From crowdfunding to cryptocurrencies, and from automated trading to Alipay, recent innovations in financial technologies have revolutionised the way we spend, save, borrow, and invest. Companies in the financial services sector are now able to intelligently harness data to provide tailored products and services; big technology corporations offer financial services to customers through their social media accounts; and disruptive technology startups have quickly scaled to challenge the dominance of traditional banks by developing new forms of finance from the ground up.
This MSc offers an opportunity to join the financial technology revolution. You will learn the key design features of a number of financial technology applications and will develop skills to implement, assess and engineer these technologies. You will also develop an understanding of the computational, statistical and machine learning principles necessary for insightful large-scale data analysis used in data-driven finance.
Hosted by a world-leading engineering faculty, this is a technology-focused MSc and not a finance or accounting programme that is traditionally provided by a business school. Therefore, we expect applicants to have a strong background in computer science, engineering or a numerate science. A background in economics or finance is not expected or required.
On entry, you will take one of two foundational units, depending on your previous experience. Students without software development experience will take a unit in Software Development, Programming and Algorithms; alternatively, students with software development experience will take a unit in Statistical Computing and Empirical Methods. When you arrive, your unit choice will be decided, based on your previous experience, in consultation with your personal tutor.
The remainder of the programme consists of compulsory units such as Large-Scale Data Engineering; Introduction to Financial Technology; Introduction to AI and Data Analytics; Advanced Financial Technology; and Financial Technology Group Project.
You will complete your studies with an individual research or implementation project of your choosing from a selection proposed by project supervisors. This unit will provide you with first-hand experience in planning, running, documenting, and presenting a substantial piece of original work in the field of financial technology. The aim of this unit is to give you a substantial opportunity to integrate material from all taught units that have been studied as part of the programme, to demonstrate the breadth and depth of your learning on the MSc.
Visit our programme catalogue for full details of the structure and unit content for our MSc Financial Technology with Data Science.
You will typically need an upper second-class honours degree or an international equivalent in a Numerate Science, Computer Science, or Engineering. The following degrees are also acceptable: