Overview
From the heart of London’s exciting financial district, get ready to take your place in the increasingly fast-moving, complex and exciting world of international financial services.
Since the global financial crisis of 2008, fundamental and far-reaching changes have required leaders in this sector to think and behave in a new way. Wide-ranging political, regulatory and technological responses to these changes, as well as new business opportunities and challenges, form part of the new landscape. This MBA explores the implications of all these changes, preparing graduates to lead the financial services organisations of the future.
This programme will equip you for a high-flying career in financial services, whether you’ve just completed your undergraduate studies or have been working for some time, and whether you need an MBA to accelerate your career progression or want to move into this sector for the first time. It offers the flexibility of start dates in October and January plus options for full- or part-time study.
In addition to gaining academic skills and knowledge, MBA students have the opportunity to undertake a professional development programme designed to develop career plans, improve professional skills, and increase employability.
Why Coventry University London?
We believe that there is no better place to learn about business than to study in the heart of one of the most successful business and financial centres in the world. Launched in 2010 and located in the City of London, we are minutes away from the Bank of England and the London Stock Exchange, and are surrounded by several blue chip companies.
Global ready
An international outlook, with global opportunitiesEmployability
Career-ready graduates, with the skills to succeedStudent experience
All the support you need, in a top student cityHeart of the City
Minutes from the Bank of England and Stock ExchangeAccreditation and Professional Recognition
This course is accredited and recognised by the following bodies:
Chartered Management Institute
What our students say...
I won several university awards while studying, including Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Excellence in Leadership, and Excellence in Employability. I was also the sole recipient of the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award.
Course information
Studying in the City of London means you’ll be exposed to one of the world’s busiest and most successful financial centres on a daily basis. Your tutors will take every opportunity to connect you with the world of financial services, both within and beyond the classroom – and you’ll have opportunities for overseas field trips.
Responding to recent upheavals in the global financial markets, this MBA programme will ask you to question conventional wisdom and replace it with new perspectives and patterns of thinking, and to explore ways in which managerial paradigms can be re-thought and implemented.
Our applied approach to learning means you’ll rapidly become fluent in real working practice, and you’ll have many opportunities to mix with the world of business and finance. You’ll focus on industry-standard financial software and trading platforms, business simulations, real client projects and entrepreneurship while exploring corporate finance, the markets and banking.
By passing 2 specific modules, you could also achieve the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Certificate Level 7 in Strategic Management and Leadership.
Course Specification
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Modules
Coventry University is ranked 13th in the UK Guardian University Guide 2019
In more detail...
This MBA programme will help you become a fully rounded business leader. You will develop both the transferable and sector-specific skills which should propel you into an exciting, varied and potentially high-earning career in global finance. Top performers on this course can apply for our ‘High Flyers’ scheme for particularly talented postgraduate students.
London
There can be few better places to study global finance than in the heart of the City of London. Our campus is surrounded by some of the oldest and most iconic financial institutions in the world, including the Bank of England and the London Stock Exchange. Within arm’s reach is also the UK’s second financial centre, the modern but equally iconic Canary Wharf. You’ll be caught up in the exciting pace of life here, taking advantage of the many opportunities available to explore key institutions.
Technology
You’ll develop proficiency with a range of the standard tools used in finance, helping you to become workplace-ready even before you graduate. Our campus has its own simulated trading floor, so you’ll use Bloomberg terminals to research the markets while Oxyor’s MarketTrader simulation will put you in the seat of a trader in a dealing room. You’ll also use S&P Capital IQ, offering company data and analytical tools, and you’ll develop advanced Excel skills.
Accreditation
Students who pass 2 specific modules can be awarded the CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership, providing they register as a CMI member and pay the membership fees. With over 100,000 members, the CMI is internationally recognised as the professional body which sets the standards in management.
Tutors
Coventry University has been award ‘Gold’ in the government’s Teaching Excellence Framework. You will be taught by helpful, supportive and highly qualified tutors with extensive prior career experience in global finance. They have worked as finance directors, chartered accountants and chartered financial analysts; many hold CFA and/or FRM certification and are members of a range of professional associations. Most hold PhDs from leading universities. They publish papers, present at conferences, and have undertaken research for some of the most famous financial institutions in London.
Applied
You’ll have a variety of opportunities to mix with the world of business. This will include stimulating lectures from guest speakers from industry; networking opportunities; visits to places such as the Bank of England and the London Stock Exchange; internships; real consultancy projects for clients; and the opportunity to make an overseas trip (perhaps to Wall Street in New York).
- Your assessments will be rooted in the real world of work
- Tutors are highly qualified and experienced, both academically and professionally
- You’ll have opportunities to enhance your CV by working for, or consulting to, a real business
- You’ll get business start-up advice and support if you’re interested in starting your own business
- You’ll have access to essential training in CV writing, presentation skills and interview techniques.
- You could obtain a dual qualification – MBA plus CMI Certificate Level 7 in Strategic Management and Leadership
- You’ll use the on-campus simulated trading floor and become proficient with industry-standard software such as Bloomberg
- Strategic business partnerships with key City of London businesses open up opportunities for field trips, guest lectures, networking
Your main study themes are:
- Challenge – Financial services are undergoing so much radical change that a new type of leader is needed. That’s why this course will challenge you to think differently about your approach to operations, about relationships with customers and society, and about your leadership style.
- Technology – Woven throughout your course is an expectation that you will make the most of decision-support technology, whether for sourcing, analysing or acting on key financial information.
- Leadership – Highly complex systems such as banking, trading and corporate finance demand strong leaders who are able to think critically and strategically, plan effectively, and make well-informed decisions.
- Internationalisation – Every aspect of this programme offers a thorough grounding in global issues relating to systems, standards and frameworks; ethics and sustainability; and cross-cultural working.
The course has been designed to be challenging and intensive, and to demand a great deal of its students. This is essential for simulating the operational environments of the sector and for developing the skills you’ll need to lead effectively within it.
You’ll receive a solid grounding in the most important areas of banking, trading, corporate finance, management and leadership. You’ll be expected to take a critical approach to those systems, attitudes and frameworks which have contributed to, and been exposed by, the recent global financial crisis. You will also be encouraged to propose alternative and enhanced solutions to the problems raised, and to make in-depth explorations of ethical and professional behaviour.
Our action-learning approach focuses on group work, discussions and debates, business simulations, presentations and real-world activities. You’ll learn to source the critical information you need and to make well-informed strategic decisions.
Much of your learning will take place beyond the classroom, with opportunities for field trips, company and museum visits, conferences, work experience and consultancy. Within the classroom, you’ll be taught by tutors who illustrate their teaching with career experience, and you’ll hear from major employers including large insurers and the most well-known investment banks. If you choose the simulation module, you’ll ‘manage’ a financial intermediary, with all of its associated operational and financial risks.
You will learn to become a competent user of the leading finance-related technology platforms, including Bloomberg terminals, using them throughout your studies to research essential information and solve trading- and finance-related problems. You will also develop advanced proficiency in Excel.
Teaching methods include:<br> Lectures, seminars, textbooks, workshops, debates, case studies, consultancy projects, simulations, business plans, online collaborations.
Your assessments will be as practical as your learning, designed to reflect the real world of work. They will also be ongoing, helping to ensure that both you and your tutors are always aware of how you’re progressing and where you may need extra support. This will also help you to develop your ability to assess your own progression, your performance and your learning needs (which is a vital career skill).
Your learning will be assessed using a blend of seminars and workshop activities, debates, exams, presentations, written assignments, and individual and group programme work. This will help you to develop professional skills such as business report-writing, structuring a logical argument, data analysis, and making a compelling presentation.
On successful completion, you should be able to:
- Discuss the impact of the global financial markets on the business environment
- Evaluate alternative methods for financing a business enterprise (or bank or public-sector organisation), and analyse the uses and management of that finance
- Evaluate financial assets using a range of asset-pricing models, being aware of their assumptions and limitations
- Use essential financial analysis tools to assess and respond to business problems with a set of clearly evaluated recommendations
- Use accounting, managerial and financial-reporting applications
- Understand how other management functions, including marketing, form an essential part of business strategy
- Explore the role of leadership in strategic organisational change
- Examine the role of information systems and their impact on organisations.
You will be part of a student cohort from all over the world. Everyone will be encouraged to share their various perspectives and experiences, so you’ll have many opportunities to learn about international systems and to develop invaluable experience in cross-cultural working.
Your tutors will almost certainly arrange an overseas field trip to a financial centre of interest, such as New York, where you might visit a big institution or exhibition, tour a stock exchange, or meet other students.
As part of your final major project, there’s the opportunity to do an internship with a business. Although most internships take place in the UK, you are welcome to arrange to do this work experience overseas.
What our students say...
I gained the skills and knowledge I needed to start my own business in London, and I received a lot of support from the Employability Team on campus. The university is helping me to apply for the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa.
Entry Requirements
What our students say...
I won several university awards while studying, including Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Excellence in Leadership, and Excellence in Employability. I was also the sole recipient of the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award.
What our students say...
I won several university awards while studying, including Excellence in Entrepreneurship, Excellence in Leadership, and Excellence in Employability. I was also the sole recipient of the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award.
Career prospects
In the UK alone, banking and finance employs almost 3 million people, making it one of the UK’s biggest employers and contributors to GDP. This is reflected around the world.
Successful graduates of this Global Financial Services MBA programme should have well-developed powers of analysis, clear perspectives on strategy and strategic thinking, and highly effective communication and research skills. You will also have a globalised perspective on all aspects of financial management and leadership. These skills are very much in demand from employers in private, public and third-sector organisations around the world.
Where our graduates work
Many career options will be open to you when you graduate from this MBA programme. You might choose to put your skills to use within the financial services sector; for example, retail or investment banking, insurance, or the markets. Alternatively, your skills would be equally suited to managing the finance function of any organisation, anywhere, including business, the public sector and the third sector (charities and humanitarian organisations).
You could also choose to go into consultancy, whether on your own or as part of a leading global consulting firm. You might start your own company, or you might go into a related field such as IT, publishing, journalism, or the regulation of a financial sector.
What our alumni say
During the course of the programme, I found the availability of resources (including Bloomberg and S&P capital IQ) the most useful, and learning how to use these platforms an added skill for future employability. Moreover, I appreciated the amount of assignments that were due on regular and how the academic team (lecturers and tutors) build relationships with students to provide a good learning environment for everyone.
