Overview
Where better to study financial economics and banking than London, one of the world’s leading financial centres?
At Coventry University London, you’ll be surrounded by hundreds of financial institutions. We’re just a few minutes’ walk from the traditional financial district (which includes the Bank of England and the London Stock Exchange) and we’re also within view of Canary Wharf, the new financial district in East London. We can arrange visits to these centres, and you may apply to have the opportunity to do an internship there.
This course provides the ideal blend of academic theory and hands-on experience. In class, you’ll have the chance to work on practical exercises such as case studies and banking or trading simulations. You’ll have the opportunity to do real workplace tasks using industry-standard technology, and we encourage contact with financial firms which may be through work experience and visits to companies and institutions.
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.
COVID-19
The University may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via emerging online technologies and methods across all courses. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are prepared for courses due to start in or after the 2020/2021 academic year to be delivered in a variety of forms. The form of delivery will be determined in accordance with Government and Public Health guidance. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
Due to the ongoing restrictions relating to Covid-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
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 ExchangeWhat our students say...
Studying this course has opened my eyes to understand how the banking and finance sector operates around the world. It has helped me develop my problem solving and critical thinking skills, preparing me for the world of work. The level of teaching is to a very high standards and allows you to put your knowledge in to practice.
Course information
BSc (Hons) Financial Economics and Banking is suitable for anyone interested in learning how economies, financial markets and the banking industry works. The course aims to prepare you to pursue a wide range of careers in both the private and public sectors, while also developing your ability to continue your academic studies. You will be valued by your future employers for your understanding of decision-making processes, and their ability to approach problems in their national and international context.
Study this course and on successful completion you will learn to recognise key economic policies and banking concepts, and how finance operates around the world. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about the various economic sectors and the different types of financial business, and how they all inter-relate.
One of the key skills that this course aims to teach you is how to approach decision-making creatively and with the right information. You’ll have the opportunity to use industry-standard technology to interpret and model financial, economic and banking data to help you reach well-informed decisions and solve complex business challenges.
This course also allows students to join directly to year 2, subject to the completion of a level 4 qualification, or directly to year 3, subject to the completion of a level 5 qualification. Please note that students joining directly to year 2 or 3 within the 2021/22 academic year will study a slightly different BSc Financial Economics and Banking course specification. Find out more information by contacting registry.london@coventry.ac.uk.
Course Specification
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Modules
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.
In more detail...
Do you want a successful career in the financial sector?
BSc (Hons) Financial Economics and Banking is suitable for anyone interested in learning how economies, financial markets and the banking industry works.
You will develop a thorough understanding of economic and financial theories and you will learn to identify relevant changes and developments along with their outcomes in order to critically appraise their effects on economic sectors and banking or finance-related aspects of business entities. Given the current climate in the financial world, the issue of ethics has become crucial as a whole and its scope of coverage and impact are constantly changing. Ethics in its entirety remains pivotal in the finance and banking industry, and as such, it is embedded at different levels throughout the course. Issues such as corporate governance and social responsibility, for example, appear in several modules, and the ethical frameworks, as well as legal aspects and their implications, are more specifically identified. In summary, ethics is a recurring theme that forms part of the course, though it will be subject to continuous reviews and changes to reflect the changing ethical climate in the UK and globally.
You will benefit from the fact that this course has been developed in a manner that aims to increase your employability by encouraging intellectual development, systemic thinking, critical ability, and accurate problem identification, as well as presentation and team working skills.
- Our location, Coventry University London is located close to the City of London, at the heart of the financial services sector in Europe and the World.
- A current course team that consists of experienced academics who are committed and have an excellent mixture of academic knowledge and industry experience.
- Opportunity to participate in field trips, such as company visits to high profile firms in the sector*.
- Tailored talks by experts from academia, the City of London and the real world of entrepreneurship touching various areas of economics, finance and banking (subject to availability).
- Opportunities for networking events and placements with reputable companies.
- Exposure to data analysis using highly sought-after software such as Bloomberg Terminals, Stata, Python etc.
