Finance - Corporate Finance

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

The 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 the MSc Finance (Corporate Finance), you can expect to have excellent career prospects with business advisory, consultancy, corporate investment banking and venture capital firms.

The quality of the programme is demonstrated by its winning the Postgraduate Course of the Year in Business, Finance & Management in 2017.

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.

This is important preparation for the workplace. In the third semester, students have the choice to complete either a corporate finance project or a corporate internship. 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 CFA Institute University Recognition Programme status is granted to institutions whose degree program(s) incorporate at least 70% of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK).

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

- ACCA has been assessed the MSc Finance (Corporate Finance) for accreditation. Upon graduation from the programme 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 set out below. 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.

Why Choose This Course
The objective of the MSc Finance (Corporate Finance) is to produce graduates who can contribute immediately in the corporate finance industry. There are many reasons to choose this unique course, including the following:

It is a one-year course

The quality of the programme is demonstrated by the course winning the best Postgraduate Course of the Year - Business, Finance & Management by GradIreland Higher Education Awards 2017

The course has been running since 2009 and has a strong alumnus in Ireland and globally who understand the quality of course Graduates

You will gain excellent employment prospects on completion of the course

The course is developed and delivered in conjunction with industry

It includes an Induction Week focused on developing business skills

You will benefit from a deep corporate finance syllabus

A business research skills module is included

You will produce Corporate Finance Research Project or gain experience on a Corporate Internship

Throughout the course we will focus on enhancing your analytical skills and personal development

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 Project Finance
AC6102 Investments
AC6103 Capital Markets
AC6105 Risk Management
AC6106 Corporate Restructuring
AC6108 Venture Capital and Private Equity
AC6113 Financial Analysis and Forecasting
AC6421 Performance Management, Risk and Control
FI6001 Treasury Risk Management
FI6002 Regulation and Compliance in Capital Markets
FI6005 Equity Valuation
FI6006 Professional Development

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.

Full details on the content and modules are available on the Postgraduate College Calendar (MSc Corporate Finance).

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
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).

English Language Requirements

Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university approved English language requirements available here.

For applicants with qualifications completed outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements, please find our grades comparison by country here.

International/non-EU applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure please 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.

Not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above.

For more information please contact the International Office.

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)
Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following question:

You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.
What is your current occupation/speciality?

How Do I Apply
1. Choose Course
Firstly choose your course. Applicants can apply for up to two courses under one application. Details of taught courses are available on our online prospectus.

2. Apply Online
Once you have chosen your course you can apply online at the online application portal. Applicants will need to apply before the course closing date. There is a non-refundable €50 application fee for all courses apart from the Education - Professional Master of Education - (Secondary School/Post-Primary Teacher Training) which has a €100 application fee.

Applicants for the Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health Nursing must apply on the PAC website when the programme opens for applications.

3. Gather Supporting Documents
Scanned copies of the following documents will need to be uploaded to the online application portal in support of your application. Applicants may need to produce the original documents if you are accepted onto a course and register at UCC.

Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC
Any supplementary items requested for your course.
Please log into the online application portal for more details.

4. Application processing timeline
Our online application portal opens for applications for most courses in early November of each year. Check specific course details.

5. Rounds
For courses that are in the rounds system (Irish and EU applicants), please check the rounds closing dates via link below.

Questions on how to apply?
Please use our web enquiry form to contact us.

Additional Requirements (All Applicants): Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following question:

You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.
What is your current occupation/speciality?

The closing date for non-EU applications is 15 June

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 (12 months full-time)

Start Date 31 August 2020

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.