Master of Science in International Banking and Finance

at Heriot-Watt University - Edinburgh Campus United Kingdom

Our MSc in Economics, Banking and Finance will give you the chance to develop specialist expertise across three inter-connected and highly influential subject areas. The degree is informed by recent developments in Heriot-Watt’s sector leading research in Economics and Finance.

Heriot-Watt University is ranked as the number 1 university in Scotland, and top 10 in the UK, for studying both Economics and Finance in the Guardian University League Tables 2018.

As Heriot-Watt University is situated on the edge of Edinburgh, we have excellent links to the financial sector of Scotland’s capital city, the UK’s second biggest financial and economics hub. We also have close ties to the London Stock Exchange and Bloomberg which provide excellent industry-focused learning opportunities.

This masters degree in Economics, Banking and Finance is designed to give you practical, specialist knowledge whilst fine-tuning your professional skills, your research skills and your advanced communication skills. During this course, you will lead on an independent research project of your own and gain insight into the world of international finance.

The MSc in Economics, Banking and Finance is structured to give you access to a range of professions and managerial careers. These include roles in banks, businesses, non-government organisations and government institutions.

Our MSc in Mathematics is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of a range of topics in mathematics. In addition, students who meet the appropriate criteria and proceed to the project will gain experience in presenting results in mathematics in a clear and concise manner. The MSc has at its core fundamental courses in pure mathematics and students will be able to take options from both pure and applied mathematics. Projects will concentrate on core mathematics.

Core courses include functional analysis and partial differential equations, while the various optional courses we offer include optimisation, solitons and differential geometry. The range of options for summer projects is broader and includes topics in spectral theory, applied analysis, integrable systems and mathematical physics.

Learn more about the MSc Mathematics directly from the Head of the Mathematics Department, Professor Bernd Schroers in this video.

Data Scientists are one of the highest sought after roles within all industries. A brand new undergraduate programme for 2021/22.

From Finance to Social Media, the world revolves around Data! In order to remain relevant and competitive in all industries, businesses today must rely on data scientists to analyse their large sets of data and draw out performance boosting insights. In fact, data scientists are so highly sought after that In 2020 alone, there is expected to be nearly 3 million new job postings for professionals with data science and analytic skills.

This BSc (Hons) Data Sciences programme, will help you to get a head start in this innovative career. You will learn the technical and analytical skills to navigate through this data field and how to extract valuable insight from the vast amounts of data available to you.

Our BEng (Hons) Architectural Engineering covers a broad range of engineering-related disciplines including mechanics, construction, energy, thermal performance, water and wastewater, acoustics, and human behaviour.

The degree is designed to give you the knowledge and skills needed by industry to design buildings of the future that not only provide sustainable and low-energy built environments that have a positive influence on the health and wellbeing of the people who use them, but buildings that are also resilient and adaptable to future climate change. The later years of the degree focus on practical inter-disciplinary design and management skills, with an emphasis on your personal development as an architectural engineer within the professional environment.

Our architectural engineering degrees are supported by the Architectural Engineering Industrial Advisory Board, which includes representatives from major multi-national employers, ensuring our degrees are exactly what industry needs.

The 2020 National Student Survey results placed chemical engineering at Heriot-Watt as 1st in Scotland and 5th in the UK, based on students’ overall satisfaction with our programmes.

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021 ranked Heriot-Watt University as 1st in Scotland and 4th in the UK for Chemical Engineering.

Our BEng in Chemical Engineering provides students with both the theory and practical application expected by industry. We have strong links with professional communities, allowing us to enhance the career prospects of our graduates.

Programme structure:

• Our BEng programme gives you a sound understanding of both the chemical and process engineering fundamentals that you need to become a professional engineer. In addition to a grounding in science, maths and engineering, our students acquire practical abilities that are highly sought after by industry.
• The BEng in Chemical Engineering is a four-year degree which can include an additional 5th year of study, resulting in the programme becoming a more advanced MEng degree. You will choose which route to follow at the end of your 4th year, giving you the flexibility to decide which degree best suits your career ambitions.
• Final year BEng students undertake a group-based design project that consolidates the subjects taught across the programme.

The MSc Digital Marketing will equip you with the specialist digital marketing knowledge and skills that are sought-after by employers from all markets and sectors and is designed to position you as a marketing professional with digital expertise.

Our MSc in Digital Marketing enables you to transition to a digital marketing career by combining an accelerated introduction to marketing with a detailed consideration of digital marketing concepts and techniques.

There are eight taught courses (divided equally over two semesters) and a digital marketing dissertation in semester 3.  Part-time students register for 2 courses per semester and progress to the dissertation at the end of the second year. Assessment is specifically designed to develop professional career readiness and include collaborative projects with industry partners.

There are two sets of mandatory courses. The first set provides the foundations of digital marketing (Digital Customer Experience and Digital Marketing Analytics). The second set delivers core marketing knowledge (International Strategic Marketing, Contemporary Consumer Behaviour, Branding and Communications and Research Philosophy and Practice).

You can customise your degree to match your interests or career pathway by selecting two course options, one each semester.  Courses reflect digital marketing skills (social media management, database design, website development) and digital management competencies (strategy, entrepreneurship, consumer psychology, legal aspects, project management).

In Semester 3 the digital marketing dissertation is the capstone course where students 'deep-dive' into their chosen area of digital marketing.  Students will demonstrate their mastery of the subject area by developing new insight from analysis of valuable primary research.

The MSc in Digital Marketing forms part of a suite of specialist programmes at Heriot Watt University designed to meet the demands of the growing digital economy. The 'digital ready' masters programmes include MSc Digital Leadership, MSc Managing Innovation, MSc Information Technology (Business), MSc Business Information Management, and MSc Business Analytics and Consultancy.

The MSc International Management and Business Communication with Marketing programme concentrates on developing professional communication skills in business and marketing contexts, as well as an understanding of intercultural and international business and marketing issues.

The structure of the programme is designed to provide graduates with access to a range of professions and managerial careers within businesses engaged internationally, but in particular in the area of marketing.

Alongside the practical skills and knowledge acquired, students will also engage in independent research, providing a potential route to research training in cognate disciplines at a higher level.

The MSc in Computing is a two year postgraduate degree. The first year imparts the knowledge and skills needed to study the subject at masters level in the second.

This new degree is open to graduates coming from any discipline. They will start by learning the art of software engineering, study some key computing topics and develop relevant research and technical English skills that prepare them for advanced study of computer science in the following year.

At the end of Year 1 students may progress to Year 2 or graduate instead with a Graduate Diploma in Computer Science.

Our MSc Financial Mathematics covers the advanced mathematics that’s revolutionised finance since the early 1970's. If you’re passionate about mathematics and keen to build a career in finance, it could be the ideal choice. The masters in Financial Mathematics course is part of the Maxwell Institute for Mathematical Sciences. It offers an intensive training in the mathematical ideas and tools vital to the finance industry. So it’ll equip you for a range of exciting and potentially high-earning career opportunities.

The MSc Financial Mathematics is part of a joint programme between us and the University of Edinburgh. So you’ll be fully enrolled at both universities. That means access to all the services offered by each institution, plus a degree certificate with both universities named as the awarding bodies.

If you are looking for a career in the world of finance and love mathematical challenges, then Financial Mathematics is the degree for you. Just as civil engineering deals with the design, construction and maintenance of buildings and roads, financial mathematics is concerned with the design, construction and maintenance of financial products. It is well known that careers in financial mathematics offer some of the best salaries of all professions and graduates working in this area thrive on being offered many interesting challenges on a day-to-day basis.

Our Financial Mathematics programme develops the skills and knowledge required by the modern investment and asset management industry, where structured finance and relative value trading strateges dominate. The emphasis is on developing a range of practical skills relevant to the increasingly mathematical and ever-changing world of contemporary finance.

Financial Mathematics isn't just for aspiring bankers. The UK Government is the single biggest user of structured finance, through the Private Finance Initiative. Graduates are also attractive to the treasury function of international corporations and to the trading arm of commodities companies.

Students on the Financial Mathematics degree follow the same programme as Actuarial Science students for the first two years. The programmes diverge in third year and in the fourth year Financial Mathematics students will be able to study courses alongside Master's students on the Quantitative Finance and Mathematics programme. The aim is for Financial Mathematics graduates to achieve a skill set comparable to those graduating with a Master's degree.