Five reasons to study a masters in banking and finance at Surrey Business School

The financial and professional services industry is the engine room driving UK growth (State of the Sector 2023, Global City Campaign, July 2023). The world of banking and finance now needs highly skilled and qualified experts to navigate the complexities of banking and finance. Armed with this masters, you can hit the ground running in the corporate and commercial banking sector.

Our new Banking and Finance MSc is designed to give you practical knowledge and understanding of rapidly changing financial services market conditions as well as enabling you to engage with real dynamic scenarios through practical exercises.

In the first quarter of 2024, there were 1.17 million financial services jobs in the UK, 3.1 per cent of all jobs (Financial services in the UK - House of Commons Library, November 2024). The UK is a world leader in many areas of the financial industry – banking, insurance, asset management. The UK is the most globally connected banking hub, with strong market access and coherence with international standards.

There are opportunities for the UK to grow into a global leader of the digital economy by digitalising financial market infrastructure and operations. To be successful, the business environment needs professionals with expertise in new technologies and knowledge of the UK’s globally-recognised regulatory and legal frameworks.

For international students, there are plenty of career openings: the share of international workers in the UK financial services has been increasing – 20.5 per cent of workers in financial services were born outside of the UK. International workers help businesses establish relationships with clients and partners from around the world (State of the Sector 2023, Global City Campaign, July 2023).

Employability is embedded in the masters. The tasks and assessments undertaken across modules are specifically chosen to equip students with knowledge and skills that are key to the role of banking and finance professionals.

This programme will launch your career in a wide range of financial firms, institutions including central banks and regulators, and corporations

Graduates in banking and finance can pursue careers in many roles:

• Commercial, investment, private bankers
• Financial managers and advisers
• Financial analysts and traders
• Financial regulators and supervisors
• Compliance officers.

You can tailor your learning through a range of optional modules that can support your choice of career in banking and finance. These include:

• Central Banking and Financial Markets
• Derivatives Securities
• Equity Investment Analysis
• Financial Modelling
• Fixed Income Investments
• International Finance
• Overview of FinTech
• Principles of Finance and Investment.

At Surrey, you’ll be taught by highly qualified academics with research and consultancy expertise in banking and finance, with expertise in:

• Bank failures and crises
• Financial markets and institutions
• Government and central banking
• Portfolio management
• Regulatory frameworks and risk management
• Responsible banking
• Sustainable investment
• UK and global financial services.

With this masters, you’ll also be able to nurture your research skills if you’re contemplating further doctoral research in banking and finance.

On this Banking and Finance masters, you’ll develop transferable skills through practical application of theoretical knowledge using data and software. 

You’ll have free access to BankFocus, Moody’s Analytics’ banking database. BankFocus provides the most comprehensive, global database of banks’ financial statements, ratings, and intelligence. It houses detailed financial information of over 40,000 banks and it is used by over 90 per cent of the world’s top 1,000 banks. BankFocus is an essential tool for banking research which you will use in your modules and assessments.

You’ll also have on-demand access to Bloomberg terminals, a leading financial platform widely used in the industry. Bloomberg is actively incorporated into various modules for both coursework and independent research. Through the terminals, you can explore real-time financial data and insights. You’ll also benefit from free access to Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC), a set of online courses that introduce key economic and financial market concepts.

To further develop your analytical skills, students can utilise a wide range of specialist databases and software, including WRDS, Datastream, Orbis, Capital IQ, CSMAR.

As a student of Banking and Finance you’ll be based in Surrey Business School (SBS), double-accredited by both the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the Association of MBAs (AMBA), and be part of a vibrant community focussed on improving business practice and creating a sustainable and positive change.  Internationally, only six per cent of the world’s leading business schools achieve the AACSB accreditation.

We’re proud to be ranked 11th for business and economics in the UK and 95th in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025. An impressive 94 per cent of SBS graduates are in employment or further study 15 months after they have left Surrey.

Our robust research culture and strong connections with industry, commerce and professional organisations will give you the opportunity to gain a first-hand understanding of the current challenges and issues facing financial institutions like banks.

You'll gain up-to-the-minute knowledge and practical insights through our close ties with financial organisations. Our programme of guest speakers visit us on campus to show how to apply theory to real-world scenarios, enriching your classroom experience. We recently hosted a session on The Art and Science of Wealth Management led by experts from Barclays Private Bank and Wealth Management.