Finance

MSc

  • Entry year 2026
  • Duration Full time 1 year
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Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • 9

    9th for pre-experience in the UK

    FT Master's in Finance (2024)

  • 51

    51st for pre-experience in the world

    FT Master's in Finance (2024)

  • 65

    65th for Master's in Finance (World)

    QS Business Master's Rankings (2025)

Ranked among the world’s top master’s programmes in finance, our MSc Finance offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to prepare you for high-value careers in highly sought-after sectors such as investment banking, asset management and corporate finance. The programme provides a solid foundation in essential financial principles while allowing you to tailor your studies through a wide selection of optional modules.

You will build expertise in core areas such as financial data analytics, corporate finance, investment analysis and financial markets, while gaining advanced insights into specialised areas such as AI and machine learning, FinTech, and sustainable finance.

You will also benefit from dedicated CFA training, personalised career coaching, and hands-on experience with industry-standard platforms such as Bloomberg, LSEG Workspace and Datastream, along with programming tools like Python and R. This unique combination of core knowledge and customisable learning ensures that you graduate with both breadth and depth, making you highly adaptable and competitive in the global financial job market.

Industry-led learning

Our programme is guided by industry and research trends and delivered by a team of world-class academics. You will benefit from unparalleled networking opportunities with industry experts and access to real-world case studies, ensuring you graduate as a well-rounded professional ready to tackle global challenges. At Lancaster University, you will also have access to our sector-leading finance career coaching team, which will help you become more competitive in the job market and develop the soft skills needed to excel in any career path. Also, the programme includes dedicated training for the CFA Level I exam, which is delivered in the summer.

Tailor your learning with optional modules

You can choose from a diverse selection of optional modules that align with your individual interests and career aspirations. Whether you are interested in derivatives modelling, risk management, sustainable finance and ESG investing, or AI and machine learning applications in finance, our programme allows you to specialise in the areas that matter most to you.

Enhance your professional toolkit

The core module ‘Career Accelerator: Technical Toolkit and Professional Development’ module will help you develop soft skills (such as communication), database management skills (such as SQL, Bloomberg, LSEG Workspace and Datastream), coding skills (such as VBA, Stata, Python and R) and practical skills in using industry-standard accounting software (such ase.g., Xero).

Over the summer, you will apply your acquired knowledge to an individual, research-driven dissertation project. This project will provide hands-on experience with real-world quantitative research while developing your research planning, time management, and written communication skills.

Key facts

Features of the MSc Finance programme you should know about:

Our reputation

Over the past decade, our MSc Finance has been consistently ranked among the world’s top Master’s programmes by the Financial Times and the QS Business Master’s Rankings

Focus on employability

Strong focus on employability with access to a dedicated specialist accounting and financial careers coaching team who have strong links to industry.

Connections with the financial industry

Our in-house Industry Engagement and Knowledge Transfer Series (IEKTS) has regular talks and events featuring guest speakers from leading global financial institutions, top asset management companies, financial regulators, and economists worldwide.

CFA Level I training provided by Fitch Learning.

You will have the opportunity to train for and sit the CFA Level I exam while attending the programme.

An outstanding student society

As a student at Lancaster, you can join the Lancaster University Economics and Finance Society. Our student societies have a track record of giving students experiences that help them land roles in top firms.

CFA qualification

The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Programme is the leading professional qualification in the global investment industry. As a CFA Affiliated University, our MSc Finance programme is recognised for its strong connection to professional practice and ability to prepare students for the CFA exams. Only a select few business schools in the UK have been granted this status by the CFA.

Your programme includes a special CFA dissertation stream for suitably qualified students who wish to take the CFA Level I exam in August and gain this prestigious qualification. You will benefit from professional teaching by specialist CFA tutors from Fitch Learning, covering the entire CFA Level I syllabus. This instruction will be supplemented by online support, key resources and real-time feedback via the Fitch Learning CFA training portal.

