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Queen's University Belfast

Risk & Investment Management

Why is this subject for you?
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 and draw experience from time spent at other institutions such as the Bank of England, Harvard University and UCLA. Many also have relevant industry experience.

Why Queen's?
Trading room
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.

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

Accreditation
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.

Guest speakers
Students have the opportunity to hear from industry professionals who regularly deliver guest lectures. Students have the opportunity to network afterwards.

Trading and Investment Club
Students may wish to join the Trading and Investment Club, a student run organisation which aims to educate its members on trading and investing through guest speakers, competitions and educational seminars. The Student Managed Fund, which uses real money, gives students the opportunity to be part of an investment management process.

Work based research project
Students who successfully complete all taught modules may have the opportunity to undertake a work-based research project in a risk management environment.

Entry requirements

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 a quantitative analysis, Maths or Finance based subjects in lieu of academic qualifications will be considered on an individual basis under the University's RPL Policy http://go.qub.ac.uk/RPLpol. A formal interview, the submission of written work, exam or GMAT test may form a part of this procedure.

International Qualifications

For information on international qualification equivalents please select Your Country from the list on our International Students website.

Additional Information For International Students
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. 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.

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

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

For additional information, please visit our website.
English for University Study - 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
See Also The Into Graduate Diploma In Finance Which Combines Academic Study, Intensive English Language Teaching And Study Skills To Prepare You For Entry Into A University Masters Degree.

Duration

1 year full-time or 2 years part-time.

Teaching Times:
Morning / Afternoon / Evening.
Full-time option: modules are taught morning/afternoon/evening.

Part-time option: modules are taught evenings only (from 6pm to 9pm).

Careers or further progression

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.

The following are some of those employers:
Allstate Insurance
Apollo Aviation Management
Aviva Insurance
Bank of America
Bank of China
BlackRock Asset Management
BskyB
Caribbean Development Bank
Celerion
Central Bank, Ireland
CitiGroup
Danske Bank
Dow Chemical Company
Ernst and Young
Financial Conduct Authority (UK)
First Derivatives
Global Financial Consultants, Singapore
Lloyds Banking Group
Mercer Plc
New York Stock Exchange
Permanent TSB
Powergen, UK
PwC UK
Royal Bank of Scotland
Single Electricity Market
Towers Watson, London
WR Berkley Insurance Europe

Further enquiries

Dr Fotis Papailias
Queen's Management School
Tel: 028 9097 5514/5515
Email: qms@qub.ac.uk
WWW: http://www.qub.ac.uk/mgt

Subjects taught

The programme consists of eight compulsory modules and a dissertation or work-based research project.

Full-time Option (1 year) 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

Part-time Option (2 years) Year 1
Semester 1
Asset Pricing
Corporate Finance

Year 1 Semester 2
Derivatives
Enterprise Risk Management and Risk Analytics

Year 2 Semester 1
Financial Regulation and Risk Management
Research Methods in Finance

Year 2 Semester 2
Credit Risk Management
Time-Series Financial Econometrics

Year 2 Semester 3
Dissertation
Or
Work-based Research Project

Note: each module is equal to 15 credit points; the dissertation is 60 credit points; 180 credit points in total. Modules are subject to change.

Comment

Related links: Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Courses

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.

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
In general, there are no closing dates for the majority of courses (those with closing dates will be highlighted in the Course Finder). However 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.

Postgraduate Research
There is no standard closing date. You should however check both the Universitys website and refer to the relevant School/Institute webpage for information on deadline dates for postgraduate funding applications, as these will also determine when your application for admission should be submitted.