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Come and see our City of London campus to see what we can offer you.

Full-time degree

BSc (Hons) Banking & Finance

Learn the theory and skills you’ll need to work in several important financial services roles. As you progress, you can choose the right career path for you and tailor your learning accordingly.

Two young women smiling sitting in a classroom

About our degree programme

Our BSc (Hons) Banking & Finance will teach you the theory you need, and give you a practical real-world understanding of the financial services industry and financial markets.

You can study this degree programme over three years or four, depending on whether you want to include a one-year industry placement. 

Employability is the cornerstone of this programme. You will graduate with the perfect combination of knowledge and practical skills to take you forward in your career.

Each year of the programme will give you a foundation in a set of subjects about working in banking and finance. In the third year your knowledge will be taken to a higher level, exploring themes such as strategy, management and risk.

Key facts

  • Tailor your learning to the career path you want to follow
  • Study over three years, or four years with an industry placement
  • Study in the heart of the City of London
  • Membership of The London Institute of Banking & Finance while studying
  • Access to networking opportunities and events
  • 100% of our students are either in full-time employment or in further study within six months of graduating (DLHE 2016/17) 
  • We were voted joint first in London for overall student satisfaction, in the National Student Survey 2018
  • Applications must be made via UCAS. UCAS Codes are N320 for three-year course, N321 for four-year course if you want to include a one-year industry placement
 
“The events expose you to situations you wouldn’t normally get in other universities.”

Elliot Seal, graduate

Modules

First-year modules

Introduction to financial and management accounting (compulsory – 20 credits)

Financial accounting:

  • recording transactions
  • preparing financial statements
  • and interpreting financial accounting data

Management accounting:

  • overheads
  • relevant costing and approaches
  • cashflows
  • and budgeting

Introduction to quantitative techniques for business and finance (compulsory – 20 credits)

  • Maths: basic algebra and calculus
  • Statistics: collecting and summarising data, index numbers, probability and selected distributions, sampling, estimation and hypothesis testing, correlation, simple linear regression and forecasting
  • The module makes use of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) or Python and statistical/econometrics packages

Introduction to banking: Institutions, law, regulation and ethics (compulsory – 20 credits)

  • Microeconomics: resource allocation, demand, supply and price, production and costs, market structure, input markets and market failure
  • Macroeconomics: inflation, unemployment, economic growth, monetary policy, fiscal policy, foreign exchange, and balance of payments

Personal development and employability (compulsory – 20 credits)

  • Self-management
  • Team work
  • Leadership and influencing
  • Negotiation
  • Self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses
  • Career planning
  • Communication – written and oral
  • Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, VBA or Python and selected financial databases

    • Introduction to banking: Institutions, law, regulation and ethics (compulsory – 20 credits)

  • An overview of the financial services industry institutions and their role
  • The risks financial services industry institutions face
  • The need for a legal and regulatory framework
  • Ethical theories
  • The banker-customer relationship, duties to clients and employers
  • Insolvency
  • Professional behaviour and ethical dilemmas, conflicts of interest
  • Insider dealing, money laundering, internal corruption
  • Tax legislation

    • Principles of finance (compulsory – 20 credits)

  • Principles of finance (core – 20 credits)
  • The time value of money with applications to valuation
  • Portfolio theory and the risk-return concept
  • Efficient markets and behavioural finance
  • Corporate governance, stewardship and agency
  • Financial markets and instruments – notably bonds, equities, and derivatives

    • Second-year modules

    Commercial and corporate banking (compulsory - 20 credits)

     

    • Investment, financing, and dividend policies
    • Company valuation
    • Strategic advice
    • Event studies

    Derivatives and risk management (compulsory – 20 credits)

    The different types of derivative instruments – their characteristics, pricing, and hedging – comprising:

    • forwards
    • futures
    • options and swaps.

