Entry year
Start date
September 2024
Duration
3 years
Duration with placement
4 years
Application deadline
January 2024
Campus
Northampton Square
UCAS Code
N390 / N319 with professional placement

Overview

Who is it for?

Our finance courses are for students who want to progress with the knowledge and skills required for a successful career in the increasingly competitive world of global finance and banking.

The BSc Investment and Financial Risk Management is for students who want to work in a wide variety of finance and investment fields. Maybe portfolio management or investment analysis. Maybe corporate treasury or financial trading. You want to understand the role risk plays in investment decision-making and how to manage it.

Objectives

Our three degrees in finance (Finance, Banking and International Finance, and Investment and Financial Risk Management) provide detailed knowledge of how financial markets work, how companies make investment, financing and acquisition decisions and how modern banks operate.

If your goal is a career in the international investment and risk management world, consider this course your jumping off point. You’ll gain an in-depth knowledge of how modern investment analysts and risk managers operate. As you move through the degree you’ll prepare for your career in investment management, trading or analysis in any area of finance.

You’ll study every aspect of the discipline, from managing global investment portfolios to asset trading. All within a broad sweep of rigorous academic learning encompassing equity markets, bond trading, risk management, derivatives, hedging, investment banking and many other broad areas of risk and investments. As a result, you will gain a good understanding of financial markets, its activities and its products.

The jobs in this field are both exciting and well paid. They demand intellectual rigour and commercial acumen, and by selecting this course, you too can prepare yourself with the skills and competencies these jobs require.

*ShanghaiRanking Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2021

Course Director

photo of Malvina Marchese

Dr Malvina Marchese

Senior Lecturer

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Structure

What will I learn?

On the Investment and Financial Risk Management programme you will:

  • Appreciate the usefulness of quantitative finance in today’s financial markets
  • Formulate, examine and test hypotheses using all scientific risk management/investment tool
  • Learn how to apply academic and vocational skills to investment and risk management problems.
  • Comprehend the role and functions of modern financial intermediaries and investment markets.
  • Understand the practice of applied investment and risk analysis.
  • Fully grasp the risk management process and the associated tools.
  • Appreciate the importance of hedging and the role of derivatives/spot trading.

Assessment methods

Our teaching style is based on encouraging you to think independently, to form your own opinions and critique relevant theory. We underpin your learning with the pertinent theories in your field embed with real life practices so you understand the way modern markets and businesses operate. Our courses offer numerous practical applications (or have a strong vocational element) without compromising their academic rigour. We use case studies, thought provoking scenarios and group work to give you a head start in the real world.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

Each module will be a mix of lectures, seminars and group work. Most modules are assessed by a combination of exams and coursework. The first year of your programme contributes 10% to your final degree classification, the second year 30% and the final year 60%.

The approximate percentage of the course assessment, based on 2023/24 entry is as follows:

Year 1

70% written, 0% practical, 30% coursework

Year 2

70% written, 4% practical, 26% coursework

Year 3

61% written, 0% practical, 39% coursework.

Overall workload

Most contact hours take the form of lectures. A number of tutorials, exercise classes and surgery hours are scheduled during the first year, the number decreasing as you progress and you become more able to direct your own learning.

Approximate study time based on 2019/20 entry is as follows:

Year 1

20% scheduled learning, 80% independent learning

Year 2

18% scheduled learning, 82% independent learning

Year 3

13% scheduled learning, 87% independent learning.

Term dates

Academic year

For a full breakdown of the current and forthcoming academic year view our term dates page.

Application

How to apply

All applications should be made through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. Applications are made via Apply, UCAS's online application system.

UCAS Institution code: C60 (Bayes Business School and City, University of London)
UCAS Course code: N390 / N319 with professional placement

You can find more information at UCAS and in the UCAS Handbook.

Find out more information about applying to Bayes.

Terms and conditions

Students applying to study at Bayes Business School are subject to City, University of London's terms and conditions.

Entry requirements

Below is a list of countries with information on each about which qualifications we accept.

English language requirements

Information for international and EU applicants

For international applicants requiring a Student Route visa we accept any of the below English language proficiency qualifications at the grades listed.

Please note, the Official Certificate must be awarded OR the qualification must be verifiable online. Statement of Results will not be accepted.

The English Language qualification or test needs to have been taken no longer than two years from the date that the CAS is generated.

