(Full time) 2022 start
Financial Mathematics MSc
Coronavirus information for applicants and offer holders
We hope that by the time you’re ready to start your studies with us the situation with COVID-19 will have eased. However, please be aware, we will continue to review our courses and other elements of the student experience in response to COVID-19 and we may need to adapt our provision to ensure students remain safe. For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19, regularly visit our website, which we will continue to update as the situation changes www.leeds.ac.uk/covid19faqs
Overview
This degree provides you with knowledge of advanced finance concepts, whilst developing your quantitative, mathematical and research skills.
Taught by experienced academics based in both Leeds University Business School and the School of Mathematics, you’ll cover key topics including financial derivative pricing, discrete and continuous time models, risk management and portfolio optimisation, as well as statistical and machine learning methods for finance.
You will be equipped with a rare combination of mathematical skills and the latest business finance knowledge, which is highly sought after in the financial sector by banks, and investment and consultancy companies. It’s also excellent preparation if you’re interested in pursuing further academic research.
This course is ideal if you’ve previously studied finance, economics, mathematics, physics or computing, and are interested in applying your skills to financial markets.
Academic excellence
As a student, you will be able to access the knowledge of our advanced specialist research units, which also have strong links with leading institutions in the US, Europe and Asia. These include the Centre for Advanced Studies in Finance (CASIF), the International Banking Institute (IBI) and the Credit Management Research Centre (CMRC).
This research makes an important contribution to your learning on the MSc Financial Mathematics; you will benefit from a curriculum that is informed by the latest knowledge and critical thinking.
You will also benefit from our strong relationships with the finance, credit and accounting professions. This provides a connection to the latest practitioner and policy developments, giving you a Masters degree that is relevant to the contemporary environment. Alongside this, you will have access to the world’s top financial databases, such as Bloomberg, WRDS, CSMAR, Refinitiv Eikon and Datastream, giving you a Masters that is relevant for the contemporary environment.
Course content
In your first semester you’ll develop a broad understanding of corporate finance and how financial theory relates to practice in business and financial markets. This will put your mathematical studies into context while you develop your skills in applied statistics and probability, machine learning methods and discrete time finance.
You’ll build on these skills in topics such as continuous time finance, risk management and computational methods. You’ll also gain specialist knowledge in topics that suit your career ambitions such as risk and insurance, actuarial science and behavioural finance.
The course will improve your research skills and allow you to study different research methodologies, including those employed by our own leading academics. This will prepare you for your dissertation – an independent research project on a topic of your choice that you’ll submit by the end of the year.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Modules
Year 1
Compulsory modules
- Corporate Finance 15 credits
- Learning from Data 10 credits
- Introduction to Programming 5 credits
- Dissertation in Financial Mathematics 45 credits
- Applied Statistics and Probability 15 credits
- Discrete Time Finance 15 credits
- Continuous Time Finance 15 credits
- Risk Management 15 credits
- Computations in Finance 15 credits
Optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
- Security Investment Analysis 15 credits
- Portfolio Risk Management 15 credits
- Behavioural Finance 15 credits
- Financial Derivatives 15 credits
- International Investment 15 credits
- Models in Actuarial Science 15 credits
Learning and teaching
We use a variety of teaching and learning methods to help you make the most of your studies. These will include lectures, seminars, workshops, online learning and tutorials.
Independent study is also vital for this course allowing you to prepare for taught classes and sharpen your own research and critical skills. Our Virtual Learning Environment will help to support your studies: it’s a central place where you can find all the information and resources for the School, your course and modules.
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Assessment
Assessment methods emphasise not just knowledge, but essential skills development too. They include formal exams, group projects, reports, computer simulation exercises, essays and written assignments, group and individual presentations.
This diversity enables you to develop a broad range of skills as preparation for professional life.
Applying, fees and funding
Entry requirements
A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in a related subject such as finance, economics, mathematics, physics, computing or engineering.
International qualifications
We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Economics and Finance (6 weeks) and Language for Business: Economics and Finance (10 weeks).
We are now offering online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. To find out more, read Online Academic English pre-sessional (10 weeks) and Online Academic English pre-sessional (6 weeks).
Read about differences between our online and on-campus summer pre-sessionals.
If you need to study for longer than 10 weeks, read more about our postgraduate pre-sessional English course.
How to apply
Application deadline:
We operate a staged admissions process for this course with selection deadlines throughout the year.
If you do not receive an offer in a particular round, you will either be notified that your application has been unsuccessful, or we will carry your application forward to be considered in the next round.
Please see our How to Apply page for full details and the application deadlines for each stage.
Documents and information you need
- A copy of your degree certificate and transcript, or a partial transcript if you’re still studying
- Two academic references
- A personal statement
- An up-to-date CV
- Your approved English Language test* (if applicable)
- A letter of sponsorship, if you need one.
* Applicants who have not yet completed an approved English language test may apply for a Masters course prior to taking a test.
Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2022
Fees
- UK: £15,750 (total)
- International: £29,750 (total)
Read more about paying fees and charges.
For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.
Additional cost information
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.
Scholarships and financial support
Leeds University Business School is offering more than 50 half fee Excellence Scholarships to UK and international students starting one of our Masters courses in 2022. These scholarships will be awarded to particularly deserving applicants who demonstrate excellent academic, professional and personal achievements.
Read more about scholarships awarded by the Business School.
Read more about scholarships available across the University of Leeds.
Career opportunities
You have various opportunities open to you as a Financial Mathematics graduate, including quantitative analysis, risk management, investment banking, financial consultancy, insurance, accounting and academia.
Previous graduates have gone on to secure employment with a range of organisations including Allianz (London), AstraZeneca, Barclays, CITIC Group, Deloitte, Gaz de France, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopersand the UK Government Actuary’s Department.
Careers support
We help you to achieve your career ambitions by providing professional development support and training as part of the course. You benefit from the support of a professional development tutor, who will work with you to develop the important professional skills that employers value. Recent activities have included CV building and interview sessions, professional risk management workshops and commercial awareness events. For example, students have developed their knowledge of financial markets through a one-week trading simulation with Amplify Trading.
Read more about our careers and professional development support.
The University of Leeds Careers Centre also provides a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.