MSc Global Banking and Finance
- MSc
Overview
What is the Global Banking and Finance MSc?
The Global Banking and Finance MSc is a one-year master's that develops expertise in banking, financial markets and the global financial system.
Build knowledge of banking, asset pricing, risk management and financial analysis through quantitative and analytical approaches. Explore how financial institutions operate, interpret market behaviour and apply data-informed decision-making.
Examine financial regulation, stability and the role of banking in the global economy, and explore how financial systems respond to crisis, uncertainty and structural change.
Who is the Global Banking and Finance MSc designed for?
This programme is for graduates with a background in finance, accounting, economics, mathematics, engineering or another quantitative discipline who are interested in international financial markets, banking and investment, and want to develop the analytical and strategic skills needed to navigate the global financial system.
What skills will you gain from this programme?
- Financial economics and asset pricing analysis
- Empirical and econometric modelling
- Quantitative data analysis and statistical reasoning
- Risk assessment and financial decision-making under uncertainty
- Evaluation of banking systems and regulatory frameworks
- Interpretation of financial data using computational tools
- Critical analysis of academic and policy research
- Communication of complex financial insights.
Why study the Global Banking and Finance MSc at the University of Bristol Business School?
- Develop expertise in asset pricing, banking theory and financial intermediation.
- Gain advanced training in quantitative methods and empirical financial analysis.
- Learn through a research-led curriculum grounded in economics, banking and financial markets.
- Examine financial regulation, stability and systemic risk.
- Explore financial technology, derivatives, financial modelling and sustainable finance.
- Develop analytical, econometric and data interpretation skills.
- Apply learning through datasets, case analysis and empirical problem-solving.
By the end of the programme, you will have the skills to analyse financial systems, assess banking and regulatory challenges, and support decision-making in global finance.
Discover the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
The new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus is a £500 million investment in your future. Learn in collaborative teaching spaces and access specialist facilities, including the Bloomberg Room, where you can develop practical skills using industry-standard financial and market data tools.
You can also bring ideas to life in the Design Factory, with access to a Hackspace, project labs and support from design experts and industry partners.
Through Bristol's innovation ecosystem, you will connect with businesses and organisations, while dedicated careers support will help you develop the skills, networks and experience to succeed after graduation.
Programme structure
Core and specialist options
You will start by building core knowledge in financial economics, covering asset pricing, banking systems, financial regulation and quantitative methods for financial analysis, studying core units in:
- Asset Pricing
- Microeconomics of Banking
- Quantitative Methods for Finance
- Principles of Financial Intermediation
- Banking Regulation and Financial Stability.
You'll then tailor your studies by exploring areas like risk management, investment analysis, regulation and sustainable finance. Examine how financial systems are changing in response to technology, sustainability challenges and global markets, by choosing from optional units that may include:
- Financial Modelling
- Derivatives
- Financial Technology
- Green and Sustainable Finance.
Final project
Your studies in teaching blocks 1 and 2 build the foundations for your 60-credit independent research project, completed over the summer. In this Master's Impact Project, you will plan and execute an academic, practice-based or reflective-practice project at an appropriate professional standard.
Options include:
- Independent research project
- Business-based research project
- Business practice project
- Thematic research portfolio.
Visit our programme catalogue for full details of the structure and unit content for our MSc in Global Banking and Finance.
Entry requirements
You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in a quantitative subject (whether as a single, joint, or combined honours degree) such as:
- Accounting and Finance
- Actuarial Sciences
- Computer Science
- Data Science
- Economics
- Engineering
- Finance
- International Economics and Trade
- Maths
- Physics
- Commerce (with specialism in Accounting/Finance/A&F/Economics).
If your degree subject is not listed above, you will typically need an upper second-class honours degree, or international equivalent, with three units of mathematics with 60% or above (or an international equivalent), from the units in the Maths qualification requirements list below.
OR
A-level Mathematics with grade A if no mathematics or quantitative units in your degree.
If you are currently completing a degree, we understand that your final grade may be higher than the interim grades or module/unit grades you have achieved during your studies to date.
We will consider your application if your interim grades are currently slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements and may make you an aspirational offer. This offer would be at the standard level, so you would need to achieve the standard entry requirements by the end of your degree. Specific module requirements would still apply.
We will also consider your application if your final overall achieved grade is slightly lower than the programme's entry requirements.
If your achieved grade is lower than our entry requirements, or if your subject is not listed above, your application may be more likely to receive an offer if you have additional relevant work experience or qualifications. If you have at least one of the following, please include your CV (curriculum vitae / résumé) when you apply, showing:
- evidence of five years' work experience in a banking, financial services or regulatory industry, work as a deposit insurer or broker
- a relevant postgraduate qualification.