English Language Tests:

  • IELTS (Academic, UKVI or IELTS Indicator): 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any sub test.
  • Language Cert International ESOL: Language Cert B2 Communicator High Pass
  • TOEFL (Test centre or iBT Special Home Edition): 92 overall (24 Writing, 23 Reading, 22 Speaking, 21 Listening)
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic: 59 overall with minimum of 59 in each sub test
  • Cambridge English Advanced (also known as Certificate in Advanced English): Grade C (180 overall) at CEFR Level C1 with minimum 170 in each sub test
  • Cambridge English Proficiency (also known as Certificate of Proficiency in English): Pass qualification (all grades accepted)
  • Oxford Test of English 130 overall with minimum 120 in each sub test

English Language Qualifications:

  • IGCSE: English as a First Language (Syllabus 0500 & 0522) or English as Second Language (Syllabus 0510 & 0511) at Grade B or above
  • International Baccalaureate: Grade 5 at Standard level or Grade 4 at Higher level
  • Trinity College (Integrated Skills): ISE III – pass in each area
  • INTO City Pre-sessional English: 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any sub test (NB. Must be the 6 or 8 week Bayes-specific course)
  • Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE): English Language Examination grade 4 or above
  • GCSE English Language Grade C/5 or above but 1) Qualifications must be issued by Ofqual, SQA, Qualifications Wales or CCEA regulated body in the UK; 2) Education must be undertaken in a UK school.
  • A Level English Language Grade C or above but 1) Qualifications must be issued by Ofqual, SQA, Qualifications Wales or CCEA regulated body in the UK; 2) Education must be undertaken in a UK school.
  • Vitnemal English grade 5
  • French Baccalaureat: 14/20 in English
  • Malaysian GCE O Level (SPM-1119 syllabus only): grade A

An exception to the above criteria applies to Student Route visa applicants from the below majority English-speaking countries for whom we can accept a wider range of English qualifications:

  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • The Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belize
  • Canada
  • Dominica
  • Grenada
  • Guyana
  • Ireland
  • Jamaica
  • Malta
  • New Zealand
  • St Kitts and Nevis
  • St Lucia
  • St Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America

Don’t meet the English language requirements? INTO City, University of London offers English language programmes to help prepare you for study at university. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to degree courses.

Information for home applicants

In addition to the above English language proficiency qualifications accepted for International applicants, as a Home or EU applicant we can also accept any of the below English qualifications:

  • GCSE: Grade C or 4
  • O-Level: Grade C
  • A-Level: Grade C
  • Cambridge English First (also known as Certificate of First in English): Grade A (180-190) at CEFR Level C1

Study abroad

Bayes Business School gives you the opportunity to spend a term or a year studying abroad at one of our partner institutions, which are located around the world in Australia, Europe, Asia and the Americas.

*Please note that the partner universities available is dependent on the study abroad programme you apply for and on your degree. The list of partner universities is also subject to change.

Replacement Term Abroad

Spend the first term of your 2nd year studying abroad in English at one of our partner universities. You would take modules to the value of 60 credits abroad and return to Bayes in the 2nd term to complete your 2nd year.

*Please note that the partner universities available abroad for the replacement term abroad programme vary from degree to degree and are more limited than for the sandwich year abroad programme. If you would like to check the current available partners for your desired degree, please email [email protected].

Sandwich year

You can spend a year of your degree course studying at one of our partner institutions, between your second and final year of study. This would add a year to your degree so you would complete your degree in four years.

Please be aware that the options available to you from the full list of partner institutions will depend on the study abroad programme you select. For more detailed information on this, please contact the Student Exchange Team.

Student Exchange Team

Our dedicated Student Exchange Team are available to offer advice to students who wish to explore their study abroad options. They will also support students throughout the application process and during their study abroad year or term. To contact them, email: [email protected].

Placements

Work Placements at Bayes

The practical experience of a professional placement, (typically 9-12 months duration) in addition to strong academic achievement, gives graduates a distinctive edge in the job market. Find out more about Work Placements and Summer Internships at Bayes.

A key part of a Bayes degree is the opportunity to gain professional work experience. BSc Investment and Financial Risk Management students are eligible to undertake a one-year paid work placement during the third year of a four-year sandwich degree programme.

The experience of working for a leading institution is not only exciting, but can be invaluable in terms of your future career. It will enable you to increase your confidence and maturity, expand your network of contacts, earn a competitive salary, and acquire the skills and competencies sought by graduate employers, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate market.

BSc Investment and Financial Risk Management students enjoy a wide range of professional placement opportunities in business areas such as corporate finance, operations, sales and trading, prime brokerage and hedge funds.

