BSc (Hons)
Finance and Investment
Degree Programme

Core courses

• ACCT 4101 Managerial Accounting

  This Managerial Accounting course is designed to develop knowledge and understanding of key management accounting techniques that support effective planning, controlling, and monitoring performance in various business contexts. It provides financial and non-financial information to aid management decision-making, covering cost classification, budgeting, variance analysis, and performance measurement. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to use management accounting tools to support strategic objectives and en-hance organisational performance.

• ECON 4101 Introduction to Economics and Finance

  This module provides students with an introduction to various economic and financial con-cepts, demonstrating how these can be applied to better comprehend the world around them. It enhances students' understanding of the external factors that influence businesses, as well as financial aspects that are significant within a business context. It starts with an understanding of economic thought and development, and it expands on modern economic and financial issues the firms face. It is a solid foundation course for the basic ideas and applications of economics and finance.

• MATH 4103 Calculus with Applications

  This course provides a sound understanding of the concepts of calculus and their applica-tions to business courses, data science and scientific courses. There will be an emphasis on the rigorous approach to the concept of limits as a key pillar of many concepts of calculus. Theory and applications of calculus with numerous examples will be explained to students depending on specific majors. Topics to be covered will include co-ordinate geometry of straight lines, quadratic curves, exponential and logarithmic functions; elementary differen-tiation and integration of real-valued functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, and trigonometric functions. Applications of calculus concepts to maxima, minima, and optimi-zation problems. Calculus of several variables to include partial derivatives and optimizing functions of two variables, and constrained optimization and method of Lagrange Multipli-ers. Double integrals and applications. Modelling with first-order ordinary differential equa-tions.

Required Academic Literacies course

• LIBA 4301 Academic Research and Writing (Complete Academic Literacies required course)

  This course is designed to develop students’ critical research and writing skills to be effec-tive in the academic and professional world. It focuses on principles of good scholarship and academic practice that will be required throughout university study and in a future profes-sional work environment. These skills are enhanced throughout the course. Upon comple-tion of this course, successful students will become confident in using available resources to produce well-researched writing that demonstrates critical engagement with a self-selected research topic.

Choose one Arts/Humanities course from the following:

• ADPR 4101 Introduction to Advertising, PR and Media

  This course explores fundamental concepts, principles and tools in advertising and public relations, specifically in relation to the broader media industries and the professional con-texts of both disciplines. It traces the history and evolution of advertising and public rela-tions and how they interconnect, as well as investigating the political, economic, social and cultural contexts that they operate within. In examining advertising and PR in practice, it identifies key persuasive and creative aspects and techniques used in these fields, along with the planning and skills used to produce them. It also addresses advertising and PR practices in relation to contemporary issues and developments, including criticisms of the industries’ role and a range of ethical debates.

• COMM 4101 Introduction to Communications and Media

  The course provides a comprehensive introduction to the evolution of mass media and communication in a constantly changing global landscape. Starting by looking at how this has evolved from physical forms such as print and broadcast to digital forms such as differ-ent iterations of the internet, social media and the use of AI. This will incorporate both pro-duction and consumption of media within industries such as advertising, public relations, journalism, television, film, music and gaming. Important contemporary issues will be ad-dressed alongside recent events and tools and theories to understand these issues will be applied in order to develop student’s media literacy. This will also be applied to complex topics that circumvent the media and communication world such as media ownership.

• COMM 4102 Introduction to Content Creation

  This practical course introduces students to key aspects of contemporary media production through the creation of their own podcasts, short film and photographic essay. It focuses on the key skills of photography, audio and visual recording and editing using industry standard hardware and software. Students will learn and develop practical skills offering the oppor-tunity to demonstrate creativity across a range of visual and sonic mediums. They will also be introduced to the history of visual and sonic media (alongside contemporary examples of professional work) and learn key strategies (such as media skills audits) to identify and plan practical work.

• HIST 4101 Atlantic Slavery and the Spectre of Capitalism

  This course examines the expansionist nature of Atlantic colonial societies and their eco-nomic impact, from early contact with African societies to the abolition of slavery in Brazil. Emphasis is placed on the Atlantic slave trade’s role in consolidating slave labour systems and shaping industrialisation. The course further explores how colonial economies drove the rise of modern capitalism through racial and economic exploitation. Beginning with the ex-propriation of Indigenous land and resources, it traces the development of plantation slav-ery and later industrial labour systems. Key topics include: resource extraction, debt, coloni-al economies, trade in goods and globalisation. These topics are analysed not only in eco-nomic terms, but also in their social and racial dimensions. Resistance movements and the evolving discourse on reparations will also be examined to understand their influence on economic structures today. Students will investigate the economic mechanisms behind col-onisation and slavery, as well as the resistance to these systems, engaging in debates on the memory and legacy of these processes.

• LANG 4101 Korean Language and Culture 1

  This is an introductory course to Korean language and culture with an emphasis on oral communication in everyday situations and contemporary South Korean culture and society. This course introduces fundamental communication skills including the Korean alphabet and character construction, pronunciation, vocabulary, and essential speech patterns. It also ex-plores contemporary South Korean popular culture with the aim to develop a keen aware-ness and broad understanding of how the Korean culture relates to the language.

Choose one Social/Behavioural Sciences course from the following:

• POLS 4102 Modern Political Thought

  This course provides students with an introduction to modern political thought as it devel-oped in the Western World. It critically examines concepts at the core of political life, in-cluding freedom, equality, power, difference, and the state. The origins of political ideolo-gies are discovered and explored through the study of major authoritarian, liberal, radical and conservative political thinkers from the C15th onwards, such as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Wollstonecraft, Marx, J.S. Mill, and Nietzsche.

• INTR 4101 Introduction to International Relations

  This course introduces students to both the study of International Relations (IR) and key is-sues in contemporary global politics. Conflict, cooperation, and power are unpacked and ad-dressed while the course introduces and reflects on the fundamental approaches, concepts, and theories used in the discipline. Issues to which these are applied then include migra-tion, the relationship between humans and the environment, terrorism, security, and disin-formation. Throughout, different actors, institutions and ideas are engaged with as the course assesses contemporary global politics through an array of contemporary case stud-ies.

• PSYC 4101 Introduction to Psychology

  This course introduces students to the major areas within the psychology discipline, through current empirical research and theoretical debate. Students discover how psychological re-search is conducted and how research findings can be applied to understanding human be-haviour. Topics include scientific methodology in psychology, and key contemporary areas of research, such as biopsychology, brain functioning; sensation and perception; evolutionary theory, development, personality, memory, consciousness, stress, psychological disorders, language, learning and social psychology.

Required Data/Numeracy course

• MATH 4101 Probability and Statistics (Complete Data/Numeracy required course)

  This course in probability and statistics includes theoretical and applied approaches which are primarily designed for business, data science, social science and psychology majors. The course coverage will include: descriptive statistics, elementary probability theory, random variables and expectations, discrete probability distributions (Binomial and Poisson distribu-tions), continuous probability distribution (Normal distribution), sampling distributions, es-timation and hypothesis testing about the mean and proportions of up to two populations, Chi-square tests, One-way ANOVA and F Distribution, linear, multiple and non-linear re-gression and Non-parametric methods. SPSS lab sessions will be included targeting appli-cations of statistical concepts to business, data science, social science and psychology. All practical work will be produced using SPSS statistical software.

Choose one Science course from the following:

• COMP 4101 Introduction to Programming

  This course provides the fundamentals of object-oriented programming. This will include usage of variables, objects, classes; assignment and control through statements, loops, functions, procedures, interaction between objects and inheritance. This course may intro-duce any current specialists programming topics, eg. programming for mobile applications.

• ENVR 4103 Introduction to Environmental Science

  This course covers environmental science topics such as global warming/climate change, ozone depletion, acid rain, pollution, population issues, energy issues, land and water is-sues, and an introduction to environmental ethics. All topics are addressed from scientific, economic, politico-sociological and ethical standpoints. An awareness and appreciation of global, local, and personal environmental problems are developed, together with the impli-cations of possible solutions. The concept of interrelatedness is a unifying theme through-out the course. Students are encouraged to become aware of/develop an understanding of their own environmental identity.

• ENVR 4101 Earth System Science

  This course introduces the major concepts studied in Earth System Science, addressing the Earth’s origins and evolution as an active planet within the solar system. The fundamental processes and interrelationships between the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere and litho-sphere are investigated to serve as a basis for understanding natural systems, particularly near or at the Earth’s surface, and the ways in which human activities impact those sys-tems. There is mounting concern about global warming, biodiversity, energy and sustaina-ble development, all of which if not governed poses a threat to the delicate balance of the Earth system. Thus the need to understand the Earth as an interrelated system is more so than ever before.

• ENVR 4102 Ecology and Conservation

  This course provides an examination of the principles of ecology and their application to conservation. Students will explore the complex relationships between organisms and their environments, including population dynamics, species interactions, ecosystems, biodiversi-ty, and natural/anthropogenic causes of species’ decline and extinction. The course covers key topics such as habitat destruction, climate change, invasive species, and conservation strategies at local, regional, and global scales. Special emphasis is placed on understanding and addressing the threats to biodiversity and developing practical solutions for conserva-tion. Through case studies students will gain the skills necessary to critically evaluate con-servation challenges and design effective conservation strategies.

• PSYC 4302 Biological Basis of Human Behaviour

  Exposes students to the relationship between biology and behavior. Students are expected to assess critically the extent to which biological explanations can be used to understand or explain human behavior. Topics covered include the nervous system, brain, emotion, vision, attention, sleep and motivational behavior, as well as psychopathology (for example lan-guage, eating, perceptual and memory disorders). In addition, the course also looks at dis-cusses ethical issues in psychological research related to neuroscience.

Core courses

• FINC 5101 Investment and Capital Markets

  Focusing on financial investment, the course familiarizes the student with a range of finan-cial instruments and capital market operations, including new issues, trading, and the role of financial intermediaries in the investment market. Investment companies are investigat-ed. Fundamentals of portfolio theory are examined and applied to investment appraisal and management. Valuation of a range of securities—including fixed-income and equity—is discussed on the basis of capital market theory. The course introduces financial derivatives, including options, futures, forward rate agreements, and interest rate swaps, relating their use to fixed-income investment, portfolio analysis, and interest rate risk management.

• ACCT 5102 Financial Decision Making

  The course introduces the role and purpose of financial management within a business or-ganisation. The Financial Decision Making course highlights the importance of the three fundamental financial management decisions: financing, dividend policy and investment. It explores the economic environment within which these financial management decisions are made. The course covers working capital management and the appraisal of long-term investments in detail. The course examines the various funding options for business organisations. Funding deci-sions include internal and external funding sources. The course considers the cost of capital and the type of capital selected for a business organisation. The principles underlying the valuation of a business and financial assets are also covered. The course then examines risk and the main techniques employed in managing such risk.

• FINC 5102 Regulation for Sustainable Finance

  This course is designed to examine both the theory and practice of financial regulation, as well as the nature and role of compliance. Finance plays a decisive role in meeting interna-tional agreements on combating climate change with a particular emphasis on decarboni-zation and preservation of nature. Through adequate governance, social and environmental regulation, the financial sector is a key contributor to corporate sustainability. The pivotal role of the financial sector towards achieving economic stability and fostering a successful and thriving corporate sector makes it the object of increasing regulation. This course em-beds UN SDGs 13, 1 and 17 – This course dwells on the impact that sustainable finance will have on the decarbonization and climate change targets (SDG 13), access to financial re-sources (SDG 1) and partnership for goals (SDG 17).

• BUSM 5104 Legal and Ethical Aspects in Business

  This course concentrates on the legal framework within which businesses take place with legal liability as a core concept. Topics include business set-up from a legal perspective and conflict resolution. Further development of the concept of legal liability revolves around contractual, tort, and criminal liabilities. Corporate law is covered with the understanding of directors and shareholders as members of companies together with company resolu-tion. Recent developments in technology law are incorporated such as data protection and digital law. A sustainability approach is added as corporates are enhancing their governance and financial reporting regarding the triple bottom line including social corporate responsi-bility and environmental reporting. This course embeds the UN SDGs 3, 5 and 16. This course places an emphasis on the impact that corporations have on their stakeholders, par-ticularly consumers and employees (SDG 3) together with relevant employment regulations (SDG 5) and the ensuing transparency which is expected from businesses by the different stakeholders (SDG 16).

Required Research Methods course

• BUSM 5301 Research Methods and Skills for Business and Enterprise (Complete Research Methods required course)

  This course provides an overview of how research in business, economics, finance and mar-keting can be conducted. Topics covered include research philosophies, critical literature review, research design and quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. This course equips students with research skills and prepares them for their Senior Projects.

Choose one Service-Learning course from the following:

• LIBA 5301 Service Learning: Global Citizenship and Migration

  This course helps students make a real difference in the world. Service Learning as experi-ential learning combines community service with academic study. This course will apply service-learning to the theoretical, political and sociological concep-tions of citizenship and their limitations. Students will work on live projects and challenges to address real-world issues and critically reflect on their role as agents in communities and as legal and social citizens. Skills will be gained from working on a project with charities, NGOs, or non-profit organisations on citizenship concepts which will enable the student to critically reflect through service-learning. This course builds professional, entrepreneurial and personal skills to engage with a variety of stakeholders. This course is underpinned by JEDI approaches to justice, equality, diversity and inclusion across the global community.

• LIBA 5302 Service Learning: Leadership in a Globalised World

  This course helps students make a real difference in the world. Service learning as experi-ential learning combines community service with academic study. This course will apply service learning to global challenges and how to be a leader that cre-ates positive change. Students will work on live projects and challenges to address real-world issues. Students will learn how to lead and work with diverse teams to make a posi-tive impact. Skills will be gained from working on a project with charities, NGOs, or non-profit organisations on citizenship concepts which will enable the student to critically re-flect through service-learning. This course builds professional, entrepreneurial and personal skills to engage with a variety of stakeholders. This course is underpinned by JEDI approach-es to justice, equality, diversity and inclusion across the global community.

• LIBA 5303 Service Learning: Sustainability and Society

  This course helps students make a real difference in the world. Service learning as experi-ential learning combines community service with academic study. This course will apply service learning to the theoretical, political and sociological concep-tions of citizenship and their limitations. Students will work on live projects and challenges to address real-world issues and critically reflect on their role as agents in communities and as legal and social citizens. Skills will be gained from working on a project with charities, NGOs, or non-profit organisations on citizenship concepts which will enable the student to critically reflect through service-learning. This course builds professional, entrepreneurial and personal skills to engage with a variety of stakeholders. This course is underpinned by JEDI approaches to justice, equality, diversity and inclusion across the global community.

• LIBA 5304 Service Learning: Digital Collaboration

  This course helps students make a real difference in the world. Service-Learning as experi-ential learning combines community service with academic study. This course will apply service-learning to the production of digital work engaging with or-ganizations and communities outside of the university. It equips students to identify the ranges of opportunities for innovation and employment that digital skills offer. Students will work on live projects and challenges to address real-world issues and critically reflect on their role as agents in communities and as legal and social citizens. Skills will be gained from working on a project with charities, NGOs, or non-profit organisations on citizenship concepts which will enable the student to critically reflect through service-learning. This course builds professional, entrepreneurial and personal skills to engage with a variety of stakeholders. This course is underpinned by JEDI approaches to justice, equality, diversity and inclusion across the global community.

Plus two Level 5 electives from across the curriculum. These can be selected to support a minor in an area outside of your subject discipline.

Core courses

• FINC 6103 International Finance

  Taking a global perspective, the course focuses the basics of multinational financial man-agement from an international finance perspective. An understanding of multinational fi-nance begins with a mastery of the principles of exchange rates—how they are determined, how they affect the prices of goods and services, and their relationship to interest rates. The course also covers foreign exchange markets, multinational accounting, foreign ex-change risk, strategies and tools for managing exchange rate exposure, import and export finance, and multinational financial management.

• FINC 6101 Derivatives

  This course provides students with a foundation to derivative instruments and how they are utilized by corporations and individual speculators. The course covers areas which include the market structures of the futures and options markets, the valuation of futures and op-tions contracts, as well as their use in global risk management strategies.

• FINC 6102 Fintech

  This module explores the dynamic landscape of financial technology (Fintech), examining how technological innovations are transforming the financial services industry. Students will develop a critical understanding of key Fintech trends, their applications, and their im-pact on traditional financial institutions, markets, and consumers. The module will cover a range of topics, from mobile payments and blockchain technology to artificial intelligence and regulatory challenges. Through real-world case studies and interactive discussions, stu-dents will gain insights into the opportunities and challenges presented by this rapidly evolving field.

• BUSM 6110 Senior Project

  The senior project forms the culmination of a student’s studies in their major. The project requires a significant level of independent enquiry and research. It can investigate a real world, situation, problem or business opportunity related to the degree major. The project may test a hypothesis, investigate an issue in a narrative inquiry, or develop a real-world case study on a relevant topic. The investigation may use quantitative and/or qualitative research approaches. The project may contain primary research once ethical ap-proval has been gained. Students will be guided by their supervisor and conduct individual research work on an agreed topic. The supervisor will facilitate the process through regularly scheduled meet-ings. The nine timetabled hours will be used as refreshers of research skills, peer-coaching, and the presentation of the students’ work. In developing a real-word business or economic project the student will gain practical in-sights and knowledge of relevant industries and employment fields.

Plus EITHER:

• BUSM 6401 Business Internship

  The internship in business is a student work placement that aims to provide students with experience working within the business sector. Students will develop the intellectual, pro-fessional, and personal skills that will enable them to function well in a culturally diverse working environment. All internships are supervised by faculty and aim to bridge the transi-tion from an academic into a professional environment. This experience should also assist students to help them determine their career goals. During the internship, the staff of the Internship Office and a faculty supervisor work closely with each student to ensure that the placement is a successful one. There is also an integration of the work supervisor input in co-creating some aspects of this course. This course embeds the UN SDGs 12, 9 and 16 by placing emphasis on responsible production and consumption (SDG 12), ethical behaviour (SDG 16) and entrepreneurial innovation (SDG 9).

OR choose TWO of the following Major Options:

• ECON 6102 Public Economics

  This is a course in theoretical and applied public economics using microeconomic theory. The course addresses the theoretical analysis of market failure, public finance, taxation and expenditure systems in modern economies and discusses philosophical issues of economic welfare. Inequality, social mobility, and welfare frameworks are part of this course.

• BUSM 6102 Project Management Skills and Methods

  This module provides a comprehensive overview of programme management principles, processes, and techniques. Students will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to ef-fectively manage complex programmes within a variety of organizational contexts. Con-temporary project management methods will be explored. The module emphasizes the strategic alignment of programmes with organizational objectives and the importance of stakeholder engagement, risk management, and benefits realization. Furthermore, it ex-plores a range of programme management methodologies, equipping students with the ability to select and apply the most appropriate approach for diverse project scenarios.

• BUSM 6103 Sustainable Strategic Management

  Building on long established models of strategic management the course focuses on stra-tegic analysis, planning and implementation in the light of current interest in sustainability and ESG values. Early lectures outline the basic strategic analysis models and case study analyses relate to both the firm's internal operations and the environment in which it oper-ates. The course culminates in embedding the principles of ESG and the triple bottom line into future strategic planning.

• ACCT 6102 Financial Reporting

  The aim of the course is to provide students with an understanding of the principles and concepts underlying financial reporting, and the ability to apply these principles to the prep-aration and analysis of financial statements.

• ACCT 6101 Audit and Assurance

  The course focuses on the concepts and techniques relating to the provision of audits under the various Companies Acts and investigates the legal and ethical framework surrounding auditing. Students will become familiar with concepts and practices relating to the auditing profession and legal liability. Current issues about auditing will be discussed throughout the course.

• ACCT 6103 Taxation

  The Taxation course provides students with essential knowledge of the UK tax system, fo-cusing on key taxes such as income tax, corporation tax, VAT, and inheritance tax. Students will gain practical skills to compute tax liabilities, apply tax-planning techniques, and ad-dress compliance issues for individuals and businesses.

• BUSM 6104 Leadership and People Management

  This module provides a critical exploration of leadership in the context of managing people and talent within organizations. Students will develop a deep understanding of contempo-rary leadership theories and their application to the challenges of attracting, developing, motivating, and retaining talent in a rapidly changing world. The module emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion, ethical leadership, and social responsibility in creating a high-performing and sustainable workforce. Through real-life examples, case studies, and interactive discussions, students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to lead effec-tively in today's complex and dynamic business environment.

Plus one elective of your choice, which may support a minor.