The recent economic downturn has made "upskilling" more important than ever and consequently has added to the attraction of achieving a specialist post-graduate qualification in financial services. At the end of 2007, the Irish Government published a report* on the future skills needs of the international financial services industry, stating that " ... Greater specialization will be required at postgraduate level ...". The report emphasized the growing need for graduates with specialist quantitative expertise in the modeling, measurement and management of financial risk. These requirements are only going to become more pronounced in the changing financial and regulatory environment going forward. * "Future Skills and Research Needs of the International Financial Services Industry" - Dept. of An Taoiseach.
CONTACT
Programme Director: Dr. Bernard Murphy Department of Accounting & Finance Tel: +353-61-202134 Fax: +353-61-213188 Email: Bernard.murphy@ul.ie
Computational Finance MSc Course Director Dr. Brendan Murphy
Typical career positions might be in quantitative analyst support roles to proprietary trading and risk-management functions; as investment analysts in any of the equity / fixed income / credit / energy commodity asset classes; as investment strategists or traders in hedge funds; as financial analysts in structured finance and/or private wealth management institutions; as risk-managers in middle-office regulation and compliance roles or as risk-analysts in financial regulatory institutions.
Graduates of this programme will be equipped with the requisite skills to operate effectively in the global financial services industry and can expect to find interesting and rewarding careers on graduation from the programme. Graduates of the programme will also be well positioned for consideration for entry onto PhD in Finance programmes. A PhD in (Computational) Finance is increasingly seen as a pre-requisite qualification for many of the specialist front-office trading and risk-management jobs now becoming available in the international financial services industry.
The following modules are available as additional options and do not form part of the core programme:
Semester 1: Professional Development 1 Semester 2: Professional Development 2
Option to Exist with a Graduate Diploma in Computational Finance
Semester 3 Dissertation in Finance 1; Dissertation in Finance 2; International Business Workshop
Entry Requirements
The MSc in Computational Finance is aimed at highly numerate graduates from Ireland and abroad with a background in a cognate discipline such as Economics and Finance and with a grade of 2:2 or higher in a Level 8 primary degree. In addition, graduates from Mathematical Sciences (financial mathematics, actuarial finance, statistics and/or applied probability theory) or Engineering programmes are also welcome to apply for entry to the programme.
Recognition of Prior Learning: applications from industry professionals with relevant prior experience in investment or credit institutions, and looking to up-skill in the area of quantitative finance and/or quantitative risk management, will also be considered. In the case of international students a candidate must demonstrate evidence of a high score on the mathematics component of the GMAT examination, or equivalent. In addition, a certified demonstrable achievement in a Standard English Language Competency Test will also be required.
WHAT TO INCLUDE WITH YOUR APPLICATION:
Qualification transcripts and certificates
English language qualification if English is not your first language
Certified English translations of your transcripts/certificates where the originals are in a language other than English.
A copy of your birth certificate (long document)
Guidelines on Completing your Application
To ensure a speedy assessment of your application, please upload the above documents with your application form.
Please title appropriately any documents you are uploading with the application form, for example "Supporting Statement", "Undergraduate Transcript", "Postgraduate Transcript", "English Language Certificate" etc.
English Language Requirements
Applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of either prior successful completion of a degree qualification taught through the medium of English or meet one of the criteria below (no longer than two years prior to application):
Acceptable English Language qualifications include the following:
Matriculation examinations from European countries where English is presented as a subject and an acceptable level is achieved
Irish Leaving Certificate English –Ordinary Level Grade D or above
IELTS – Minimum score of 6.5* for Business, Arts, Humanities or Education programmes. Minimum score of 6.0* for Science, Engineering, Informatics or Electronics programmes *with no less than 6 in any one component.
English Test for English and Academic Purposes (ETAPP) – Grade C1
GCE ‘O’ level English Language/GCSE English Language – Grade C or above
University of Cambridge ESOL –Certificate of Proficiency in English - Grade C / Certificate in Advanced English Grade A
GCE Examination Boards – Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations – Grade C / Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate – School Certificate Pass 1-6 / University of London Entrance and School Examinations Council – School Certificate Pass 1-6
Results in examinations other than those listed above may also be accepted as meeting our English language requirements. Contact the International Education Division for advice.
