Centre for Financial & Management Studies (CeFiMS) - University of London

Postgraduate

Finance and Financial Law (MSc and Postgraduate Diploma)

The academic direction of this degree is undertaken by the Centre for Financial & Management Studies (CeFiMS), at the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Is this programme for me?

This programme combines financial principles and applications with modern financial law and regulation. It relates to both national and international finance and will introduce you to how financial and legal principles are applied in practice as well as in theory.

Programme aims

Expertise in financial services is often polarised. Professionals either have knowledge of how financial services businesses operate or of the law relating to them. This MSc/Postgraduate Diploma creates a new kind of financial services professional: graduates who are trained in both finance and law.

Programme summary

	You study	Study period	Cost (2010-2011)
MSc	8 courses	2-5 years	£9,280
PG Dip	4 courses	1-5 years	£4,640
Individual Professional Courses	You can take up to three individual courses from this distance learning programme. Each course lasts eight weeks and you are registered for two years. The fee per course is £1,160.

Prestige

The programme has been developed by academics at the Centre for Financial and Management Studies (CeFiMS), a postgraduate research and teaching department within SOAS, University of London. Staff at CeFiMS have international reputations and are involved in researching their subjects at the very limits of current knowledge.

Career progression

Graduates of this programme find that their specialist knowledge is in demand by international banks and investment firms, legal practices, regulatory institutions and the academic world.

Comprehensive study materials and support

You will be sent all the study materials that you need to complete the programme, which may typically include:

• A core text specially written for the course. This is the backbone of the course and is comparable to a series of lectures. It is organised into eight study units, each of which lasts one week.

• Textbooks and collections of readings.

• Online and multimedia tools. Some courses provide video lectures on DVD. These expand on issues that have been raised in the course and relate the material to 'real world' examples. The Online Study Centre (OSC) provides instant access to course materials and also offers academic, administrative and technical support.

• A study calendar for each course to help you organize your time. This sets out a schedule for coursework and assignment deadlines.

• A Student Handbook explaining the nature of distance learning and the specific character of the programme. The University also send you a Study Skills textbook and an audio CD that offers tips on effective distance learning.

• A Welcome Pack is available online, which provides you with resources and tips on effective distance learning. The University will also send you a Study Skills textbook to help you manage your studies.

Your time commitment

This will depend partly on choices you make, but most students take three years to complete the MSc. The study calendar consists of five sessions per year. Each session is devoted to a specific course and lasts eight weeks (with the exception of the fifth session which runs for 10 weeks). During each session you will need to allocate between 15-20 hours per week to complete the programme.

Summary of key dates

Application deadline	6 September 2010	22 November 2010	1 April 2011
Programme starts	November 2010	January 2011	June 2011
Examinations	October