Students from the course are well suited to placement roles within the finance and treasury divisions of global enterprises, in corporate finance advisory teams, in investment banks and in consultancy firms focusing on issues related to corporate structure, strategy and management.

Placements students have gone onto secure roles at companies such as Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Lloyds Banking Group, Lockheed Martin, NBCUniversal, Hilton Worldwide and UBS.

Recent Placements

  • AXA IM
  • Goldman Sachs
  • UBS
  • Lloyds Banking Group
  • Morgan Stanley

Work placements are not guaranteed, however, our reputation, achievements and successful graduates have helped us to develop close relationships with a diverse range of companies, who recognise that Bayes students can add significant value to their workforce.  Our dedicated Placement team are in regular contact with these and many more companies, and will support you to find placements and ensure you are work ready.

Although this additional year is not credited and will not count towards your degree classification, it is a recognised part of the degree programme and will be endorsed on your final degree certificate.

Support from the placements team

A dedicated placements team will support you through the placements process. The team advertise a number of work placement and summer internships annually, and invite businesses to Bayes to meet with you and discuss the roles available. The team offers 1-2-1 advice on CV's and covering letters, as well as organising workshops to help you enhance your skills and competencies with applications and interviews. Also the team support students throughout your placement year including offering advice, guidance and monitoring your progress.

Fees

UK £9,250* per year Tuition fees are subject to annual change
EU £24,500 Tuition fees are subject to annual change
International £24,500 Tuition fees are subject to annual change

UK students

*Fees for students commencing study in 2024/25 are £9,250 for each year of study.

EU and Non-EU international students

** Fees for students commencing study in 2024/25 are £24,500 for each year of study.

The tuition fees indicated are for the 2024/25 academic year only. Fees for each subsequent year of study are subject to an annual increase to take account of City's increased costs of delivering educational services. This increase will be 5% for each subsequent year of study. You should expect your fee to increase by this amount and budget accordingly.

Funding

Career pathways

The majority of graduates from the Investment and Financial Risk Management course enter challenging and rewarding careers in the investment and risk management field as well as in the fund management industry.

Graduates keen to transfer their specialist quantitative modelling techniques take up front-office roles such as trading, bonds and stocks, while others are employed in market risk management and fund management or with regulators such as the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority.

Find out the types of positions our graduates have gone on to here.

Recent employers

Morgan Stanley
Deutsche Bank
Credit Suisse
Citi Bank
BNP Paribas
Barclays Capital
AXA

Alumni stories

BSc Investment and Financial Risk Management student Parsa Shahab
Parsa Shahab
Investment and Financial Risk Management

Hear from our alumni. Discover the real experiences of learning at Bayes and how Bayes helped to boost our graduates' careers.

Read Parsa’s story
£39,700 £39,700 the average salary of graduates within 15 months of graduating.

Course information and statistics from 2020-21 Graduate Outcomes

Graduation hat - dark theme
66
students in total
80.0%
of graduates in employment or further study six months after completing the course, with a median salary of
£28,600
Globe - dark theme
24
countries represented

Accreditation

The BSc Investment and Financial Risk Management provides exemption from some of the professional examinations of the following professional bodies:

See accreditation details

ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)

Knowledge

  • F1 Accountant in Business (AB)
  • F2 Management Accounting (MA)
  • F3 Financial Accounting (FA)

Skills

  • F4 Corporate and Business Law (CL)
  • F7 Financial Reporting (FR)

CII (Chartered Insurance Institute)

  • CII Insurance students: 530 Business and Economics (worth 30 credits at Advanced Diploma level), 25 non-unit specific credits at Diploma level; P67 Fundamentals in risk management (25 credits at Diploma level) based on FR2105 Corporate Risk Management.
  • CII Financial Planning students: 30 non unit specific credits at Advanced Diploma level, 25 non unit-specific credits at Diploma level.

CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants)

Certificate Level

  • C02 Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
  • C03 Fundamentals of Business Mathematics
  • C04 Fundamentals of Business Economics
  • C05 Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law

CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy)

Professional Certificate

  • Financial Accounting
  • Financial Reporting

Professional Diploma

  • Financial Management

ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales)

  • Accounting
  • Business and Finance
  • Financial Management

ICAS (The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland)

Test of Competence

  • Financial Accounting
  • Finance

The London Institute of Banking & Finance

  • Direct entry into Stage 2 (second year; FHEQ level 5) of the BSc Banking Practice & Management degree.