Master of Science in Finance
Summary
The master’s programme in Finance is designed to equip students with a strong foundation in analytical and empirical analysis, and to educate them more generally about the research process in finance and related disciplines. The valuation concepts and techniques taught to you have proven applicability even outside the traditional investment banking community. Courses in the programme aim to provide deeper knowledge and operational understanding of concepts and techniques, thereby enabling you to apply them to practical problems.
About
Financial questions arise almost everywhere in modern life. Individuals must manage their income, expenses, savings, and investments. Companies must run their financial operations in such a way that all stakeholders benefit, including employees, owners, and the surrounding community. Globally, we must establish socially responsible investment practices that provide resources for tackling issues like poverty and environmental sustainability. The skills developed during the master’s programme in Finance help you to provide educated answers to these various challenges.
Professionally oriented
Our programme focuses on the problems of an advanced practitioner and provides you with a solid basis in corporate finance and investment management. You will gain analytical knowledge and an operational understanding of financial concepts, develop skills to apply financial theory to practical problems, and gather working knowledge of empirical tools. Prominent representatives of the business community give seminars and classes, preparing you to enter the job market. Our Finance Laboratory modernizes your education by:
- providing access to real-time data from most global exchanges;
- providing a continuous flow of updated models and research material from several international investment banks, covering most major companies and fixed income securities;
- enabling you to monitor realistic positions of securities in terms of valuation and risk;
- and developing your programming skills to meet the needs of an increasingly technological industry.
Flexible
You can choose from various elective courses and tailor your education to your particular interests and goals. Courses like Applied Portfolio Management, Quantitative Finance, and Credit Risk Modelling prepare you for careers in asset management, risk management, security analysis, and sales. On the other hand, courses like Corporate Valuation, Financial Accounting, and Industrial Economics prepare you for careers in commercial banking, management consulting, or finance functions in corporations. You may also broaden your perspective via a wide selection of non-financial elective courses.
International
An international atmosphere allows you to experience other cultures, improve your communication skills, and build a global network of friends. You will be part of a multicultural classroom. We also offer the chance to apply for a Double Degree programme with the Tor Vergata University of Rome, where selected students spend the second year of the programme in Italy and earn a master’s degree from each university. You can also spend an exchange semester in one of our partner universities located around the world. More programme specific information about possibilities to study abroad can be found under Exchange opportunities.
Programme structure and content
The programme consists of seven mandatory courses that provide you with the fundamentals of economic and financial analysis. The first semester includes courses in Math, Microeconomics, Econometrics, and Financial Markets and Institutions. The second semester starts with Financial Econometrics and Investments, and the third semester starts with Advanced Corporate Finance.
During the remaining parts of the second and third semesters, you will choose from a variety of elective courses that provide an opportunity to tailor your education to your particular interests. You can, for example, choose courses that develop your quantitative skills or courses that focus more on issues relating to corporate governance or finance.
The fourth semester is dedicated to your master's thesis, where you apply your acquired skills to analyze relevant economic questions and have the opportunity to reflect the specialization you built throughout previous semesters.
Who should apply?
- Do you want to gain operational understanding of financial concepts and develop the skills to apply financial theory to practical problems?
- Do you want to use state-of-the-art technology to explore extensive real-time data from global exchanges, research material from international investment banks, and realistic positions of securities?
- Are you interested in gaining programming skills to meet the needs of an increasingly technological industry?
If so, then apply for the master’s programme in Finance.
Prerequisites and selection
Requirements
General Entrance Requirements: A Bachelor's degree (equivalent to 180 ECTS credits) from an internationally recognized university and English 6/English B from Swedish upper secondary school or the equivalent level of an internationally recognized test. For more information about general entrance requirements see www.universityadmissions.se (English) and www.antagning.se (Swedish). Programme specific entrance requirements: A) a minimum of 7,5 credits in finance and a minimum of 15 credits in microeconomics (of which at least 7,5 credits on intermediate level) and a minimum of 15 credits in statistics or 7,5 credits in statistics and 7,5 credits in quantitative methods and/or mathematics or B) a Bachelor's Degree within mathematics or in an engineering programme with a quantitative or mathematical orientation.
Selection
Group 1 (prioritized)
Group 1 is applicants with a GMAT score. Applicants are ranked by their GMAT score result. For further information: minimum accepted GMAT score, last day to write test etc.
It is not mandatory to submit a GMAT score, but having a GMAT score that reaches the minimum will give you priority in the admission. Applicants with test results that do not meet the minimum are placed in selection group 2.
Group 2 (secondary)
Group 2 is applicants ranked by number of university credits (ECTS credits). Applicants are ranked by number of credits reported on the last day for application (max. 165 ECTS credits).
If several applicants have the same number of credits the selection of students is made by ballot.
After graduation
Graduates of the programme receive a Degree of Master of Science with a major in Finance.
You will be prepared to work within investment banking, financial consulting, insurance, government agencies, and finance departments of industrial firms.
Our graduates have found jobs at major accounting firms (Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PwC), banks and asset managers (Handelsbanken, Nordea, SEB, AP2), and at non-financial companies (CGI, SKF, Volvo).
More information about after graduation
Facilities
The School of Business, Economics and Law is located at one end of Vasagatan, closest to Haga, and at Viktoriagatan 13. The building at Vasagatan houses the Economics Library, which is several floors high and offers many study places. The building is usually nicknamed "Handels".
More information about facilities
Exchange opportunities
Many of our students choose to go on exchange. By studying abroad, you will be given the opportunity to experience a new academic environment, new culture and gain new experiences and perspectives. The School of Business, Economics and Law and the University of Gothenburg collaborate with a large number of partner universities all over the world.
Students from the master's programme in Finance have the opportunity to take part in a Double Degree program at the University of Rome Tor Vegata, Italy. A Double Degree Program means that one year of your two-year master's programme will be spent at the partner university and you will be awarded degrees from both universities. Please visit International
office for more information.
