The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (2026)
16
16th for Economics
The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (2026)
Our MSc Money, Banking and Finance provides essential grounding for those aspiring to pursue analyst and decision-making roles in corporate and commercial banking, or in government and regulatory agencies. The programme’s curriculum blends theoretical foundations with practical applications relevant to today’s dynamic financial landscape.
You will develop your professional skills in areas that include financial data platforms, professional conduct and ethics in banking, and the latest thinking in banking regulation and financial stability.
Master data and analytical tools
You will learn how to use statistical packages as well as financial data platforms such as Bloomberg, and you will also learn Python programming for analysing, manipulating, and visualising data. These computational and analytical abilities are increasingly sought after by employers in the financial services sector.
Analyse financial systems
You will become proficient with modern econometric analysis, forecasting, and risk assessment methods. You will analyse financial markets, the institutional framework of the money and banking sectors, and the role of governments and central banks in shaping the financial environment. You will learn to work with macroeconomic models used by central banks, fiscal authorities, and research departments in financial institutions.
Benefit from world-class research
Our MSc Money, Banking, and Finance builds on Lancaster University Management School's reputation for research in finance, banking, and monetary economics, as evidenced by research rankings and its Centre of Excellence recognition by the Chartered Banker Institute of the UK. Modules are taught by researchers who publish in leading academic journals in Economics and Finance, ensuring students benefit from cutting-edge knowledge and contemporary industry perspectives.
Connect with industry leaders
The Money, Banking and Finance Guest Lecture series brings high-profile professionals from the sector to speak specifically with students on this programme, offering valuable networking opportunities and industry insights.
Achieve Chartered Banker Status
Students completing this programme are awarded Chartered Banker Status by the Chartered Banker Institute, a prestigious professional qualification that enhances career prospects throughout the global banking industry.
Features of the MSc Money, Banking and Finance programme you should know about:
Centre of Excellence
Lancaster University Management School is a Chartered Banker Institute Centre of Excellence.
Earn Chartered Banker status
You are awarded Chartered Banker status by the Chartered Banker Institute on successful completion of the programme.
Professional skills focus
The programme’s emphasis on professional and technical skills can launch you into finance-sector roles such as financial analyst, risk analyst, or investment banker.
Course accreditation
This degree is formally accredited by the Chartered Banker Institute, where Chartered Banker status will be achieved upon successful completion. The Chartered Banker Institute is the only body in the world, endorsed by Royal Charter, to use “Chartered Banker”.
Graduates of the programme are well-positioned to secure roles in prominent private-sector banks and consultancies and supervisory financial institutions such as central banks. The programme’s combination of theoretical knowledge and practical skills will equip you to excel in numerous financial contexts.
Our alumni hold diverse positions across the financial sector, including:
Recent graduates have also taken up roles within dynamic and innovative fintech and regtech start-ups, where their blend of technical expertise and financial knowledge proves particularly valuable. The programme’s emphasis on Python programming and data analysis specifically prepares students for the increasing digitalisation of financial services.
Scholarships for 2026 entry
We are delighted to offer a selection of scholarships for master’s programmes at Lancaster University Management School for 2026 entry.
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Students from Bangladesh, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Turkey or Vietnam
Your qualifications
Programme cost without scholarship
International Regional Scholarship
LUMS Master's Excellence Scholarship
You pay
1st class degree
£30,000
£10,000
-
£20,000
2:1 degree
£30,000
£10,000
-
£20,000
2:2 degree
£30,000
-
£3,000
£27,000
International students from other countries
Your qualifications
Programme cost without scholarship
LUMS Master's Excellence Scholarship
You pay
1st class degree
£30,000
£6,000
£24,000
2:1 degree
£30,000
£4,500
£25,500
2:2 degree
£30,000
£3,000
£27,000
Scholarships will be applied automatically if you meet the criteria.
We also offer an additional 10% discount on fees for Lancaster University Alumni. Alumni Loyalty Scholarship.
Your qualifications
Programme cost without scholarship
Scholarship award
You pay
1st class degree
£16,270
30%
£11,389
Scholarships will be applied automatically if you meet the criteria.
We also offer an additional 10% discount on fees for Lancaster University Alumni. Alumni Loyalty Scholarship.
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
2:2 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in Economics, Finance, Accounting or other business-related subject. Graduates in non-business subjects with a good quantitative background will also be considered and encouraged to apply. We are looking for marks consistently at 2:2 level throughout your undergraduate studies.
English language requirements
We 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.
If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, complete our enquiry form and one of the team will get back to you.
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
We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future. The University will make every reasonable effort to offer programmes and modules as advertised. In some cases, changes may be necessary and may result in new modules or some modules and combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
In this programme, all modules are core and there are no optional modules.
Core
core modules accordion
This module provides a solid foundation in econometric principles as they apply to the fields of money, banking, and finance. It introduces essential quantitative methods and techniques used in empirical economic analysis, with a strong emphasis on their practical application.
