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Open University in Ireland

Finance

This qualification is designed to support professional development and practice in a wide range of roles in finance whether you are developing in your career or aspiring to enter the sector. It is applicable to roles in areas such as investment banking, portfolio management, corporate finance, treasury, and consultancy. It provides a thorough grounding in areas such as corporate finance, financial decision-making, financial reporting and governance. It develops competences in applying statistical and econometric techniques, and equips you with knowledge of the fundamentals of Islamic and behavioural finance. You can choose to specialise either in derivatives and financial risk management, or in investment and portfolio management.

Key features of the course
Provides an up-to-date perspective on both theory and practice in national and international contexts
Learn and apply the most important tools for financial analysis and decision support
Acquire competencies in statistical and econometric analysis
Develop your digital literacy skills, research capabilities and critical thinking
Opens up the opportunity to top up to the MSc in Finance in just one more yearby completing a dissertation module.

Entry requirements

You must hold a bachelors degree awarded by a recognised UK university, or equivlant. Please contact us if you hold a qualification that you believe is an equivalent level to a UK honours degree, to ensure that it meets the requirements for admission.

Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, we recommend that you will need a minimum score of 6.5 under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Please see their website for details.

This diploma requires an aptitude for analytical and quantitative methods to engage with theories of finance and their applications. You should possess a good working knowledge of maths and be confident with spreadsheets. It would be advisable to self-assess your level of maths before registering for this qualification. To help you decide whether you are ready, you may want to try this diagnostic quiz.

If you registered on the first presentation of this qualification in November 2014 you can complete the postgraduate diploma in two years based on approximately 12 hours of study per week. From November 2015 you will also have the option of completing in one year. This can be achieved by studying two modules at a time, so completing 120 credits in your first year which you should be aware is the equivalent of undertaking full-time study.

Duration

1 - 5 years.

Most students study this qualification in two years by studying two 30-credit modules a year. The minimum time to complete this qualification is one year. This can be achieved by studying four modules (120 credits) in your first year, which is the equivalent of full-time study. The maximum time to complete is five years.

Number of credits

120 credits

Careers or further progression

This postgraduate qualification offers knowledge in a wide range of finance areas that include the corporate finance function, investments, banking and financial institutions and risk management. You will gain both theoretical and practical insights into the working of financial markets, valuation of securities, understanding financial statements, risk management and portfolio management. You will develop the skills and capabilities required by investment analysts, finance managers, finance directors and chief financial officers. You will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to support decision making at the higher levels of organisations by exploring issues related to ethics and corporate governance, reporting and disclosure, financing and investment in uncertain and global business environments. Prudent practice of finance is relevant across all sectors public, private and voluntary. This qualification will therefore prepare you to work in the corporate sector, financial services, the banking industry, multinational organisations and other sectors where analytical and decision tools in treasury, investment and financing decisions are required.

There is more information about how OU study can improve your employability in the OUs Employability Statement from our Careers Advisory Service. You can also look at our OU study and your career pages to find out about potential career opportunities related to OU subject areas.

Further enquiries

Tel: (01) 678 5399
Fax: (01) 678 5442
Email: ireland@open.ac.uk

Subjects taught

Modules
To gain this qualification, you need 120 credits as follows:

90 credits of compulsory modules:

Compulsory modules

Credits Next start
Introduction to corporate finance (B858) 30 04 Nov 2017
Financial strategy: valuation, governance and ethics (B859) 30 06 May 2017
Research methods for finance (B860) 30 04 Nov 2017

plus

30 credits from this list:

Optional modules

Credits Next start
Investment and portfolio management (B861) 30 06 May 2017
Derivatives and risk management (B862) 30 06 May 2017

You should note that the Universitys unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 60 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.

Comment

On completion
On successful completion of the required modules, you will be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Finance entitling you to use the letters PG Dip Fin (Open) after your name.

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