Introduction
The combination of academic research and practical, professional focus makes the prospect of studying our MSc Finance and Investment Management - featuring optional professional qualifications - highly appealing for those wanting to advance future career and earning potential.
Study Information
Study Options
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Degree Qualification
- MScEcon
- Duration
- 12 months or 24 months
- Study Mode
- Full Time or Part Time
- Start Month
- September or January
- Location of Study
- Aberdeen
This well-established MSc is founded on years of financial and investment expertise within the department – and on some powerful global connections with the financial sector. We focus not only on academic success but on helping students to build the broad range of specialist skills and experience that contribute to employability.
The University trading room streams up-to-the-minute data, to enable would-be traders and fund managers to 'practice' investing. It's a hands-on opportunity for you to react instantly to live news feeds and gain the skills required to work productively in the financial services industry, picking up the practical skills required for life at the Stock Exchange before you graduate.
You don’t need a background in finance or business-related-subjects, but being numerate will be advantageous. This programme will provide a thorough grounding in theoretical and practical aspects of finance, economics and investment for both early career finance professionals and those aspiring to enter a finance profession.
The University of Aberdeen is a leader in teaching and research in the field of accounting and finance and this programme builds on our considerable strengths in these areas. The Business School is home to The Centre for Governance, Accountability, and Sustainability. The group produces world-class contemporary and historical research that are of importance to the accounting profession, policy makers, regulators, business etc. and those who have a desire to address deep social, economic and sustainability issues facing the world.
Available Programmes of Study
- MScEcon
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Finance and Investment Management
Qualification Duration Learning Mode Study Mode Start Month LocationMScEcon 12 months On Campus Learning Full Time September Aberdeen MoreProgramme Fees
Fee information Fee category Cost UK £15,700 Tuition Fees for 2024/25 Academic Year EU / International students £26,250 Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year Stage 1
Compulsory Courses
- Quantitative Methods (BU5025)
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15 Credit Points
This course develops a mathematical and statistical ‘toolbox’ for PGT students in the Business School. These tools will be useful in understanding and implementing research in business- and economics-related fields both during a student’s academic career as well as after graduation. The first part of the course covers basic mathematical models common across these fields. The second part of the course develops standard data analysis methods, including multivariate regression. The final part of the course examines shortcomings in the standard model and describes ways of overcoming those shortcomings.
- Issues in Corporate Finance (BU5034)
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15 Credit Points
This course introduces students to basic financial concepts before moving on to introduce students to a number of areas of corporate finance including investment appraisal decisions, examining capital structure theory, the financing decisions of the firm, and corporate restructuring. The main aim of the course is to equip students with good analytical skills in order to understand the implications of corporate financing decisions by understanding why companies behave the way they do with respect to financing choices and how this interacts with the real world financial markets, and to enable students to understand the theoretical underpinnings of corporate finance theory.
- Economic Analysis (BU5033)
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15 Credit Points
The course will cover the main elements of Microeconomic Theory together with how this underpins the macro economy, covering consumer theory, how consumers choose under constraint of a budget, to generate demands. How this theory can be used to consider the welfare effects of price changes will be considered. The problem of production will be examined to understand the supply, and the demand and supply side will be drawn together to consider market structure. How the theory can be used to identify market supplies and demands from empirical data will be examined.
- Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD5006)
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This course, which is prescribed for all taught postgraduate students, is studied entirely online, is studied entirely online, takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across the first 4 weeks of term.
Topics include University orientation overview, equality & diversity, MySkills, health, safety and cyber security, and academic integrity.
Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Transcript as ‘Achieved’.
- Accounting and Finance for Managers (BU5026)
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15 Credit Points
The fact that money (and understanding money) really matters in business and all managers need to understand issues like cashflow and profit might depress you, but it is true. Financial viability of customers? Deciding on the likely financial viability of a project? Reporting to shareholders about performance? Does the word “sustainable” appear in a finance dictionary? All questions we will try and address.
Stage 2
Compulsory Courses
- Portfolio Analysis (BU5526)
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15 Credit Points
This course examines theories and issues relevant to portfolio analysis. Themes include: risk and return; investment motives; the application of modern portfolio theory (including the Capital Asset Pricing Model); information and market efficiency; portfolio analysis and asset pricing; bonds and equities; real estate and derivative markets.
- Empirical Methods in Finance Research (BU5565)
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15 Credit Points
This course aims to provide students with the quantitative skills to undertake extended investigation of financial data and assist in financial decision making. It introduces various standard time series techniques such as univariate and multivariate time series modelling, unit root tests, and volatility modelling. Particularly emphasis is on intuitive discussions of the methods, and practical examples and applications are also included.
- Financial Analysis and Markets (BU5575)
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15 Credit Points
Like football, this course is a game of two halves. The first half is financial analysis and builds your ability to analyse companies and think about the implications of financial performance for investors. We will be using Datastream and Bloomberg software. In the second half we will think about how stock markets work and how they are regulated.
Optional Courses
- Issues in Corporate Governance and Ethics (BU552G)
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15 Credit Points
Corporate governance has become one of the most significant challenges for organisations and for the managers who work within them. The reasons for this include high-profile corporate scandals, conflict of interests, manipulations of financial statements, ethical dilemmas, crises like the global financial crisis credit crunch or even pandemic, and a growing need to demonstrate corporate accountability, transparency and ethical practices. The “Issues in Corporate Governance and Ethics” course will deepen students understanding and stimulate critical thinking in these areas. Students will study and critique theory and practices of corporate governance models and ethics guidelines as well as its relation to boards, professional bodies (accounting/audit firms), investors and wider stakeholder groups.
- Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Forecasting (BU553C)
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15 Credit Points
This course will introduce machine learning, artificial intelligence and forecasting with applications in finance and management.
The course will explore recent trends in FINTECH, which are based on data analytics and recent advances in machine learning. The course will provide an introduction to Python, which has become the dominant general-purpose programming language in data analytics and machine learning. To be clear, students are not expected to have any prior knowledge of Python or any other programming language.
Stage 3
Compulsory Courses
- Master's Dissertation in Accountancy & Finance (BU5903)
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60 Credit Points
The capstone of your programme. A significant individual piece of work showing your ability to think, research, organise and analyse. You will work with a member of faculty to develop a proposal that you will then turn into 10,000 words of reality!
MScEcon 12 months On Campus Learning Full Time January Aberdeen MoreMScEcon 24 months On Campus Learning Part Time September Aberdeen MoreMScEcon 24 months On Campus Learning Part Time January Aberdeen MoreProgramme Fees
Fee information Fee category Cost UK £15,700 Tuition Fees for 2024/25 Academic Year EU / International students £26,250 Tuition Fees for 2025/26 Academic Year
We will endeavour to make all course options available. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.
Fee Information
The University of Aberdeen provides an Alumni Discount Scheme:
The University of Aberdeen is very pleased to offer a 20% discount on postgraduate tuition fees for all alumni who have graduated with a degree from the University of Aberdeen. More Information can be found here.
Additional Fee Information
- Fees for individual programmes can be viewed in the Programmes section above.
- In exceptional circumstances there may be additional fees associated with specialist courses, for example field trips. Any additional fees for a course can be found in our Catalogue of Courses.
- For more information about tuition fees for this programme, including payment plans and our refund policy, please visit our Tuition Fees page.
Scholarships
All eligible self-funded international Postgraduate Masters students starting in September 2025 will receive an £8,000 scholarship. Learn more about this Aberdeen Global Scholarship here.
To see our full range of scholarships, visit our Funding Database.
How You'll Study
Learning Methods
- Group Projects
- Individual Projects
- Lectures
- Research
- Seminars
- Tutorials
Assessment Methods
The programme assesses the competency and skills that you will need in the financial world in a number of ways. You will give individual and group presentations, prepare reports, sit traditional exams, write academic essays and complete the Dissertation over the summer period.
Why Study Finance and Investment Management?
- This is a full 'conversion' programme that may be completed in a single year.
- The University of Aberdeen was ranked 12th in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2025 and 15th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
- Ranked 4th in the UK for Accounting and Finance in the Guardian University Guide 2025.
- You do not require accounting, finance or any quantitative study to be completed at undergraduate level.
- There is a strong emphasis on the practical application of theory.
- You develop an awareness of professional best practice and the principles underlying current thinking in finance.
- Experience world leading facilities - access to our in-house stock exchange provides opportunities to work with a real trading platform, Bloomberg and supports in-depth understanding of finance in practice.