- A course that reflects the latest developments in course subjects and pedagogy.
Your main study themes are:
- Economics: You will have the chance acquire the fundamental economic knowledge to understand how businesses operate within the external environment, and how fiscal and monetary policy and competition impacts finance.
- Data Analysis: You will examine the essential skills to analyse financial and economic data. You should be able to model economic and financial relationships.
- Ethics: Ever since the global financial crisis of 2008, the spotlight has – quite rightly – been on the behaviour and performance of the financial markets. We will also look at globalisation, and sustainability in international economic development.
- Integration: The economic crisis revealed that economists and financiers had rarely understood each other’s work. This course helps to bring an end to the separation between economics and banking – recognising that they are, in fact, intertwined.
- Application: This course doesn’t just aim to teach you the theory of finance, banking and economics – it aims to get you to work. You’ll have the opportunity to use the technology, do the modelling and simulations, make the presentations, and could even do an internship*. All of which will help you to fit more easily into the workplace when you graduate.
*Please note that we are unable to guarantee any placements/work experience and that any such opportunities referred to on this webpage may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
This course is available on a three-year full-time basis or a four-year sandwich basis, where between Years Two and Three there is one year of supervised work experience or a 12-month period studying abroad.
In Coventry University London we use an innovative approach to our teaching. Your learning journey aims to involve asynchronous teaching, when you will be watching pre-recorded lessons or doing different activities that will help you understand the content in more depth, and synchronous teaching, when you will join a group of fellow students and with the help of your lecturers you will apply your knowledge in practical exercises.
You will be taught by lecturers with academic expertise and experience in practice and industry, many with active research interests in related fields (please note staff are subject to change). You will have the opportunity to discuss and analyse contemporary issues in the class such as significant global events, changes to monetary or fiscal policies, Brexit and the impact on financial markets to stimulate debate and discussion.
The University may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via emerging online technologies and methods across all courses. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are prepared for courses due to start in or after the 2020/2021 academic year to be delivered in a variety of forms. The form of delivery will be determined in accordance with Government and Public Health guidance. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.
Due to the ongoing restrictions relating to Covid-19, some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) and some non-academic offerings (particularly in relation to international experiences), may vary from those advertised and may have reduced availability or restrictions on their use.
Teaching methods also include:<br> Lectures, seminars, textbooks, workshops, debates, case studies, consultancy projects, simulations, business plans, online collaborations.
The course follows the University’s Assessment Strategy and includes a variety of types of assessments. Assessment methods include formal examinations, coursework, reports, essays, group work and presentations. Additionally, the sequence of assessments within and across modules, semesters and years is such that allows students to acquire the necessary skills to succeed and build on what they have previously learned.
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Articulate and explain the key concepts and theories in economics, applied economics, banking and finance and critically evaluate related theoretical and conceptual frameworks.
- Apply economic and financial theories and concepts to discuss, formulate and evaluate macroeconomic and microeconomic policies, such as those focusing on sustainability, both at national and international level.
- Synthesise, interpret and communicate information from a range of sources including economic, financial and banking.
- Identify and apply appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods for the analysis and interpretation of economic and financial data and present them to both specialist and non-specialist audience.
- Apply and critically assess international finance and banking issues as they appear in the literature and in practice, relate them to current events, using a range of skills and techniques in the field of investment, banking and financial risk management.
- Analyse and model data through the use of a computer package and demonstrate the ability to communicate results for decision-making purposes.
- Evaluate the role of the domestic and international economic, political, regulatory and social environments in which economics, finance and financial services operate, and the ethical considerations embedded in these operations.
- Reflect on and identify the skills and knowledge by implementing and monitoring a personal development plan to enhance academic and career progress.
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
Students will typically receive around 6 hours of contact teaching per week. The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group sessions, and online classes. Students will also be expected to spend a significant amount of time conducting independent study.
As an innovative and enterprising institution, the University may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the 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.
The whole of this course is taught from a global perspective, which is of major importance because economies are inter-connected and financial-services organisations either trade internationally or are impacted by what happens in the wider world.