    Corporate finance and valuation (compulsory – 20 credits)

    • Investment, financing, and dividend policies
    • Company valuation
    • Strategic advice
    • Event studies

    Retail banking (compulsory – 20 credits)

    • The products and services that retail banks market to consumers and small enterprises
    • Managing retail customer relationships
    • Credit assessment, risk, pricing, monitoring, legal and practical aspects
    • The impact of innovation in digital banking technologies
    • The rise of challenger retail banks’ offerings

    Second-year option modules

    Applied econometrics (option – 20 credits)

    How to apply statistical and econometric methods to problems in banking and finance, including:

    • a review of sampling
    • estimation and simple linear regression
    • multiple linear regression
    • non-linear relationships
    • dummy variables
    • model specification
    • failure of regression assumptions
    • limited dependent variables
    • time-series
    • non-stationarity
    • panel data.

    The module makes use of VBA or Python and statistical/econometrics packages.

    Financial accounting (option– 20 credits)

    This module develops the knowledge and understanding of financial accounting and accounting information within recognised accounting standards and legal requirements. The focus is on:

    • principal financial statements
    • financial reporting systems and quality
    • analysis of tangibles, inventories, long-lived assets, taxes, debt, off-balance-sheet assets and liabilities, and share capital.

    Emerging markets (option – 20 credits)

    • An overview of economic, financial, political, legal, technological, socio-cultural and ethical issues
    • Characteristics
    • Development stage and growth
    • Currency
    • International capital flows
    • Islamic finance
    • Crises and contagion

    Fintech (option– 20 credits)

    This module is taught through a combination of workshops and guest speakers from the industry and covers the development of e-commerce, alongside other modern technologies such as:

    • social media
    • the importance of disintermediation
    • the rise of challengers
    • peer-to-peer platforms (P2P)
    • crowdfunding
    • cryptography
    • cryptocurrency (eg. bitcoin)
    • blockchain
    • big data
    • cybersecurity
    • regtech
    • a potentially cashless society.

    Third-year modules

    Bank strategy and management (compulsory – 20 credits)

    • An understanding of why banks may be similar or behave quite differently depending on their home (headquarters) or host (operating) country
    • How banks choose businesses, sectors and countries to operate in, and why they change them
    • The impact of law and regulation changes, as well as cultural conflicts inherent in strategy, management and risk taking by banks

    International finance (compulsory – 20 credits)

    International corporate finance within the context of managing a multinational corporation and controlling international operations, including:

    • international sources and investment of funds
    • identification of corporate foreign exchange risks
    • tax legislation and transfer pricing
    • ethical issues.

    Bank strategy and management (compulsory – 20 credits)

    • An understanding of why banks may be similar or behave quite differently depending on their home (headquarters) or host (operating) country
    • How banks choose businesses, sectors and countries to operate in, and why they change them
    • The impact of law and regulation changes, as well as cultural conflicts inherent in strategy, management and risk taking by banks

    Investment banking (compulsory – 20 credits)

    • Financial- and strategic-related client advice
    • Raising financial capital
    • Underwriting
    • Mergers and acquisitions
    • Corporate restructuring, including ring-fencing
    • An overview of services such as market making, derivatives and equity securities trading, and fixed income instruments, currencies, and commodities (FICC) services

    Third-year option modules

    Alternative investments (option – 20 credits)

     

    • Alternative investments beyond the traditional investment portfolios, such as equities and bonds
    • Vehicles, methods and industries, including hedge funds, commodities, real estate, energy, distressed securities and private equity

    Capstone project (option – 20 credits)

    An independent, research-based project – including work-based learning and knowledge acquired in the degree – where you will collect, analyse and present information and data. Research framework sessions cover:

    • planning, research objectives and questions
    • literature review
    • data collection
    • ethical issues
    • methodology
    • analysis and write-up.

    Corporate strategy (option – 20 credits)

     

    • The goals and key elements in corporate strategy formulation and implementation
    • Core business definition
    • Internal and external environment
    • Peers’ strategy

    Private equity and venture capital (option – 20 credits)

    • Private equity and venture capital
    • Deal-making
    • Fundraising
    • Venture valuation
    • Investment exits
    • Innovation outputs
    • Corporate governance
    • Ethical issues

    Entry requirements

    We normally make offers of ABB/BBC at A level. (This excludes General Studies, Critical Thinking, Extended Projects and Citizenship Studies.)

    All applicants are usually required to hold a minimum of GCSE Maths, Grade B or Grade 6 +, GCSE English, Grade C or Grade 4. Ideal applicants will have studied one of the following A Levels: Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Economics, Statistics or Physics.

    We accept the BTEC Extended Diploma at D*DD-DDM and the Diploma and Subsidiary Diploma along with other qualifications. We also accept the International Baccalaureate (28-32 points). Offers may vary.

    Our Financial Capability qualifications can contribute to our entry requirements, and will help you stand out from other applicants.

    Assessments

    You will be assessed in a variety of ways throughout your studies including assignments and exams. You might be assigned to:

    • write a blog, case study, essay or report
    • take part in a forum discussion, group assignment or project
    • prepare an individual project or dissertation, portfolio or presentation.

    Exam questions may be based on mathematics, require a short answer or an essay. We use different types of exams including multiple choice tests, unseen exams, seen exams, take home or open book. 

    Find out more about how we assess our students

    Our faculty

    Our team of lecturers have a combined experience of both academic and practitioner experience. Many of our lecturers have worked in the financial services industry and all of them keep up to date with industry regulations and news. This means they can show you how theory relates to practice. Our experts will give you:

    • guidance on risk management protocols, the psychology of trading and its effect on the management of risk
    • personalised 'trading reviews' of your performance.
    Meet our lecturers
    4

    "It’s central to all the banks. It’s safe and a really nice area if London. It’s also really easy to get to." Hazel Smith, student

    See more student stories

    Careers

    Graduates from this programme have gone onto secure roles:

    • in corporate and commercial banks
    • in retail banking
    • in investment banking
    • in asset management
    • in the Treasury
    • as consultants
    • or to continue their studies with a masters programme.

    Because many of our modules are elective, you can tailor your learning throughout the programme to suit your career aspirations. 

    Throughout your studies we help you get summer internships, which will give your career a head start. This programme is also an excellent foundation for further study including regulatory qualifications or if you want to specialise at masters level.

    Find out about our careers and employability services

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Our students automatically receive affiliate membership to Student Central, which covers all the universities in London.


    This will give you the opportunity to meet other students in London and give you access to over 40 clubs and student societies. You will also be able to take advantage of the discounted gym and get involved with Student Central’s weekly social events and activities.

    Yes. We have a dedicated Careers and Employability Service at our Lovat Lane campus who offer one-to-one support to students.


    We will help you with everything – from putting your CV together and writing a cover letter writing, to help finding an internship or graduate position. We also host a series of online and campus events. 

    We fund and support our Student Societies to organise social events, trips and the End of Year Student Party. And we work with student representatives to make sure you have the best possible time while you’re studying with us.

    What’s more, London is one of the world’s most historic and vibrant cities, and an excellent place to live as a student. From our Lovat Lane campus you can easily reach:


    • the West End – well known for its shops and theatres
    • the Southbank, a cultural centre and home to Shakespeare’s Globe, the National Theatre, British Film Institute and the Tate Modern
    • Brick Lane – famous for its markets, bagels and curry houses
    • the Olympic Park – site of the 2012 Olympics, and great for walking, shopping and eating out.

    And there’s so much more!

    Looking for further information?

    If you have any questions about our banking and finance programme or applying to us, please contact the Full-time Programme Team on +44 (0)20 7337 6293/4 or email admissions@libf.ac.uk 

    "Couldn't ask to study in a better location. The city vibe itself motivates me to reach my end goal." Adella Formosa, student.

    See more student stories

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