Specific module requirements would still apply, which can be met in either undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications.
See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.
If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level B.
Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.
- Accounting ('principles of', 'fundamentals' or 'intermediate')
- Advanced Maths
- Algebra
- Analysis
- Analytical Chemistry
- Auditing
- Banking
- Bayesian Modelling
- Business Analytics
- Business Economics
- Business Maths
- Business Statistics
- Calculus
- Complex Functions/Systems
- Computational Methods (including in the social sciences and research)
- Computer Science (including programming, algorithms and physical computing)
- Corporate Finance
- Cost Accounting/Analysis/Management
- Data Analytics
- Data Mining
- Data Science
- Decision Analysis and Simulation
- Decision Maths
- Decision Science
- Derivatives
- Differential Equations (including Ordinary Differential Equations)
- Discrete Maths
- Econometrics (including 'introductory', 'foundations of' and 'advanced')
- Economics
- Electrical Engineering
- Electricity Magnetism
- Electronic Engineering
- Engineering (including materials and structural)
- Equilibrium
- Experiment (including experimental design, experimental studies, experimental research and control trials)
- Finance ('principles of', 'fundamentals' or 'intermediate')
- Financial Analysis
- Financial Markets
- Financial Maths
- Financial Modelling
- Financial Reporting
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Forecasting
- Game Theory
- Geometry
- Geotechnical
- Information Theory
- Investment Analysis
- Kinematics
- Kinetics
- Linear Algebra
- Linear Programming
- Logistics Management
- Machine Learning
- Macroeconomics/Microeconomics (also called Economics III/IV)
- Management Science
- Mathematical Programming
- Maths
- Maths for Business
- Mechanics (any type)
- Mechatronics
- Method
- Modelling
- Multi Variate Analysis
- Network Science
- Number Theory
- Operational Research
- Optimisation
- Physics (any type)
- Portfolio Management
- Probability (including stochastic models/methods)
- Programming
- Proof (including introduction to proof)
- Pure Maths
- Qualitative Research Methods/Techniques
- Quantum Computing
- Quantum Mechanics
- Research Methods
- Robotics
- Simulation
- Social Network Analysis
- Statement Analysis
- Statistical Analysis/Methods
- Statistics
- Supply Chain Management
- System Dynamics
- Taxation
- Thermodynamics
- Time Series Analysis
Introductory maths does not count towards maths unit requirements.
Fees and funding
- Home: full-time
- £20,000 per year
- Overseas: full-time
- £39,000 per year
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.
Alumni discount
University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.
Funding and scholarships
Scholarships for Home (UK) Students include the Business School Advance Scholarship and Spärck AI Scholarships.
Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.
Career prospects
The Global Banking and Finance MSc prepares you for careers in banking, financial institutions, regulatory bodies and the wider financial services sector. Work with industry-relevant datasets, econometric methods and digital analytical tools to develop the technical expertise employers seek.
Hear directly from central banks, challenger banks and established financial organisations alongside academic experts, developing knowledge of risk management, financial regulation and the role of banking in economic stability. Build the confidence to communicate complex financial concepts in professional settings.
Complete a flexible Master's Impact Project (MiP) in your final term, offering a choice of applied and research-based alternatives to the traditional dissertation. Choose from four pathways, with options for individual and team-based projects focused on research or real-world business challenges:
- Business-Based Research Project with an external organisation
- Thematic Research Portfolio
- Independent Research Project (dissertation or policy paper)
- Business Practice Project focused on consultancy, planning or simulation.
Graduate with the analytical, quantitative and professional skills needed for careers across financial services, supported by networking opportunities and a full range of careers support.
What career opportunities can this programme lead to?
- Investment Banking Analyst
- Risk Analyst
- Financial Analyst
- Quantitative Analyst
- Banking Analyst
- Regulatory or Policy Analyst
- Financial Consultant
- Asset Management Analyst
- Data Analyst (Finance sector)
- Research Analyst in economics or finance
Where do University of Bristol Business School graduates work now?
- Barclays
- BlackRock
- Central Bank of Chile
- Citi Bank
- Deloitte
- HSBC
- JPMorgan Chase
- Lloyds Banking Group
- PwC
- Highly regarded PhD programmes in finance at leading European institutions.
Contact us
- Contact
- Enquiries Team
- Phone
- +44 (0) 117 394 1649
- choosebristol-pg@bristol.ac.uk