (Online)
Before you officially join us, during the summer months, you will be provided with access to online pre-study modules that are designed to refresh some of your quantitative skills and/or introduce you to new ones: ‘Fundamentals of Mathematics’, ‘Fundamentals of Statistics’ and ‘Fundamentals of Python’. You are expected to complete these pre-study modules before the start of the course, for ease of following core modules in Term 1, especially ‘Data Analytics with AI for Finance’ module.
Induction
The academic year opens with a two-week induction period. Your induction will begin with a Welcome Session talks by the Dean, Professor Andre Spicer, and your Course Director, Dr Natasha Todorovic, who will present an overview of your degree programme.
The rest of the induction consists of a few preparatory classes and careers events that will support you in launching your job search, familiarise you with the School and programme structure, as well as social events that provide opportunities to connect with your fellow classmates and Bayes faculty.
The preparatory classes during induction will be covering core principles and skills to help you in your studies for the year. Specifically, there will be refresher course in economics, and you will also be introduced to a range of databases available at Bayes.
In addition, the Careers Service will host sessions on job search in preparation for the careers events, where numerous employers from the financial industry will be represented.
We very much look forward to welcoming you all in September.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the student experience on one of our MSc degrees, who better to ask than one of our current MSc students? Our helpful Online Student Ambassadors will be happy to answer your queries.
Timetables
You should use the MyTimetable system to view your timetables. Your timetable will be available later this summer. Important: To help you generate an accurate timetable please read this quick guide on how to use the system first.
Suggested Pre-Course Reading
Whilst there is no required pre-course reading, the following books and readings are recommended in preparation for your MSc course.
Securities, Investments and Asset Management Introduction
- Bodie, Z., Kane, A. and Markus, A., “Investments”, Irwin-McGraw Hill (latest edition).
Corporate Finance
- Brealey & Myers, “Principles of Finance”, McGraw-Hill, (latest edition), or
- Berk and De Marzo, “Corporate Finance”, Pearson (latest edition)
- Time Value of Money (TVM): A Primer | HBS Online
- EMK NYU S07 Global Tech Strategy Valuation Multiples Primer.pdf
Financial Reporting & Analysis
- Elliott, B. and Elliott, J., “Financial Accounting and Reporting”, Prentice Hall, (latest edition)
- Rees, B., ‘Financial Analysis’, Prentice Hall.
Statistics/Econometrics/Data Analytics for Finance
- Brooks, C. (latest edition) Introductory Econometrics for Finance, Cambridge University Press.
And finally:
- Do not forget the pre-study online modules “Fundamentals of Statistics” and ‘Fundamentals of Python’!
Textbooks
Textbooks may be purchased online or from any good academic book shop. The electronic versions of most of the recommended textbooks are available via Bayes Business Library.
Additional Resources
Excel will be widely used in several of the programme modules. Should you wish to refresh your knowledge of Excel, there are many resources available online, one of which is the following Excel video training – Microsoft Support.
Similarly, you will be using Python in some of your modules and beyond. It is therefore imperative that you complete the online pre-study module ‘Fundamentals of Python’ before the start of Term 1. You could also look at some other useful resources, such as Get Started with Anaconda.
Finally, in all modules the academic content is complemented by the analysis of the current industry trends and financial issues. We therefore encourage you to keep yourself updated by reading the Financial Times. Below, you will find a few resources to familiarise with some of the current key financial and economic issues.
Activist investors’ growing appetite for corporate change | FT Big Deal – YouTube