Global Financial Trading MSc/PGDip/PGCert

Postgraduate

Adult female wearing a beige jacket looking at a monitor displaying a graph

This course aims to help you explore the financial trading sector and build the quantitative and qualitative skills you need to work strategically within it.

Year of entry

2024-25 2025-26

Location

Coventry University London (City of London)

Study mode

Full-time

Duration

1 year full-time
18 months Extended Professional Practice

Course code

LONT071
LONT072 (with Extended Professional Practice)

Start date

January 2025

How to apply

Book an Open Day

Download a prospectus

Course overview

Trading is at the core of global financial markets, encompassing arbitrage and market-making by individual traders and proprietary trading by financial institutions.

An understanding of global economic fundamentals, market behaviour analysis, technical indicators, algorithmic trading and quantitative portfolio management is essential to be a successful trader.

Explore the main theories of economics and finance and work with economic and financial data to examine how different activities and external events affect the world.
Use our simulated trading floor to explore global financial market behaviour, and gain practical exposure and hands-on experience in trading.
This course has been developed in close collaboration with city financial traders and practitioners in this field.
Study the 18-month Extended Professional Practice route, to gain more practical insights and in-depth experience. See the module section for more details.

Global ready

An international outlook, with global opportunities

Icon of human figure in front of a whiteboard

Teaching excellence

Taught by lecturers who are experts in their field

Employability

Career ready graduates, with the skills to succeed

Why you should study this course

Industry-standard technology
Traders depend on technology for research, modelling, decision support and portfolio tracking. You’ll get exposure to industry-standard software⁴ and technical databases such as Bloomberg Terminals and S&P Capital IQ and their integration with Python, R and Excel. You are also encouraged to attain the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) certificate to enhance your employability.
London location
We are at the heart of a global finance and asset management city. You will have many opportunities for access to current market participants, placements/employment and continuing personal development with financial employers².
Industry insight
You’ll be taught by highly qualified industry-experienced academics with sound finance knowledge who are qualified academically and professionally (staff are subject to change). You’ll also have the opportunity to attend tailored talks by experts from academia, the City of London and the real world of finance and investment.
Prepare for your future
This is a professionally focused programme that has been devised in close collaboration with industry experts and tailored in line with guidance from industry experts. The course also places a strong focus on ethics and professional conduct. You’ll have many opportunities to mix with employers and build your CV. Should you wish to start your own business, we offer business start-up advice and support through our Enterprise Hub.
Real world experience
For more in-depth experience, you can also choose to study this course over 18 months which includes a period of Extended Professional Practice. You will explore what you’ve learnt in more detail through professional experiences with a host organisation or in a campus-based professional experience².

Immerse yourself in Coventry University London’s global community and emerge as a talented, career-ready graduate with an international outlook.

The modules were the ideal balance each semester so that students like myself could comprehend and explore various subjects while working toward their absolute favourites through internships in the following semesters. My class included students from all around the world, with varying degrees of experience and a healthy competitive spirit, making class all about the worldwide experience.
Aayushi Srivastava, MSc Global Financial Trading with Extended Professional Practice student, quoted in 2021

What you'll study

This course aims to offer hands-on experience in the art of trading. This practical dimension is underpinned by the course’s focus on global financial markets, the principles of equity trading and evaluation, bond trading and financial derivatives, stock markets in emerging economies, and proprietary trading. This course can be carried out over one academic year (full-time), or over two academic years (part-time).

Your main study themes are:

Change
The recent financial crisis has led to fundamental economic, social, technological and geo-political changes, and the emergence of new and different realities in the markets. To respond effectively, traders, managers and leaders must develop very different patterns of thinking and behaviour.
Decision support
Successful trading depends on making the right decisions at the right time – which depends, in turn, on being able to access and analyse the right information.
Managing risk
To achieve rewards, you must identify, assess, model and mitigate risk, and you must also master the various tools, including technology, to enable this.
Ethics
The recent financial crisis has also led to greater ethical scrutiny of trading to avoid a repeat of the morally dubious/illegal conduct which came to light; for example, trading sub-prime mortgages bundled into securities; trading financial instruments too complex to understand; and banks rigging interest rates in their favour.

