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Finance

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A graduate in finance typically will:

  • understand the contexts in which finance operates
  • display knowledge of the institutional framework necessary for understanding the role, operation and function of markets and financial institutions both national and international
  • exhibit knowledge of the major theoretical tools and theories of finance, and their relevance and application to theoretical and practical problems
  • interpret financial data from accounting statements and data generated in financial markets
  • use statistical and financial functions and procedures such as are routinely available in spreadsheets and statistical packages for analysis purposes
  • manipulate financial data and carry out statistical and econometric tests
  • understand the relationship between financial theory and empirical testing, and application of this knowledge to the appraisal of the empirical evidence in at least one major theoretical area, recognising the limitations and evolution of empirical tests and theory
  • understand the financing arrangements and governance structures of business entities and appreciate how theory and evidence can be combined to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of such arrangements
  • understand the factors influencing the investment behaviour and opportunities of private individuals
  • understand financial service activity in the economy, and appreciate how finance theory and evidence can be employed to interpret these services
  • understand financial statements, appreciating the limitations of financial reporting practices
  • have the capacity for the critical evaluation of arguments and evidence
  • be able to analyse and draw reasoned conclusions concerning structured and, to a more limited extent, unstructured problems from a given set of data or researched data
  • locate, extract and analyse data from multiple sources, including the acknowledgement and referencing of sources
  • numeracy skills, including the ability to manipulate financial and other numerical data and to appreciate statistical concepts at an appropriate level
  • skills in the use of communication and information technology in acquiring, analysing and communicating information (these skills include the use of spreadsheets, word processing software, standard statistical packages, electronic financial databases, the internet and email)
  • 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
  • have capacities for independent and self-managed learning
  • have experience of working in groups and other interpersonal skills, and in presenting the results of their work orally as well as in written form.

Finance is an activity concerned with the workings of capital markets and the interaction between such markets and economic units, such as households, firms, financial institutions, government and overseas enterprises. The study of finance is concerned with both conceptual and applied aspects of the subject including theoretical perspective and the application and use of empirical methods therefore relating theory to practice. Most degree programmes which contain substantial finance content will also include elements of accounting and economics.

Students are required to study the design and operation of financial systems, structures and instruments and, in particular, to understand the pricing of financial assets, the measurement and management of risk, and the possibilities for value maximising behaviour by the firm and household. Such study can be pursued from a variety of perspectives, including, but not restricted to, the behavioural, ethical, economic, sustainable and statistical/mathematical. Basic knowledge of accounting practices and the principles of taxation, and their effect on the firm is required.


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