Law and Finance

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) or equivalent in law or a relevant business degree such as accounting, finance, or economics.

Graduates with a 2.1 honours degree who also have other legal qualifications and/or substantial professional legal, regulatory, or finance experience may also qualify.

Students whose native language is not English must show evidence of general proficiency in the English language by normally achieving 7.0 or higher in IELTS with a minimum of 7.0 in the writing component and a minimum of 6.5 in all other components.

Students from EU member states whose native language is not English may show evidence of general proficiency in the English language by normally achieving 102 or higher in TOEFL with a minimum of 27 in the writing component and a minimum of 25 in all other components.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The MSc in Law and Finance brings together two highly technical and evolving sectors into one distinctive study programme. Ideally suited to aspiring financial lawyers or regulatory compliance professionals who have a limited background in mathematics and statistics, the course provides an understanding of the legal and financial systems that you will need to progress in the modern financial sector.

The interdisciplinary course is taught jointly by the Law School and the Department of Finance. Starting out with an intensive induction you will learn the basics of statistics and mathematics and the fundamentals of UK law.

Following the induction, the course takes in key concepts from across the legal financial landscape including Financial Regulation, Capital Markets Law, Corporate Finance and Fundamentals of Finance.

Academic theory is brought to life through the Case Study in Financial Regulation, an innovative module which transports current national and international issues from the financial law/regulation or policy world into the classroom. Much of the case study content is delivered in conjunction with industry professionals from the business and legal sectors, to strengthen the bridge between academic theory and practical industry application.

You will extend your real-world knowledge during a two-day London tour which takes in regulators, financial institutions and law firms. Added to this, our database resources, including Bloomberg, Capital IQ, Thomson Reuters, DataStream and Orbis will develop your practical skills. The dissertation draws together the knowledge and skills gained through the course.

By the end of the course, you will be fluent in not only the regulatory aspects that govern the world of finance, but also the core financial theory that underpins capital market and banking transactions and the financing of businesses more generally.

Course structure

Core modules:

Financial Regulation introduces the structure and functioning of the financial system, including banks, investment firms, payment firms, investors, consumers and regulators. The module examines the basic institutional architecture, governance and regulatory obligations from the UK financial system and further afield.

Capital Markets Law introduces the structure and functioning of capital markets, including actors, regulators, infrastructures, core products, services and instruments offered in capital markets. You will learn about the nature of securities and develop an awareness of the social and economic contexts and the systemic goals that influence the regulation of capital markets.

Fundamentals of Finance provides a rigorous grounding in the theory of modern finance and examines the most important current research in finance, with an emphasis on applying theoretical principles to the practice of financial management. Areas covered include valuation, risk and return, portfolio theory, asset pricing models and market efficiency.

Corporate Finance (MSc Finance) explores the theory and practice of corporate finance at an advanced level and provides a thorough examination of key areas of research in corporate finance, with an emphasis on real-world applications. Areas converted include capital budgeting, capital structure, corporate financing, payout policy and mergers and acquisitions.

Case Study in Financial Regulation analyses real scenarios in financial regulation in a learning environment. Guest lectures by practitioners are an integral part of the module. The innovative format enables you to learn from experts and practitioners the practical problems typically found in the day-to-day application of financial regulation.

Dissertation in Law and Finance (Law) is an in-depth study on a topic in financial law, regulation, corporate finance or finance theory of your choice. You can either choose to complete a theoretical written piece of research or conduct an in-depth analysis of a real case scenario. The dissertation can also be linked to a summer internship or project to be agreed with the programme director.

Plus two modules from options that in recent years, have included:

• Advanced Issues in Corporate Law
• Artificial Intelligence and Finance
• Financial Products and Contracts
• International Finance Law

And two from:

• Islamic Banking and Finance
• Multinational Finance
• Climate Finance
• FinTech Regulations

Information for international students

Fees and funding