Courses

Global Financial Trading MSc (LONT071)

Compulsory

Global Financial Trading PGDip (LONT071)

Compulsory

Global Financial Trading PGCert (LONT071)

Quantitative and Research Methods - 15 credits
This module aims to provide you with the necessary quantitative skills to pursue empirical research in accounting, finance and economics. It provides the opportunity to study and reflect upon a range of quantitative techniques, statistics inference, econometrics skills and research methodologies to interpret, evaluate and perform an empirical finance research.
Equity Markets and Analysis - 15 credits
This module aims to provide you with an exposition on equity investments and financial markets that will take you from the basic concepts, strategies, and fundamentals to a more detailed understanding of the markets, advanced strategies, and models. By the end of this module, you will have a critical understanding of stock selection, portfolio and performance management.
Fixed Income Markets and Analysis - 15 credits
This module aims to give you exposure to bond and debt management to introduce you to core bond investment theories and fundamentals, and a detailed understanding of the markets and advanced strategies. This module helps you to develop the relevant knowledge and understanding of fixed income instruments and interest rate models for those aiming for a career in fixed income.
Algorithmic Trading - 15 credits
This module aims to provide a skill set to devise and execute powerful algorithmic trading strategies. You will learn back-testing, paper trading and finally real trading for the algorithmic strategies that you have created.

Compulsory

Global Financial Trading MSc with Extended Professional Practice (LONT072)

Modules: All mandatory modules as listed for the MSc, plus:

MSc with Extended Professional Practice

This route integrates theory and practice by engaging in a substantive professional experience or a campus-based project related to your subject². The EPP extends the full-time MSc from 12 to 18 months. You will organise your own internship.

You will work within a host organisation² in the form of an internship or in a campus-based professional experience, addressing an issue or project brief in an area relevant to the subject you have studied. You will look to build on your prior course knowledge and skills to enhance your professional experience and expertise, with the aim of improving your employability.

You will study two compulsory non-credit bearing modules:

Postgraduate Professional Practice 1 (0 credits)
Postgraduate Professional Practice 2 (0 credits)

These provide on-campus activity time to enable you to get the most out of your Extended Professional Practice.

You must also complete:

Postgraduate Professional Practice Project (60 credits )

This module applies your learning in a real business setting to enable you to reflect on and consolidate your knowledge, skills and experience into a final project report.

Discover more about our Extended Professional Practice study option

Compulsory

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

Placement experiences

Our strong global business connections provide students with access to real-life work experience, so you can put your skills into practice and make connections in the world of work.

How you'll learn

Although your studies will be underpinned by solid academic theory, this course has been designed to provide every opportunity to apply what you’ve learned to real business contexts.

Teaching methods may include live classes, textbooks, workshops, debates, case studies, consultancy projects, simulations, and online collaborations.
You’ll have opportunities to enjoy field trips, tours, guest lectures and visits to businesses and institutions in the UK and overseas². For example, you might visit the Bank of England, the London Stock Exchange – or even Wall Street.
Make the most of extra free self-learning resources such as BMC - a library of e-learning courses. To earn the BMC certificate, you must complete all online learning resources covering financial markets and familiarise yourself with over 100 Bloomberg terminal functions (around 8 hours).
Continue your learning outside the classroom by joining one of our student union societies such as the Accounting, Finance and Economics Society or the Banking and Finance Society.
You could also take part in our High Flyers programme (subject to availability) to help you develop the personal and professional skills necessary to thrive in a rapidly changing world, through a suite of extra curricula, non-course-specific workshops.

Teaching contact hours

You will typically receive around 12 hours of contact teaching per week. The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials. In addition, you will be expected to undertake 21 hours of self-directed studying and revising in your own time each week, which may include, for example, guided study using hand-outs and online activities.

As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.

Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.

Assessment

Assessment methods may include:

Phase tests
Essays
Group work
Presentations
Projects
Exams
Individual assignments

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

International experience opportunities

This course takes a globalised approach to the curriculum, placing your learning in the context of international challenges, opportunities and regulatory frameworks. It will prepare you for working globally, whether overseas, or for a multi-national, or for a firm which trades internationally. You will have the opportunity for an international field trip², and you could also arrange to do either a consultancy project or an internship (as part of your final major project) overseas. You may benefit from studying alongside a truly international cohort of students, learning from the perspectives they bring while developing your own ability to work cross-culturally.

Please note that all international experience opportunities may be subject to additional costs, competitive application, availability and meeting applicable visa and travel requirements are therefore not guaranteed².

Entry requirements

Typical offer for 2024/25 entry.

An honours undergraduate degree (minimum 2:2) in Accounting, Finance, Economics or any other area with a strong quantitative background or equivalent is required.

Other applications, where the entry requirements have not been met but professional qualifications (equivalent to level 6) can be evidenced, will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Finance related work experience in private, public or third sectors (a minimum of two years would be desirable) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

We recognise a breadth of qualifications, speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

If you do not have the typical entry requirements, you may want to consider studying this course with the International Pathways Programme. Upon successful completion our International Pre-Master's - Business will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to progress onto this postgraduate degree.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

Typical entry requirements

The course is subject to the Coventry University London’s admission procedures and access policies. To be accepted for the course students must normally possess:

2:2 classification UK bachelor’s degree or equivalent
Acceptable subjects: a wide range of subjects accepted in economics, accounting and economics, finance, and engineering
Required module areas: evidence of quantitative study e.g., accounting, economics, finance, maths, management sciences or engineering.

Other subjects considered if quantitative ability can be demonstrated.

It is recognised that some applicants may possess more than one of the above. Students with strong quantitative background through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are particularly encouraged to apply.

English language requirements

IELTS: This course requires IELTS of 6.5 overall, with at least 5.5 in each component area. Pre-sessional English is available if required.

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

Fees and funding

2024/25 tuition fees.

Student	Full-time	Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man	£11,200 \| £21,250 (with prof. experience)	Not available
EU	£11,200 \| £21,250 (with prof. experience) per year with EU Support Bursary £20,050 \| £21,250 (extended prof. practice) per year without EU Support Bursary	Not available
International	£20,050 \| £21,250 (extended prof. practice)	Not available

If you choose to do a work placement², you should consider travel and living costs to cover this. There is also a tuition fee³ of £1,250 that will cover your academic support throughout your placement year.

For advice and guidance on tuition fees³ and student loans visit our Fees and Finance page.

We offer a range of international scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our international scholarships page.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

Additional overseas ﬁeld trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.

How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.

If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.

Facilities

Our MSc Global Financial Trading students have access to a wide range of facilities⁴ to help them become proficient with some of the leading technology in the financial industry, and prepare for the world of work.

Take a virtual tour of our campus to explore all of the facilities available to you⁴.

Bloomberg Trading Floor

Our Trading Floor has been created to reflect the environment where traders work at the London Stock Exchange. It contains Bloomberg Terminals, which provide access to real-time global financial data, which students learn how to use through teaching and simulated projects.

female delivering a presentation holding a laptop

Standard & Poor Market Intelligence Suite (S&P)

The S&P Suite contains some of the same tools used by Wall Street. Its databases and tools can help you track performance, identify investment ideas, and keep up with industry news and insights.

recruitment session two ladies and one man

The Talent Team

Need employability support? Our dedicated Talent Team are on hand to help. They can assist you in applying for work placements, graduate-level jobs and offer skills development workshops. They also organise networking events to introduce you to potential employers and industry contacts.

Careers and opportunities

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

Demonstrate the ability, knowledge, and skills to be a competent trader, analyst, risk manager, banking professional, financial engineer, and effective leader of international organisations.
Understand the core business, financial disciplines, and methods of working in the financial sector, and be able to apply these in practical contexts.
Enhance your analysis, strategic approaches, and communication skills to meet analytical and leadership challenges.
Appraise the current and future environments, and develop a competitive, strategic response.
Define, investigate, analyse, evaluate, and respond to tactical and strategic issues of financial services organisations.
Adopt an analytical and creative approach to problem-solving through independent judgment and critical self-awareness, working as individuals or as part of a team.
Communicate ideas clearly, demonstrating a capacity for logical and coherent thinking.
Manage your own learning and self-development and use a range of personal skills and competencies that will enable you to operate effectively in your industry.

Typical career routes for graduates from this course could include (but are not limited to): algorithmic trading, investment, and credit analysts; risk management; portfolio managers; financial analysts; corporate financiers; asset management; trading and brokerage; working for international financial and government institutions and academia, including further PhD study.

Where our graduates work

Previous graduates have gone on to work at Citibank, IBM, in investment management, trading houses, or have gone on to study for a PhD in financial computing.

I applied for this course because I wanted to have a worldwide perspective on the financial sector. Over the last 1.5 years, I've learned more about myself and focused down my areas of interest. I worked two separate internships during the internship term in order to figure out what was right for me and what wasn't. This helped me prepare for the job opportunities I'm currently pursuing.
Aayushi Srivastava, MSc Global Financial Trading with Extended Professional Practice student, quoted in 2021

Student experiences

Our students are at the heart of everything we do here at Coventry University London. Hear about Hitanshu, Shaikh, Amrin, Hani and Philippine’s experiences of studying with us in the City of London.

How to apply

UK students

International students

Students applying to start in September should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.

How to apply

For further support for international applicants applying for an postgraduate degree view our International hub.

Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.

(+44) 024 7765 2152

ioadmissions@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

Disclaimers

Coventry University together with Coventry University London, Coventry University Wrocław, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough, and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the University) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.

¹Accreditations

The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.

²UK and international opportunities

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or international opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be unpaid and/or subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel, public authority guidance, decisions or orders and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand any visa requirements, please contact the International Office.

³Tuition fees

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

⁴Facilities

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

Student Contract

By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the current 2024/2025 contract is available on the website. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.