Top

University College Cork

Finance - Asset Management

Do you want to prepare for a career in international financial services while completing finance professional exams?

The MSc Asset Management is designed to prepare students for careers in the international asset management and finance industry. As a participant on the course, you will focus on developing your analytical and professional skills, culminating in an applied quantitative research project. Uniquely this finance MSc programme provides the opportunity for candidates to study for the CFA® level I and/or CAIA® level I exams at the same time as the MSc Asset Management.

This finance course has been designed in conjunction with industry to ensure it meets the skills needs of employers. Upon completion of the MSc in Asset Management, you can expect to have excellent career prospects with investment management, insurance, proprietary trading, pension funds, and finance firms.

Unique aspects of this course
As a student on the programme you will study towards the CFA and/or CAIA exams while working towards your MSc in Asset Management. This is the first Masters programme in Ireland, and one of the first in the world, to offer academic credits for studying towards these professional exams.

It is also the only programme in Ireland which utilises leading US based international financial services industry professionals as lecturers.

Entry requirements

Applicants must normally have
◾a 2H1 degree or equivalent in a business programme or
◾Expectation of graduating with a 2H1 degree or equivalent in a business programme in the year of entry or
◾A 2H1 degree or equivalent in a cognate discipline with a quantitative element.

Applicants who achieve a 2H2 degree, 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.

It is important to apply early as we anticipate the course will be over-subscribed.

If your application is successful at this stage you will receive an offer or (if you have not yet received your final exam results) a conditional offer.

If you meet the application requirements but the course is full, you will be placed on the waiting list. Students on this waiting list get priority over later applicants.

If the course has not been filled in the first round, or by the first round waiting list, and your application is successful, you will receive an offer or a conditional offer.

If you meet the application requirements but the course is full, you will be placed on the waiting list.

If you are applying with Qualifications obtained outside Ireland and you wish to verify if you meet the minimum academic and English language requirements for this programme please see course webpage (link below) to view the grades comparison table by country and for details of recognised English language tests.

Duration

1 Year - Full-Time

2 years - Part-time

Careers or further progression

Upon completion of the MSc in Asset Management, you can expect to have excellent career prospects with fund services, investment management, insurance, proprietary trading, pension funds, and brokerage firms.

As this programme is launching in September 2014 employment statistics are unavailable, though we anticipate they will be similar to the MSc Corporate Finance.

Further enquiries

Mark Mulcahy
Tel: + 353 21 490 3212
email: mam@ucc.ie

Subjects taught

Run by the Department of Accounting Finance and Information Systems the MSc Asset Management is a 12 month Finance programme designed for those wishing to work in the international financial services industry, either in Ireland or abroad.

Students on the programme have access to a dedicated lab with Datastream and other financial and hedge fund databases.

The programme is structured as follows

Induction Week The course begins with an induction week providing you with the necessary preparation for the Core Modules in Semester 1. Here, the focus is on: team-building skills; IT skills communication and presentation skills.

Core Modules The core modules take place mainly in Semester 1 (September to December) and two running in Semester 2. These modules provide you with the in-depth knowledge to analyse and apply solutions to topics such as Valuation, Project Finance and Analysis of Debt Instruments. These modules: focus on analysis and application; have a quantitative element; include regular student presentations.

Core Modules
AC6101 Project Finance
AC6112 Valuation
AC6114 Analysis of Debt Instruments
AC6115 Asset Allocation
AC6116 Quantitative Analysis
AC6113 Financial Analysis and Forecasting
AC6117 Research Methods

Specialised Modules
The specialised modules begin in Semester 2 (January to March) and here you will learn and apply this knowledge to areas of real relevance to your future career such as aircraft leasing, risk management and funds. The modules here: focus on understanding and application; are case study and lecture driven; employ analysis using business IT systems.

Specialised Modules:

AC6105 Risk Management

AC6108 Venture Capital and Private Equity

AC6118 Aircraft Leasing

AC6119 Funds Industry Services and Regulation

Business Leader Series
In this innovative module beginning midway through Semester 1 and finishing in Semester 2, you will get the opportunity to interact with senior executives and industry leaders from both the financial services sector. This module provides the perfect opportunity to hone your networking, communication and presentation skills.

