Finance (Industry)

BSc Finance (Industry) can be a truly transformative four-year career-focused degree that includes a 12-month paid industry placement in year three. We have strong industry connections and provide opportunities for internships in the City of London and Shanghai. This course is designed to prepare you for a successful career in investment and finance through a combination of technical skills and practical experience.

Course overview
You will begin by learning the bedrock of finance theory and methodology, and move on to study programming for financial applications, portfolio management, international financial markets, and advanced corporate finance.

Your first year includes Accounting and Finance, Quantitative Methods for Finance and Investment, plus Microeconomics and Macroeconomics.

Second-year students learn about Corporate Finance, Financial Engineering, Econometrics and Programming for Finance Applications.

Your third-year industrial placement in the financial and investment sector provides you with a positive, practical experience in a graduate role, gaining priceless business skills. You will see how well academic theories work in real-life situations, and gain insight into where your talents and interests lie for your future career.

In your final year, you choose all your modules, from Portfolio Management, Financial Markets, Bloomberg Analysis and Advanced Corporate Finance.

Our researchers work on major European projects, including investigating how to apply artificial intelligence to banking, and on the art, precision and effectiveness of factor investing and hedge fund strategies. We have developed strong links with the Bank of England, top asset management companies, financial regulators and economists worldwide. Our connections with Invesco allow us to deliver joint conferences and seminars, providing you with insights from both top academics and industry professionals.

Key facts
There is the opportunity to study Python, the programming language which is a key component of finance technology, and much of the degree content is relevant and desirable to Chartered Financial Analyst.

The University will make all reasonable efforts to support you in finding a suitable placement for your studies. While a placement role may not be available in a field or organisation directly related to your studies or career aspirations, all roles offer valuable experience of working at graduate level, gaining a range of professional skills.

If you are unsuccessful in securing a suitable placement, you can transfer to the equivalent non-placement degree scheme and continue with your studies at Lancaster, finishing your degree after your third year. The University offers a range of shorter placement and internship opportunities, for which you would be welcome to apply.

Our Financial Services Careers Hub offers unique opportunities to access the world of finance and to prepare you for a successful career in a competitive industry. Finance Careers Coaches bring a wealth of financial services industry experience to the programme, for example, through delivering a third-year Financial Markets module, and supporting Lancaster students across the Financial Services industry.

As part of the course, there is the option to complete a period of study abroad, subject to availability. You can choose to study one module at one of our partner universities during the summer vacation period at the end of either your first or second year of studies.

Course outcomes
Our graduates leave as independent thinkers, problem solvers and skilled communicators. They have the hard skills that investment and financial firms are looking for and are incredibly well-prepared for interviews and entry assessments. Our graduates’ ability to analyse information quickly and precisely, respond to challenges, and work with others makes them highly attractive to employers.