(BSc) Bachelor of Science
Finance (Including Foundation Year)
Current
University of Essex
University of Essex
Essex Pathways
Colchester Campus
Honours Degree
Full-time
Accounting
BSC N301
19/03/2014
Details
Professional accreditation
None
Admission criteria
A-levels: 180 points, including DD (or equivalent)
GCSE: Mathematics C
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) code
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 5.5 overall.
If you are an international student requiring a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.
Other English language qualifications may be acceptable so please contact us for further details. If we accept the English component of an international qualification then it will be included in the information given about the academic levels required. Please note that date restrictions may apply to some English language qualifications.
Course qualifiers
A course qualifier is a bracketed addition to your course title to denote a specialisation or pathway that you have achieved via the completion of specific modules during your course. The
specific module requirements for each qualifier title are noted below. Eligibility for any selected qualifier will be determined by the department and confirmed by the final year Board of
Examiners. If the required modules are not successfully completed, your course title will remain as described above without any bracketed addition. Selection of a course qualifier is
optional and student can register preferences or opt-out via Online Module Enrolment (eNROL).
None
Rules of assessment
Rules of assessment are the rules, principles and frameworks which the University uses to calculate your course progression and final results.
Additional notes
None
External examiners
External Examiners provide an independent overview of our courses, offering their expertise and help towards our continual improvement of course content, teaching, learning, and assessment.
External Examiners are normally academics from other higher education institutions, but may be from the industry, business or the profession as appropriate for the course.
They comment on how well courses align with national standards, and on how well the teaching, learning and assessment methods allow students to develop and demonstrate the relevant knowledge and skills needed to achieve their awards.
External Examiners who are responsible for awards are key members of Boards of Examiners. These boards make decisions about student progression within their course and about whether students can receive their final award.
Programme aims
The BSc Finance teaching aims are:
To provide students with a broad foundation in finance relating to financial decision making of companies, institutional investors, and individuals while devoting specific attention to the nature and role of financial markets and with an opportunity to develop expertise in a chosen specialism.
To equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue careers in financial markets or corporate careers that involve financial decision making.
To encourage and facilitate critical, analytical thinking by students as a vital foundation for subsequent academic study, employment, professional and personal development, and participation in society.
To enable students to acquire the personal and key skills they need to develop as autonomous and reflective individuals with the capacity to continue learning.
To provide students with a broad set of skills in the preliminary stage of study (year 0 and accelerated route) to allow progression to a wide set of degrees.
Learning outcomes and learning, teaching and assessment methods
On successful completion of the programme a graduate should demonstrate knowledge and skills as follows:
A: Knowledge and understanding
A1: The contexts in which finance can be seen as operating including knowledge of the institutional framework necessary for understanding the role, operation and function of markets and institutions
A2: The major theories of asset pricing and their relevance and application to theoretical and practical problems
A3: The major theories associated with the management of risk, such as portfolio management, asset allocation and the application of financial derivatives to practical problems
A4: The major theoretical tools necessary for advanced study in finance
A5: An ability to interpret and analyse financial data using appropriate statistical packages and to use these skills in later courses
A6: The relationship between financial theory and empirical testing and an ability to evaluate empirical evidence
A7: The factors influencing the investment behaviour and opportunities of private individuals investing in bond, equity, and derivative markets
A8: The basics of financial statements and appreciation of the limitations of financial reporting practices and procedures
Learning methods
Lectures and tutor-led seminars
Directed reading
Individual and group tasks
Assessment methods
Unseen written examinations
Assessed essays
Class tests
Pre-published class assignments
B: Intellectual and cognitive skills
B1: A capacity for the critical evaluation of arguments and evidence
B2: An ability to analyse and draw reasoned conclusions concerning structured and, to a more limited extent, unstructured problems from a given set of data and from data which must be acquired by the student
Learning methods
Lectures and tutor-led seminars
Directed reading
Individual and group tasks
Assessment methods
Unseen written examinations
Assessed essays
Class tests
Pre-published class assignments
C: Practical skills
C1: Ability to locate, extract and analyse data from multiple sources, including the acknowledgement and referencing of sources
C2: Communication skills including the ability to present quantitative and qualitative information together with analysis, argument and commentary in a form appropriate to different intended audiences
Learning methods
Lectures and tutor-led seminars
Directed reading
Individual and group tasks
Assessment methods
Unseen written examinations
Assessed essays
Class tests
Pre-published class assignments
D: Key skills
D1: Present ideas and arguments in a coherent and effective manner
D2: Use appropriate Information Technology to locate, acquire and analyse data
D3: Manipulate numerical data and apply basic statistical concepts
D4: Identify and analyse problems and apply appropriate knowledge and skills to develop effective solutions
D5: Improving own Learning/Performance
D6: An ability to learn independently using a variety of media, including books, learned journals, the Internet, etc. An ability to use the most effective strategies for reading and vocabulary development
Learning methods
Lectures and tutor-led seminars
Directed reading
Individual and group tasks
Assessment methods
Unseen written examinations
Assessed essays Class tests
Pre-published class assignments