Applicants for this course should have achieved a First class Honours Degree .
If your degree is not from the UK, please check International Qualifications to find the equivalent in your country.
Your first degree must have contained a significant finance/economics or quantitative component.
You would normally have no more than a year of work experience (i.e. between graduation from your first degree and enrolment to this course, excluding vacation employment and internships).
University Minimum Academic Requirements
The MPhil in Finance is an intensive, research-focused, and advanced degree. The programme is distinctive because the electives are drawn from three Cambridge faculties – the Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Mathematics, and Cambridge Judge Business School. The programme is particularly suitable for those intending to continue to a PhD at Cambridge or elsewhere. The programme also provides a strong academic background for those opting for a career in finance, but it is not designed to be a vocational programme. In the past few years, our graduates have been admitted into PhD programmes in finance and accounting at MIT, LBS, and Cambridge. Students have two options: nine taught modules, or six taught modules and a dissertation of 12,000 words.
Combining advanced study and research, this programme is designed for students who wish to extend their knowledge of finance or financial engineering. The programme provides research-led teaching and is particularly suitable for those intending to continue to a PhD. The degree also provides a strong academic background for those aiming for a career in finance.
The normal coursework component for the MPhil in Finance consists of nine modules covering research methodology (e.g. econometrics) and foundation courses (e.g. microeconomics, corporate finance, asset pricing). Students may request permission to submit a dissertation in place of three of these modules, but this option is normally only available to those who have the requisite level of research training.
The elective courses are drawn from Cambridge Judge Business School, the Faculty of Economics or the Faculty of Mathematics.
Every effort is made to provide students with provisional marks and feedback on their coursework performance throughout the academic year. Marks will be given as a percentage and no ranking will be provided.
The nature and extent of the feedback given will vary from lecturer to lecturer, but students may reasonably expect to receive some indication of the strengths and weaknesses of any work submitted. All marks and feedback provided during the year are informal and provisional. Final marks are only determined at the end of the degree by the Board of Examiners.
If the dissertation option is chosen, a dissertation of 12,000 words is required (in place of three modules). An oral examination is not normally held, but may be given at the discretion of the examiners.
Assessment of taught modules will be through a range of formats which may include coursework, written and oral examinations, posters, presentations and projects.