Finance and Investment BSc(Hons)

Overview

This course prepares you for employment in a wide range of industries, such as stockbroking, fund management, investment management and banking. It equips you with a solid grounding in the principles of finance and investment, which can be applied to a broad range of financial issues in the UK and international economy.
As well as developing an understanding of economic ideas, you will learn how to use analytical and practical tools. Emphasis is placed on applying economic and financial principles to a variety of real-world business situations in the UK and international economies.
You will have the opportunity to work in our real-time trading room which is fed with up-to-the-minute data from Reuters. Students can apply their skills to real markets and real data, and make use of simulation software to recreate the pressure of a trading floor. There are only a handful of such facilities nationwide. Trading sessions are supervised by guest traders who pass on their own extensive trading experience.
Throughout the course you will develop your creative and analytical thinking, together with team-working, research techniques and presentation skills.

Course duration
Full-time: 3 years
Sandwich: 4 years

UCAS code N390
Course content

Course structure

The course is delivered through seminars, lectures, workshops and tutorials. Assessment is through coursework assignments and exams. A choice of options in the final year enables you to match subjects to your interests and career aspirations.
During year 3 you may apply for a paid work placement. Work experience significantly adds to your CV and many students return to the university for their final year with firm job offers. Placement companies include: American Express, AXA Investment Managers, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, Dow Jones, Ernst & Young, Financial Services Authority, FTSE Group, HM Revenue and Customs, Goldman Sachs International, KPMG, Lloyds Banking Group, LMDB Accountants, PricewaterhouseCoopers and The Bank of England.

Syllabus

Year 1
- Financial Accounting
- Finance
- Economics
- Academic and Professional Skills
Year 2
- Corporate Analysis
- Finance and Risk Management
- International Financial Economics
- Monetary Economics: Theory and Policy
- Investment Case Study
- Professional Practice
Optional placement year
Final year
- Advanced Financial Risk Management
- Investment Management
- Applied Financial Techniques
- Economic and Legal Aspects of Financial Regulation
Options include:
- Dissertation
- Boom, Bust and Current Issues
- Financial Econometrics
- Behavioural Economics
- International Finance
- Game Theory in Economics, Finance and Business Taxation
- Corporate Strategy
Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements
individual offers may vary
A-levels:
BBB. Applicants with only 2 full A-levels or a double award will be considered on an individual basis. Excludes General Studies.
ND/C (Level 3):
DDM.
International Baccalaureate:
32 points, including 16 at Higher level.
QAA-approved access course:
acceptable, subject-specific units.
GCSE (minimum grade C):
at least three subjects including English language and grade B in mathematics.
Foundation degree/HND
direct to year 2 may be possible with relevant subjects.
For non-native speakers of English:
IELTS 6.0, with 6.0 in writing and a minimum of 5.5 in the other elements.
Location

Location Moulsecoomb
Career opportunities

Graduates will be able to choose from a wide range of career opportunities. The UK's banking, investment and insurance industry includes investment banks, commercial banks and building societies, broking firms, independent financial advisers and insurance companies. There are also opportunities for graduates to work in the financial or treasury departments of large enterprises.
The course is highly relevant to those wishing to become management consultants, financial market regulators or active in governmental services where a knowledge of the financial system may be required.
Global financial markets are rapidly expanding and, with them, international employment opportunities for university-educated professionals - not only in Europe and North America, but also in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Visit the careers centre website.
Fees and costs

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2012-13. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study.

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take. Different rules apply to research degrees - please contact the Doctoral College for advice.

To help you plan for your time here we will be providing further information about what is included in your tuition fee, and any optional costs you may need to budget for, later in the autumn.

Our website wwww.brighton.ac.uk/money provides advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.

BSc Hons Finance and Investment [J1EG003]

UK/EU 9,000 GBP
Island Students 9,000 GBP
International 10,500 GBP

When on a placement (sandwich) year, students pay a reduced fee in the placement year of this course. This is currently £750 for Home and Island Students and £1,760 for International students. This fee is likely to increase with inflation.
More details

Why study at Brighton Business School?

Graduate with experience, ready for your career. You will have the opportunity to apply for a paid work placement year. Work placements significantly add to your CV and many students return for their final year with firm job offers.

Benefit from excellent teaching and learning support. We have 40 years' experience of running business courses. You will be allocated a personal tutor who will help support and guide you through your first year.

Gain the knowledge and the skills that industry want. Our partners in industry and the professions contribute to course development and teaching.

Be part of an institution that is innovative and relevant. The Research Assessment Exercise (2008) ranked us in the top 15 UK business schools in terms of world-leading research outputs.

Live and study in an outstanding location. Brighton is a city with an extremely lively cultural and social life. It is no wonder that many Brighton graduates choose to stay here.

More reasons to study at Brighton Business School

Helping develop your career

We provide career support from the first year. This is the only way to ensure our students are employable in the highly competitive job market. We do this by:

The university's Careers Service offers guidance relating to any aspect of your career planning and development. The service is in regular contact with over 1,800 employers who post vacancies and attend our careers fairs.

Beepurple is the university’s entrepreneurship network. Taking part in beepurple activities, you will meet like-minded people, hear how other recent graduates have set up their own ventures and gain key enterprise skills that will help you stand out from the crowd.

Momentum is our award-winning mentoring scheme. It pairs students with professionals who wish to share their experience. Students and their mentors meet regularly to exchange ideas, allowing the student to develop new skills and enhance their career prospects.

International students

Brighton Business School is a truly international place to study.

As an international student, you will be supported from the moment you start with us. This includes:
- a free orientation programme
- a free pickup from Heathrow or Gatwick airport
- free English language tuition (throughout your first year)
- guaranteed accommodation in your first year
- a range of scholarships and bursaries
- a team of support staff to assist you, including a personal tutor.

More details on support for international students

Your level of English

The level of English you need depends on the course. The details are included in the course information, but for more general information read our information on English language requirements.

However, we provide a number of ways to improve your English before you start your course, and free English language support you while you are studying.

Meeting entry requirements

We can help you meet our academic entry requirements if your qualifications are not the correct level to study at university in the UK. The preparation courses at the University of Brighton’s International College have been specially designed to help international students to progress to an undergraduate or postgraduate degree course at the university.

More about our university preparation courses
Student views

Jimmy Meghani, Finance and Investment BSc

The best part of my course is the pace of it; it gives a real feel for working in the financial markets. Dynamic and vibrant. Full of energy and knowledge.

The University of Brighton has been very helpful. Not just in terms of academic development but also personal development.

The course will certainly help my career as it has strengthened my academic knowledge of economic and financial theories. It has helped me to get an internship at The Walt Disney Company as a finance analyst and also a summer internship at Bank of America.

This is a great place to study and you should cherish every moment you have here.