- Develop a well-rounded skillset – gain the tools to succeed in your job search, as well as the communication and professional skills that finance recruiters are looking for along with deep analytical skills.
- Access top-tier global recruiters. Students benefit from employer-led skills sessions from big name global finance brands - Deloitte, KMPG, PwC and Ernst & Young - to explore how to stand out at an interview or assessment centre.
- With a community of over 130 nationalities at the University of Aberdeen, students are immersed in an environment that enables international discourse creating truly global exchanges, generating deep insights that spark innovative change.
Entry Requirements
Qualifications
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the University of Aberdeen.
Our minimum entry requirement for this programme is an undergraduate degree at UK Honours level (or a degree from a non-UK institution which is judged by the University to be of equivalent worth).
Please enter your country to view country-specific entry requirements.
English Language Requirements
To study for a Postgraduate Taught degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write English fluently. The minimum requirements for this degree are as follows:
IELTS Academic:
OVERALL - 6.5 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 6.0; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0
TOEFL iBT:
OVERALL - 90 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 21; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21
PTE Academic:
OVERALL - 62 with: Listening - 59; Reading - 59; Speaking - 59; Writing - 59
Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency:
OVERALL - 176 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 169; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169
Read more about specific English Language requirements here.
Document Requirements
You will be required to supply the following documentation with your application as proof you meet the entry requirements of this degree programme. If you have not yet completed your current programme of study, then you can still apply and you can provide your Degree Certificate at a later date.
- Degree Transcript
- a full transcript showing all the subjects you studied and the marks you have achieved in your degree(s) (original & official English translation)
- Personal Statement
- a detailed personal statement explaining your motivation for this particular programme
Aberdeen Global Scholarship
Eligible self-funded Postgraduate Taught (PGT) students will receive the Aberdeen Global Scholarship. Eligibility details and further information are available on our dedicated page.
Aberdeen Global ScholarshipCareers
A qualification that's gaining momentum, aspiring financiers and junior bankers are taking Masters in Finance qualifications and CFA exams in increasing numbers. Hiring trends in investment banks are shifting, with sales and trading desks looking for a more technical skill set with a higher level of quantitative skills. Finance graduates are highly sought-after, with employer demand showing little sign of slowing down.
Graduates of this programme typically aim for positions in the global corporate and financial sector as a business analyst, asset manager, trader, broker, hedge fund / investment advisor, consultant, credit controller, treasurer, banker, market specialist or accountant.
On the flip side, you might want to opt out of taking the professional finance module (The CFA) and pursue a further academic study of finance – maybe building to a PhD .
Accreditation
The Business School is EQUIS accredited, placing it among a select group of globally recognised institutions. Out of over 15,000 business schools worldwide, only around 200 schools across 45 countries have attained this distinction.
This degree holds accreditation from
What our Alumni Say
Manjula Shaw
Our Experts
You will be taught by and have access to a number of experts, many of whom are internationally renowned within their respective fields. These will include members of The Centre for Governance, Accountability, and Sustainability.
For more details on academic experts and those who will be teaching within your programme discipline please visit the People section of the Business School website.
- Programme Leader
- Fotios Papadimitriou
Information About Staff Changes
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.
World Class Facilities
The University of Aberdeen, established in 1495, is Scotland’s third oldest and the UK’s fifth oldest University. The university’s ancient campus reflects its long-standing academic tradition, with historic buildings such as King's College, which dates back to the 15th century. This blend of ancient architecture and modern facilities creates a unique atmosphere where students can experience the best of both tradition and innovation.
Sir Duncan Rice Library
The University’s award winning Sir Duncan Rice Library is listed in the “Top 20 spellbinding University libraries in the World”. It contains over a million volumes, more than 300,000 e-books and 21,000 journals.
Find out more
Aberdeen City
Named Scotland's Safest University City (Unbroken Britain Survey, Provident Financial, 2018) and is in the top 10 in the UK for places to live and work (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2018).
Affordability
Aberdeen has been named the cheapest place for students to rent private accommodation in the UK. In 2024, StuRents reports that the average price of a student private rental property in the Granite City was just over £96 a week.
Get in Touch
Contact Details
- Address
-
Business School
University of Aberdeen
MacRobert Building
King Street
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX