Our MSc Management (Finance) course goes right to the heart of business and strengthens the skills and knowledge you will need to manage the financial operations that are essential to success in today’s fast-moving global marketplace.
You will study the course over one year on a full-time basis and take core modules in strategy, business economics and accounting, organisational behaviour, the fundamentals of finance, financial management and corporate finance for managers.
You can also tailor the course to your interests, selecting from a range of optional modules and completing a dissertation on a subject of your choice. This could be an independent piece of research or a more applied project, completed in partnership with an external organisation.
There is a strong international element on the course with the opportunity to acquire hands-on experience of finance in a global context. You will be able to join an international study tour, take part in a summer school overseas and complete a dissertation abroad at one of our partner institutions.
Back home, the course gives you the opportunity to hear from a range of prestigious guest speakers who have practical experience in the subjects covered in the modules that you will take.
Furthermore, your own entrepreneurial abilities will be put to the test as you will be able to take part in the Blueprint Startup Challenge.
The Business School is one of an elite group of UK institutions that has been accredited by all three major business accreditation bodies, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the Association of MBAs and the European Quality Improvement System.
World class Business Education
5th (UK) - Financial Times: Masters in Management 2023
8th (UK) 38th (Europe) =51st (Global) - QS World University Rankings: Masters in Management 2024
Course structure
Core modules:
Strategy considers business success or failure by studying a firm’s business strategy and how it performs both in the external commercial environment and also in relation to the resources and capabilities it has available internally.
Business Economics and Accounting develops your skills in the application of economic analysis in business decision-making and planning. This module provides you with an understanding of key economic aspects of the business environment and the impact of changes in that environment at national and international level. You will also learn accounting information and its forms, purpose and the needs of its users.
Organisational Behaviour provides an introduction to the important features of the behaviour of individuals in organisations such as personal and mental ability and considers elements of interaction within an organisation such as leadership, decision-making, group dynamics and teamwork.
Fundamentals of Finance offers a thorough grounding in the theory of modern finance and the most important contemporary research.
Financial Management develops your ability to understand the financial information that is needed by management for decision-making as well as how and when it is used and the nature of its limitations.
Corporate Finance for Managers gives you an in-depth grounding in the theory and practice of corporate finance and the most important current research.
Research Methods and Dissertation (International study route and business project routes available) enables you to carry out research and conduct an in-depth investigation into an issue of interest to you and which is applicable and relevant to your degree subject. Crucially, the module gives you a thorough understanding of key principles of research design and methodology in business and management and develops your skills in conducting and communicating research. You will have the opportunity to undertake research abroad at a partner university or you may choose to undertake a business project in place of the traditional dissertation format.
In recent years, optional modules have included:
Consulting
Corporate Governance
Decision Making and Business Modelling
East Asian Business and Management
Employee Reward Strategy
Ethical Leadership
Financial Planning and Control
Financial Technologies I
Global Business
Global Sport Business
International Study Tour
The Science of Leadership
Multinational Finance
Mergers and Acquisitions (MSc Management)
New Venture Creation
Society and Sustainability
A language module such as those offered by the University’s Centre for Foreign Language Study
Careers and employability
The MSc Management (Finance) course is an excellent springboard into an exciting and rewarding career in an area that is vital to business success.
Employers search long and hard for job candidates who can display the skills, knowledge and abilities that you will acquire on this course. Alongside the financial management know-how, such attributes include confidence, leadership, the ability to make decisions, solve problems and analyse data and other information.
Alumni have been successful in securing challenging and stimulating careers across the world in sectors such as consultancy, banking and finance.
Your own personal skills will also be enhanced as a result of participating in this course with your confidence, leadership and ability to communicate reaching new levels.
As part of the wider University, and in its own right, the Business School has a global reputation for academic excellence and the quality of its teaching, and passion for the subject among staff is widely respected by prestigious employers. When you graduate you will be joining the worldwide network of alumni who contribute to Durham's success.
The course is delivered through lectures and seminars, with lectures presenting the key narrative of a topic and being delivered from time to time by guest speakers who share with you their experiences in the business world. Seminars take a small-group format, providing the physical and mental space to engage in debate and discussion as a follow-up to the lecture topics.
You will also be expected to carry out substantial independent study following on from lectures and as preparation for making a contribution in the seminars.
The course culminates in a dissertation or business project which both give you the opportunity to apply knowledge that you have learnt during the course.
You will have the support of an academic adviser as well as one-to-one support from teaching staff.
Assessment
Assessment is rigorous and you will be required to undertake a series of tasks including written assignments, group presentations, learning logs and a report as well as take examinations and complete a dissertation or business project.
Entry requirements
Application deadlines
October 2024 start
Please note: The application process will open 1st October for entry the following academic year. Our application deadline dates for this programme are:
Applications from individuals resident in Mainland China must be received by 27 February 2024.
There is a high demand for places on these programmes. To maximise your chances of being offered one of these places, we recommend that you submit your application to the University as early as possible.
We aim to have a diverse student body and recognise that we can only offer places to a finite number of applicants. To help achieve our aim, we look to ensure we offer places to applicants from all nationalities and close applications when we receive the allocated numbers.
The University is under no obligation to make any offer of a place on the programme to any applicant, nor is the University obligated to fill all spaces available on the programme.
