Finance - Corporate Finance

Course Outline

The objective of our MSc Finance (Corporate Finance) at UCC is to produce graduates who can contribute immediately to the corporate finance industry. As a participant in the course, you will focus on developing your analytical and professional skills, culminating in either a corporate finance project or a corporate internship.



Our course has been designed in conjunction with an industry course board to ensure it meets the corporate finance skills needs of employers. Upon completion of MSc Finance (Corporate Finance), you can expect to have excellent career prospects with business advisory, consultancy, corporate investment banking, and venture capital firms.



The Professional Development module provides students with additional training in industry-relevant skills: this ranges from presentation skills to Excel training. There is a strong focus on teamwork and several modules have elements with team projects/assessments.



In the third semester, students have the choice to complete either a corporate finance project or a corporate internship. For the internship opportunity students have to go through a competitive recruitment process, including interviews with employers. In the project, students work under the supervision of an academic mentor while the corporate internship option allows students to explore their career options to make informed career choices.



This programme has been accepted into the CFA Institute University Recognition Programme and the CAIA® Academic Partner Programme and carries ACCA exemptions.



The CAIA academic partnership is granted to institutions that cover at least 60% of the entire CAIA curriculum as represented by the Core Knowledge Outline (CKO).



ACCA recognises this MSc for accreditation. Upon graduation, students have exemptions from the following ACCA examinations: Accountant in Business (AB), Management Accounting (MA), Financial Accounting (FA), and depending on module selection Financial Management (FM).

The programme is taken in two parts:



Part I consists of a combination of examinations and coursework in a set of specified taught modules to the value of 60 credits.



Part II consists of a Research Project or a Corporate Internship to the value of 30 credits. In total students take 90 credits as follows:



PART I

AC6101 International Project Finance

AC6102 Investments

AC6103 Capital Markets

AC6105 Managing Financial Institutions

AC6106 Corporate Restructuring

AC6108 Venture Capital and Private Equity

AC6113 Financial Analysis and Forecasting

AC6412 Financial Management & Corporate Social Responsibility for International Firms

FI6001 Treasury Risk Management

FI6002 Regulation and Compliance in Capital Markets

FI6005 Equity Valuation

FI6006 Professional Development



And either



AC6030 Python and Machine Learning for Finance (5 Credits)

Or

AC6108 Venture Capital and Private Equity (5 Credits)



PART II

AC6128 Research Project or

AC6129 Corporate Internship



Integrated Research Project/Corporate Internship



The final element of the course takes place in the summer term. Students have the choice of completing with an integrated research project or an internship.



- In the research project, you have the opportunity to work in a team made up of your classmates, under the supervision of an academic mentor on a corporate finance issue. This project allows you to hone your analytical and professional skills.



- If you chose the internship option, you will learn to apply your knowledge of finance in a work context, allowing you to learn through practice and to develop your critical writing and thinking skills through using the corporate internship as a site of inquiry, research and reflection. Students will undertake an internship with a relevant company in an area appropriate to the programme. To secure an internship place, students go through a competitive recruitment process, including interviews with employers.

Requirements

Applicants must normally have:



- A second class honours grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or equivalent in a business programme or



- The expectation of graduating with a second class honours grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or equivalent in a business programme in the year of entry or



- A second class honours grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or equivalent in a cognate discipline with a quantitative element.



Applicants who achieve a second class honours grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8), in either a business degree or a degree in a cognate discipline with a quantitative element, will be assessed on a case by case basis under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).



For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.



International/Non-EU Applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.



- In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.



- Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.



English Language Requirements

Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

Closing Date: Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.



Non-EU Closing Date: Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

To meet the development objectives of the programme the MSc Finance (Corporate Finance) is assessed by a blend of formal examination and continuous assessment. A number of modules contain up to 30% continuous assessment. The final element of the MSc Finance (Corporate Finance) is either a research project or a corporate internship. This represents one third of the marks for the masters programme.

1 year full-time.

Start Date: 8th September 2025.

Skills and Careers Information

The course prepares you for careers in investment banking, large corporations, and business advisory firms. Graduates of the course will also enter careers in regulation, venture capital, and consultancy.



All the top international and national companies recruit students from UCC. The course management team spend a lot of time developing links with the top international companies with a particular focus both on Dublin and London and beyond.



Recognising that not all our graduates are interested in pursuing careers abroad or in Dublin we also actively foster relationships with the local business community in Munster.