BA in
BA (Hons) in Finance, Investment and Risk GCU - Glasgow School for Business and Society
Introduction
Accredited by: EPAS CIM
The financial services sector in Scotland manages over £800 billion in funds and generates around £7 billion for the Scottish economy. This programme has a track record of producing in-demand graduates with the knowledge and expertise needed to succeed in the fast-moving world of financial services.
The programme, which has been recognised by Scottish Financial Enterprise for its innovation, is designed to develop your skills for an industry which in Scotland employs almost 100,000 people directly and the same again indirectly. It covers everything from personal finance to pension funds, stock markets, corporate finance and investment and risk management in financial services. You also have the opportunity to specialise depending on your interests.
Glasgow School for Business and Society has been named a Centre of Excellence by the UK's Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) and this programme offers the potential for exemptions from several professional bodies.
International Student Start Dates
For new international students, orientation events start on 14 September 2018. This extra time is specifically designed to assist new international students in settling into the UK and GCU prior to the start of general student induction and teaching.
There will be a whole host of fun and informative activities taking place during this period, including campus and city tours, as well as welcome events where you can meet other international students.
Assessment Methods
Our approach to the learning, teaching and assessment is tailored to the needs of the financial services industry. We adopt a wide range of learning and teaching methods to ensure our students gain the necessary knowledge and understanding, while developing their intellectual and personal skills to become lifelong learners.
Our assessments are designed to develop our students' independent learning while testing their ability to address problems, formulate arguments and analyse issues. As a result, the programme adopts a wide range of assessment styles, geared to the content of the modules, and enabling the students to show the development not just of their written skills and learning, but also in skills such as presentation, team working, problem-solving and leadership, and in the use of the IT and social network resources such as Twitter.
Teaching Methods
Wherever possible, our teaching considers real-world situations in the financial services sector, both in the UK and internationally, and includes input from industry practitioners in the creation or development of modules and resources. A range of industry guest speakers contribute across our teaching programme, and a number of financial services companies sponsor prizes for high performing students.
To facilitate this approach, we use 'GCULearn', the university’s virtual learning environment, across all programme modules. Through GCULearn, course materials, reading resources, assessments and feedback are all available online. It is also used to enable students to undertake online activities and tasks, listen to podcasts, be involved in online discussion groups, and take part in blogs and Twitter-based learning activities. This approach is blended with more traditional lecture, tutorial and seminar contact.
Admissions
Curriculum
What you will study
Year 1
Introduction to financial theories and markets and subjects such as Economics and Data Analysis, Law in Business and Financial Management
Year 2
International Institutions and Environment, Banking, Personal Finance, Corporate Finance and specialist module options
Year 3
Regulation, Pensions, Risk Retention, Transfer and Insurance in Financial Services,Insurance and Finance, Financial Strategies and specialist module options
Year 4
Honours Dissertation and specialist subjects like International Finance and Investment Analysis and Managing Risk in Financial Institutions as well as specialist options
Scholarships and Funding
Scholarships
We provide high-quality education for a fair price; as the University for the Common Good, we are committed to offering accessible higher education for talented students by keeping our tuition fees low and providing a generous scholarship package of over £2.5 million per year.
If you have any questions or enquiries regarding scholarships available for 2018/19, please feel free to contact the student enquiries team.
Career Opportunities
Your career
Graduates have gone on to work in various areas, including financial advice, risk analysis, wealth management, investment analysis and pension fund management in organisations such as Morgan Stanley, Standard Life, Barclays, Scottish Widows, UBS, Standard Chartered, The Financial Conduct Authority and The Bank of England. One of our graduates was named UK Chartered Financial Planner of the Year.