Masters in Management programmes are intended for graduates in any subject or discipline; no previous study in business or management is necessary. For example, in the past we have had graduates from a diverse range of degrees such as Music, Anthropology, Medicine and Geography. Business and Management undergraduate students may find some content overlaps with their first degree.
This programme is intended for graduates in any subject or discipline; no previous study in management is necessary. Please note, however, management undergraduate students or students who have completed a professional management qualification may find some content on this programme overlaps with their prior learning.
If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.
NB Chinese Applicants: Applications will be accepted from students who have graduated from a prestigious university in China. Entry requirements may vary depending upon the reputation of the university you have graduated from and the academic programme you have applied for. As a guide, applicants are expected to have achieved an overall average of 85%.
How do I apply?
You will need to complete an online application form.
Please note you can only apply for one Masters Management programme.
To support your online application form, you will need to provide the following documents.
Official transcript of marks
Copy of degree certificate (if available)
Copy of English test results (if available).
You can either upload your supporting documents with your online application or email or fax them to the Postgraduate Admissions Office using the contact details below.
Note:
Only files of type .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .rtf are permitted to be uploaded.The maximum file size is 5MB.
Application fee
Once we receive your online application form, you’ll get an automatic email within 48 hours asking you to pay the £60 application fee* which is required to progress your application.
You’ll need to follow the link in the email to the webpage where you can confirm your details and make the payment using a debit or credit card. This is a secure website operated by Secpay, which will send you an automatic receipt of payment.
Once we receive confirmation that your application fee has been paid, we’ll be able to progress your application. If you do not pay the application fee your application will be automatically withdrawn.
*Please note you will only be able to make a payment for one programme in each suite i.e. one MSc Finance programme, one MSc Management programme, one MSc Economics programme.
College membership
If you’re applying for a full-time programme you’ll need to become a member of one of our Colleges as well as being accepted by a department. Here’s more information about how the college system works. Once you accept your programme offer, the College Postgraduate Office will get in touch with you to arrange accommodation. Please note that demand for college accommodation usually exceeds availability, so please try to arrange it as soon as possible.
Admissions process
Here are the steps in the admissions process:
We will let you know when we’ve received your application.
Once we’ve received all of your supporting documents, we will email you to let you know our decision.
If the decision is to make you an offer of a place on the programme we will let you know by email. Please note we do not issue hard copy offer letters as these are not required to obtain a student visa.
You should confirm the acceptance of your offer as soon as possible. In order to secure your place, you are required to pay a deposit within six weeks of the date of your original offer (check your offer documents for details of payment methods).
International students requiring a student visa will receive a CAS (Certificate of Acceptance of Studies) via email once all offer conditions are met, acceptance and deposit have been received and you are within five months of the start date of your programme.
Please note: You must let us know your own personal email address when applying. Please do not use a university-linked email which may stop working once you complete your bachelor degree.
The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
Our postgraduate programmes with a focus on employability fully equip you with the skills and industry insight to embark on a successful and rewarding business career.
The knowledge and understanding you develop reflect the Department’s values of sustainability, wellbeing and equality of opportunity across the globe.
You gain a combination of analytical and practical skills that employers value, such as independent thinking and problem-solving, and are able to enhance your people skills that are essential in business and much sought after by employers.
Management and Marketing
Our postgraduate programmes with a focus on employability fully equip you with the skills and industry insight to embark on a successful and rewarding business career.
The knowledge and understanding you develop reflect the Department’s values of sustainability, wellbeing and equality of opportunity across the globe.
You gain a combination of analytical and practical skills that employers value, such as independent thinking and problem-solving, and are able to enhance your people skills that are essential in business and much sought after by employers.
Department information
Business School
The School is one of the UK’s longest established business schools and one of an elite group of institutions in the UK to be accredited by all three major bodies – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).
We consistently rank highly in independent league tables for both the quality and reputation of our Department, with teaching delivered by a world-class academic community that includes experienced business professionals and researchers who work across a wide variety of business disciplines.
We recruit students from around the world onto our postgraduate programmes. Our students take part in live business projects, internships and placements as part of their studies, enabling them to apply their knowledge to practical challenges in the most forward thinking companies. We have an active alumni network of more than 36,000 graduates in over 140 countries.
Our Business, Management and Marketing programmes are delivered by the Department of Management and Marketing, one of four departments at Durham University Business School (alongside the Department of Accounting, Department of Economics and Department of Finance).
The School is one of the UK’s longest established business schools and one of an elite group of institutions in the UK to be accredited by all three major bodies – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).
We consistently rank highly in independent league tables for both the quality and reputation of our Department, with teaching delivered by a world-class academic community that includes experienced business professionals and researchers who work across a wide variety of business disciplines.
We recruit students from around the world onto our postgraduate programmes. Our students take part in live business projects, internships and placements as part of their studies, enabling them to apply their knowledge to practical challenges in the most forward thinking companies. We have an active alumni network of more than 36,000 graduates in over 140 countries.
Facilities
You’ll be taught across the university campus by world leading academics from the Business School. You’ll have access to the Business Schools modern, spacious meeting rooms and study areas.
The university campus is within walking distance of the historic centre of Durham, a city with UNESCO World Heritage Status. Resources include up-to-date financial information and online databases. In addition, you’ll have access to Durham University’s prestigious libraries and archives.
Apply
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