Upon completing the training, you will sit a three-hour mock Level I examination, and the results will contribute to your overall dissertation mark. The CFA dissertation stream is available to students who meet minimum performance criteria during the first term. CFA scholarships are available to help you gain CFA Level I. Details will be automatically sent to eligible students during the summer term.

Careers

The broad nature of the core and optional modules of this programme allows you to pivot in several different ways. You could choose well-known sectors such as investment banking and asset management, or explore less well-known sectors such as financial consultancy, investment consultancy, wealth management, financial planning, interdealer brokers, insurance, and vendors. The nature of the programme also means you could take either an analysis role or a more client-facing function and everything in between.

Companies that have recruited our graduates in recent years include:

  • Bangkok Bank
  • Bank of China
  • BNP Paribas
  • Citi
  • Deloitte
  • Deutsche Bank
  • EY
  • Grant Thornton
  • HSBC
  • JPMorgan Chase
  • KPMG
  • PwC
  • Standard Chartered
  • UBS

To give you additional industry-specific job-hunting skills, we have partnered with a financial markets specialist who has worked at several leading investment banks and financial technology firms. As a financial careers coach, his role is to help you explore opportunities within the sector, providing a clear understanding of the skills required and, crucially, an insider’s perspective on what employers are looking for. To help you stand out in a highly competitive market, he offers guidance on writing CVs and cover letters tailored to the financial industry, developing effective interview techniques, and performing well at assessment centres.

Also, Lancaster University Management School’s Careers team puts on over 100 careers events each year for you to network with top graduate employers in the UK and overseas.

Departmental scholarships

  • CFA Scholarships

    Support for CFA examination fees for selected Accounting and Finance Master's programmes.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Finance, Accounting, Economics or other business-related subject. Graduates in non-business areas with strong quantitative elements may also be considered.

We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

English language requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Pre-master’s programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored pre-master’s pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University master’s degrees. Visit INTO Lancaster University for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Course structure

Detailed module information for this postgraduate programme will follow shortly. However, if you have any questions please contact the department.

Fees and funding

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General fees and funding information

Additional fees and funding information accordion

Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

QS Master's in Finance Top 100

Globally recognised

We're ranked in the QS World University Rankings Business Master's 2025 Master's in Finance top 100, placing 65th globally overall, 12th in the UK and 11th in the UK for Value for Money.

QS Master's in Finance rankings

Why study MSc Finance at Lancaster?

Mathis Fromel talks about why he chose this course, the careers support available, and life on campus.

Transcript for Why study MSc Finance?

What made me choose this course were especially the rankings and the reputation of Lancaster University, and in particular the MSc Finance programme which I'm attending right now. It's ranked among the top universities within the UK and especially to see if a partnership was very appealing to me. The highlight of being part of the MSC finance programme so far is definitely my campus life. It's nice to get to know new people from all over the world. And especially Grad College offers so many opportunities and has great facilities such as computer labs, study hubs, social hubs. Because of the challenging nature of the course and because you really evolve academically and also because of the support you get from the career services. They really prepare you for entering the real world regarding application processes and so forth. Lancaster University offers great support from career services as well as from professors. They encourage you to go on career fairs and also support you if you would like to attend academic events. I have already experienced a steep learning curve. It's very interesting to see how you evolve personally and also academically. as the programme is very demanding and there's lots of new things to encounter and to experience. Yes.

Alumni profiles

Link: click to see Rohan Biyani
portrait photograph of Rohan Biyani

Rohan Biyani

MSc Finance, 2022

I did group projects as part of my course, and learnt how to work as a team player within a diverse group of international students.
Link: click to see Katerina Martini
portrait photograph of Katerina Martini

Katerina Martini

MSc Finance, 2017

I believe that I would not have managed to get this position, and more importantly, to cope with the daily duties of this position, if I had not lived the Lancaster experience.
QS Top 100 logo

Top 100 in the world for Accounting and Finance

Lancaster is ranked 14th in the UK and joint 90th in the world for Accounting and Finance according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, one of nine subjects at Lancaster to be featured in the top 100 in these prestigious listings.

QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025

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Important Information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. Find out more about our Charter and student policies.