-a weekly session will be chaired by industry experts.

-each week a different student group hosts the sessions.

-members of the student groups present the case study solution.

-the expert then gives feedback and advice to the class.

Professional Exams
In this element of the programme you pursue a course of independent learning, under the supervision of an academic mentor, towards the CFA® level I and/or CAIA® level I exams. Guidance will be provided by our CFA® and CAIA® faculty representatives on the best approach for you to prepare for these examinations.

Research Project
The final element in the course takes place over the summer. You will get the opportunity to work, under the supervision of an academic mentor on an asset management research project. Each student will initiate, research and write a report on the asset management issue. The output from this project will include a detailed report and final presentation. This form of project will give you an opportunity to develop both analytical and professional skills.

Comment

Course practicalities
For the MSc Asset Management degree, you'll complete an induction week [which commences 5th September, 2016], 10 course modules, 5 core courses and 5 specialised modules, an industry lecture series and a quantitative research project. While on the program you will have the opportunity to complete the CFA® level I and/or CAIA® level I exams. You can do the course full-time over 12 months, or part-time over 24 months.

Who teaches this course?
The MSc Asset Management is delivered by a combination of UCC academic staff and international financial services professionals.

The financial services professionals include hedge fund managers, investment consultants and risk professionals from leading international firms. Several of the faculty are based in the US and come to Cork specifically to teach on the programme.

The academics who teach on the course are experts in their field. These lecturers all have PhDs and/or significant industry experience. Several of the Faculty have worked previously at leading investment banks such as UBS, HSBC Investment Bank and Lehman Brothers, stockbrokers like Davy and NCB, and business advisory firms such as Ernst and Young. In addition a number of the faculty are CFA charter holders. Our academic staff are also engaged in research with involvement in research centres in UCC, consult for industry, and publish regularly in international finance journals such as Applied Financial Economics, Journal of Trading and the Journal of Business, Finance and Accounting.

Staff Link: http://www.ucc.ie/en/accfin/people/

Assessment method

To meet the development objectives of the programme the MSc Asset Management is assessed by a blend of formal examination and continuous assessment. Each module contains a minimum of 30% continuous assessment.

Continuous assessment is in the form of class contribution, individual assignments, group case study analysis and presentations.

It is important that you learn to communicate effectively and contribute in class so your lecturers will keep a record of who asks (and answers) questions in class, and allocate marks accordingly. You and your classmates will also be divided into different groups for each semester. This allows you an opportunity to get to know, and work with, all of your colleagues. While we understand some students may have concerns about being assessed in groups, the ability to work with, and lead others, is a skill which has been highlighted as being essential for a successful career in industry. Finally, presenting is one of most important professional skills and so we also incorporate this into the assessment.

The final element of the MSc Asset Management is a quantitative research project. This represents one eighth of the marks for the masters programme.

Application date

Applications for 2017-18 intake are now open.

While UCC operates a rounds system for Postgraduate Taught courses (detailed below) we would advise you to apply as soon as possible.

Deadline for receipt of Applications: Offers will be made:

For all completed applications received by January 16th 2017 Offers will be made by January 30th 2017

For all completed applications received by March 1st 2017 Offers will be made by March 15th 2017

For all completed applications received by May 1st 2017 Offers will be made by May 15th 2017

For all completed applications received by July 3rd 2017 Offers will be made by July 17th 2017

Late applications may be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for any courses that have remaining capacity for places.

Non-EU Applicants:

Please visit the following page for further information for Non EU applicants http://www.ucc.ie/en/international/studyatucc/postgraduateprogrammes/tau...

Course fee

Costs: 2017/2018 Irish/EU Fee 10,500 full-time.
The part-time course fee is half the full-time fee in the particular year of study.

In addition students will have to pay registration and examination fees with the CFA Institute and/or CAIA and for study notes. For 2014 these fees and expenses would be approximately 2,000 for level I of each professional qualification. There are a limited number of CFA and CAIA scholarships available which will be awarded based upon academic results.