A key component of the module involves hands-on training in the use of the econometric package STATA, enabling you to implement econometric models and interpret real-world financial data. You will learn to construct and evaluate linear econometric models using various types of data, including cross-sectional, time series, and panel data. Additionally, you will understand the relevance of these models in addressing key questions in banking and financial economics.
By the end of the module, you will have the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to conduct empirical research and critically evaluate existing studies in the fields of money, banking, and finance.
This module focuses on the banking system, exploring how financial institutions facilitate credit, manage risk and contribute to economic growth. It also examines the crucial role of central banks in shaping monetary policy and ensuring financial stability. You will analyse economic theories behind deposit collection, loan origination and the broader function of financial intermediaries.
The module explores how monetary policy influences banking activities and how financial crises emerge, spread and are managed. Key topics include:
systemic risk
lender of last resort mechanisms
the evolving regulatory landscape.
The module integrates theoretical, empirical, and regulatory perspectives to equip you with a comprehensive understanding of banking and modern financial intermediation.
Investors’ and financial market participants’ behaviour may not always be consistent with the requirements of normative rationality. Alongside this, financial markets may be subject to imperfections. This module develops the asset pricing implications of the coincidence of market imperfections and imperfections in investor rationality. It explores the boundary between mispricing that can be exploited for profit and that which cannot.
The module lays the foundations for arbitrage, investment and wealth management, investment banking, and corporate finance. The topics covered are at the frontier of academic and industry research, forming a conceptually advanced syllabus (CFA Level III) with theoretical, empirical and practical implications.
You will develop hands-on skills in programming and data analysis using Python, with a focus on financial applications. This module builds on the econometrics knowledge taught in the Applied Econometrics module, by showing how to carry out data analysis using modern programming tools. You will learn how to process, visualise, and model structured and unstructured financial data, preparing you for applied work in banking, asset management, fintech, and other finance-related areas.
This module provides the microeconomics foundations for the study of money, banking, and finance. You will be introduced to essential microeconomic concepts relevant to banking, market structures, financial markets, asset pricing, and financial intermediation. The module then extends into the economics of risk, portfolio theory, and the formation of asset prices.
On the macroeconomics side, the module will introduce you to the modern (micro-founded) approach to macroeconomic analysis, the foundations of modern monetary policy theory, and the role of central banks during periods of financial crisis. It also introduces various other macroeconomic topics, including nuanced discussions of unemployment, inflation, and government debt.
This module equips you with the fundamental building blocks of finance. You will gain key insights into corporate finance theory and its links to real business decisions like investment, financing and payouts. The module covers the time value of money, emphasising:
present and future value calculations
their role in capital budgeting
their applications in valuing financial securities.
You will learn how to measure and analyse risk and return, and apply these concepts to estimate a company’s cost of capital. You will also learn how to evaluate the sources of financing available to companies. The module introduces the workings of financial markets, including the key market participants and the different financial securities traded, such as stocks, bonds, derivatives, foreign exchange and cryptocurrencies.
This module offers a thorough introduction to the institutions and structures within which banks and financial firms operate. You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the financial environment we all live in, including banks’ role in the payment system and in transmitting monetary and fiscal policy. These matters are particularly relevant today given the current problems of poor economic growth, high interest rates, and government debt following the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical instability, and tariff-based trade conflict.
This module will develop your professional skills in five areas:
Presentation skills and fluency in banking regulation and financial stability: You will read and present cutting-edge research papers on topics in banking regulation and financial stability.
Professional conduct and ethics: This area aligns with the syllabus of the Chartered Bankers Institute. It will provide you with knowledge and understanding of professional ethics in the banking industry, enabling you to develop skills and the ability to make informed ethical and professional judgements in the regulated banking sector.
Career planning and job market skills: You will reflect on your experiences and your future career plans, to build personal awareness of your own interests, competencies, values and potential, and develop the ability to share your work experiences and self-evaluations with your peers and staff.
Familiarity with the use of financial data platforms: This component covers the Bloomberg Market Concepts syllabus: Economic Indicators, Currencies, Fixed Income, and Equities.
Experience in working and effectively communicating and coordinating in groups. You will undertake an online consultancy or virtual internship organised by the Management School's Careers Team.
Fees and funding
Location
Full Time (per year)
Part Time (per year)
Home
£16,270
n/a
International
£30,000
n/a
Additional fees and funding information accordion
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
College fees
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2025, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses.
Computer equipment and internet access
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
Application fees for 2025
For most taught postgraduate programmes starting in 2025 you must pay a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.
Application fees for 2026
There is no application fee if you are applying for postgraduate study starting in 2026.
Paying a deposit
For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, tuition fees are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
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.
"When I applied, I was looking to differentiate myself from graduates with just an undergraduate degree. My favourite topics are behavioural finance and behavioural economics."
Lancaster allowed me to learn how to work with virtually anyone, regardless of country, age, culture or beliefs. I believe it has made me a more versatile and flexible worker.
The information on this site relates primarily to the stated entry year 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.