You will study alongside students from around the world, hearing their perspectives and learning to work cross-culturally in a way that helps everyone be maximally comfortable and productive.
The course offers a range of opportunities for international travel. You might go on a field trip to visit institutions in another country or take a sandwich year to work or study overseas. You could also arrange an overseas internship in your final term.
Please note that we are unable to guarantee any overseas opportunities or international experiences and that any such opportunities referred to on this webpage may be subject to additional costs (e.g. travel, visas and accommodation etc.), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand the requirements in this regard, please contact the International Office for further details if you are an EU or International student.
What our students say...
The course is intellectually stimulating building on the knowledge acquired every semester to dive deeper into how the economy and the financial sector work. The course bridges a strong link of how Finance, Economics and Banking are interlinked and the impact they have on economic activity. Equipped with this I am now understanding how firms and governments make economic decisions.
Entry Requirements
We will consider other qualifications for a pre-result unconditional offer providing that you have an appropriate proven performance at GCSE (or equivalent) level and predicted grades in line with grades that we expect to see at A-level. Other qualifications that we may consider for a pre-result unconditional offer include: the International Baccalaureate Diploma, BTEC Level 3 qualifications, Cambridge Pre-U and combinations of qualifications (e.g. BTECS plus A-levels).
An unconditional offer is what it says it is. So if you don’t meet your predictions then your place at Coventry is still guaranteed. However we would hope and expect that you continue to work hard to make the most of your potential and be best prepared to study at university level.
We can’t but our experience over the years has shown us that students like you with a track record of high grades and excellent predictions are very likely to achieve those grades. Our assessment takes into account all elements of your application to allow us to take a holistic view of your potential. There is still the opportunity to gain one of the Coventry University Scholarships if you achieve the required grades so there is a financial incentive to aim high. Unconditional offers are only made to individuals who have demonstrated their commitment so we believe their focus and determination is unlikely to waver in the final stages of their qualifications.
No, the unconditional offer is only available to those who will take up their place in 2019.
What our tutors say...
We are poised on the brink of a new economic era. This course will prepare you to help create the future we all need to prosper as individuals and societies in an inter-connected world.
What our tutors say...
We are poised on the brink of a new economic era. This course will prepare you to help create the future we all need to prosper as individuals and societies in an inter-connected world.
Career prospects
Graduate Immigration Route visa
Based on current information from the UK Government, international students whose study extends beyond summer 2021 may be eligible for a visa under the UK Government’s Graduate Immigration Route, which will enable students to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for up to two (2) years. Check the most up to date guidance available to check your eligibility and any updates from the UK Government before making an application or enrolment decision.
As we emerge from the global economic crisis, a huge range of employers are looking for strong graduates with a fresh approach to managing the world’s economies, banks and financial systems.
Employers today are looking for more than a degree qualification: they want well-rounded, independent and resilient individuals who can make a difference, fast. This course has been designed to provide the kind of practical skills, soft skills, attitudes and behaviours you’ll need to succeed in the workplace.
When you graduate, you should have a good understanding of where your own talents and interests lie, and of the sort of careers which would best suit you. You should have a solid foundation from which to seek the career you want, whether in the private, public or third sector, or even becoming self-employed. Of course, you might also go on to further study and achieve a master’s degree or PhD.
What our tutors say...
We are poised on the brink of a new economic era. This course will prepare you to help create the future we all need to prosper as individuals and societies in an inter-connected world.
Disclaimer
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 2020/21 Contract can be found here. 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.
The tuition fee for the course that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For UK and EU students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, we 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. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU students should be aware that there may be a change to UK laws following the UK’s exit, this may change their student status, their eligibility to study part time, and/or their eligibility for student finance. We will act in accordance with the UK’s laws in force in relation to student tuition fees and finance from time to time.
For International students the tuition fee that is stated on the course webpage and in the prospectus for the first year of study will apply. We will review our tuition fees each year. For international students, we may increase fees for each subsequent year of study but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation.
