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Queen's University Belfast

Risk & Investment Management

Overview
You have an interest in risk management and financial regulation. You want a career in areas such as corporate risk, compliance, consultancy, or academia. You want exemptions from the Professional Risk Manager (PRM) exams

Studying risk and investment management looks at how organisations and investors should understand, evaluate and address relevant risks to maximise the chances of their objectives being achieved.

The programme equips students with the cutting-edge risk management tools and strategies used by leading financial firms and regulatory bodies. Academics who teach on this programme are at the cutting edge of their fields, many also have relevant industry experience.

Entry requirements

Entrance requirements
Graduate
Normally a 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University in Mathematics, Accountancy, Finance, Economics or other relevant quantitative subject. Science and Engineering disciplines will be considered where there is a significant mathematical component.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of applicants so will also consider previous work experience alongside academic qualifications. Prior experiential learning in quantitative analysis, Maths or Finance based subjects in lieu of academic qualifications will be considered on an individual basis. The University's Recognition of Prior Learning Policy provides guidance on the assessment of experiential learning (RPEL). Please visit http://go.qub.ac.uk/RPLpolicy for more information. A formal interview, the submission of written work, exam or GMAT test may form a part of this procedure.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
For information on international qualification equivalents, please check the specific information for your country.

English Language Requirements
Evidence of an IELTS* score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required. *Taken within the last 2 years.

International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.

For more information on English Language requirements for EEA and non-EEA nationals see: www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs.

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.

Academic English: an intensive English language and study skills course for successful university study at degree level

Pre-sessional English: a short intensive academic English course for students starting a degree programme at Queen's University Belfast and who need to improve their English.

Duration

1 year full-time.

Learning and Teaching
Teaching Times
Morning / Afternoon / Evening
Full-time option: modules are taught morning/afternoon/evening.
Part-time option: modules are taught evenings only (from 6-9pm).

Careers or further progression

Career Prospects
Introduction
Risk management is currently, and will continue to be, a hot spot for graduate recruitment. As many financial firms are substantially expanding their risk management functions, this Masters degree is likely to open a wide range of new and exciting career opportunities. After graduation there is a wide variety of roles available for our students, some of which will suit those with mathematical skills who wish to utilise cutting-edge quantitative modelling techniques and work in collaboration with traders to develop bespoke financial products. Other roles involve portfolio and product risk management or monitoring firm-wide business risks either in-house or as part of an external regulatory team. Graduates from this degree have quickly secured high-quality posts, most of which are in risk management functions.

Queen's postgraduates reap exceptional benefits. Unique initiatives, such as Degree Plus and Researcher Plus bolster our commitment to employability, while innovative leadership and executive programmes alongside sterling integration with business experts helps our students gain key leadership positions both nationally and internationally.

http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/

Further enquiries

Dr Mark Farrell, Senior Lecturer (Education)
Queen's Management School - Senior Lecturer (Education)
Finance
Centre for Health Research at the Management School
email: mark.farrell@qub.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)28 9097 4819

Subjects taught

Course Structure
Semester 1
Asset Pricing
Corporate Finance
Financial Regulation and Risk Management
Research Methods in Finance

Semester 2
Credit Risk Management
Derivatives
Enterprise Risk Management and Risk Analytics
Time-Series Financial Econometrics
Semester 3
Dissertation
Or
Work-based Research Project

Comment

Risk and Investment Management highlights
Professional Accreditations
This course has an academic partnership with GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals), helping prepare students for the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) examinations. This course is part of the PRMIA (The Professional Risk Managers' International Association) Risk Accreditation Program, giving students exemptions from Professional Risk Manager (PRM) exams I and II.

Industry Links
Students have the opportunity to hear from industry professionals who deliver guest lectures. Students have the opportunity to network afterwards.

World Class Facilities
Certain classes are held in the Trading Room. Students have access to Bloomberg software, a market leader in financial news, data and analytics, which is used by many financial institutions. The Trading Room allows for an interactive and exciting learning environment which brings textbook theory to life.
Students may wish to join the Student Managed Fund, which seeks to achieve positive returns through superior stock selection using quantitative and qualitative fundamental analysis. This is a real money student managed investment fund. The goal is to achieve consistent long term positive returns by optimally managing downside risk. The Fund seeks to mitigate risk through sufficient diversification and through a series of strict rules and procedures.

Student Experience
Students will use and have access to software such as Stata, Excel, Matlab, and databases such as Thomson one banker and Bloomberg.

Assessment method

Assessment is by a variety of methods, including individual coursework, group work, oral presentations, simulations, case studies, class tests, examinations and dissertation or work-based research project.

Application date

Postgraduate Taught
Closing dates do apply for some of our courses, and details of these are available on our Course Finder. We advise you to apply as early as possible, particularly for those courses where there is a high demand for places. Early application is also important for international applicants to allow sufficient time to obtain a student entry visa.

How to Apply
Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal go.qub.ac.uk/pgapply and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply. See application weblink below.