Overview
- Degree awarded
- Master of Science (MSc)
- Duration
- 1 year
- Entry requirements
-
Werequire a First or Upper Second class honours degree (2:1, with 60% average) from a UK university or the overseas equivalent.
- You ideally need a degree in finance, economics, mathematics, statistics, physics, engineering, actuarial or decision sciences and have taken or be taking a significant number of modules in quantitative subjects, such as differential equations, econometrics or mathematical statistics in the final year of your degree, with excellent results.
- A GMAT/GRE is not required to apply for this course but in some cases The Admissions Team may request this after the initial review of your application if your degree does not contain enough relevant quantitative modules.
- When assessing your academic record, we take into account your grade average, position in class and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.
- How to apply
Course options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc | Y | N | N | N |
Course overview
- Gain a good understanding of asset pricing and investment.
- Understand the main theories of finance, the CAPM and the Black-Scholes model.
- Learn more interest rate models and interest rate derivatives.
Open days
Meet us at a series of events in spring 2025. We’ll be visiting cities across the world, we’re holding on campus events and offering online information sessions.
Register for a master’s event today. Meet us >>
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2025, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
MSc (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £21,500
International, including EU, students (per annum): £35,000
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.
Refund Policy
Due to the competition for places and limited availability, this course requires a deposit of £2,000 to cover non-recoverable costs and secure your place. The deposit will be deducted from your tuition fees when you register on the course.
The deposit is non-refundable, except in the following situations:
- you fail to meet the conditions of your offer (see below for further information); and/or
- you are refused a visa or entry clearance to enter the UK (proof must be submitted)
If an offer has been made specifying an English Language condition which you do not meet, the Admissions Team will require the official certificate of an English Language test taken after the date of offer as evidence that you have attempted to meet your offer conditions for a refund to be approved. The English Language test certificate provided with your application documents will not be accepted as proof that you have attempted to meet your offer conditions as such a certificate will predate the offer.
If an offer has been made specifying an academic condition, the Admissions Team will require the official university documentation showing that you have not met this academic condition from the institution at which you have studied, as evidence for a refund to be approved.
The Admissions Team reserves the right to refuse to refund of any deposit that does not meet with the requirements outlined above.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Contact us for further information about the new Accounting and Finance scholarship for UK/EU students and other scholarships available.
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- Alliance Manchester Business School
- Contact name
- Master's Admissions Team
- pgadmissions.ambs@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.alliancembs.manchester.ac.uk/study/masters/msc-quantitative-finance/
- School/Faculty
-
Alliance Manchester Business School was established in 1965 as one of the UK's first two business schools. Today, we are the UK's largest campus-based business and management school, and 'Original Thinking Applied' is at the heart of everything we do. Find out more .
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
Werequire a First or Upper Second class honours degree (2:1, with 60% average) from a UK university or the overseas equivalent.
- You ideally need a degree in finance, economics, mathematics, statistics, physics, engineering, actuarial or decision sciences and have taken or be taking a significant number of modules in quantitative subjects, such as differential equations, econometrics or mathematical statistics in the final year of your degree, with excellent results.
- A GMAT/GRE is not required to apply for this course but in some cases The Admissions Team may request this after the initial review of your application if your degree does not contain enough relevant quantitative modules.
- When assessing your academic record, we take into account your grade average, position in class and the standing of the institution where you studied your qualification.
English language
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
Application and selection
How to apply
Advice to applicants
Your statement of purpose should cover the areas outlined below:
- Tell us why you are interested in the MSc Quantitative Finance course at Alliance MBS and how the course will impact on your future
- List any other economics, mathematics, quantitative, or finance courses or qualifications you have taken in addition to your undergraduate degree
- Describe what makes you an outstanding applicant and describe your potential to contribute to all aspects of the course.
How your application is considered
We can only process applications with the following documents:
- valid English language qualification
- first and second year transcript (scanned copies are accepted at the time of application)
- list of final year modules (where possible this should be included within the same document as your first and second year transcript)
- statement of purpose (this is included as part of your application form, you do not need to email your statement of purpose directly to the Admissions Team)
Deferrals
Re-applications
Course details
Course description
Our MSc Quantitative Finance programme is particularly suitable for students with a degree in Finance, Financial Economics, Actuarial Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (see entry requirements ), as well as relevant work experience (non-compulsory). It is also suited to those wishing to gain salary enhancements, or students wishing to pursue advanced studies in quantitative finance.
- Learn how to forecast and manage risk and return
- Gain the skills to price any financial instrument
- Learn how to engineer new methods and financial products
- Build advanced knowledge of the main theoretical and applied concepts in quantitative finance, financial engineering and risk management, using current issues to stimulate your thinking
- Prepare for careers involving the design and management of new financial instruments, the development of innovative methods for measuring, or predicting and managing risk.
CFA training
We have teamed up with Kaplan Schweser to facilitate student preparation for the CFA exams.
- MSc Accounting , MSc Accounting and Finance , MSc Finance and MSc Quantitative 20 best performing students from semester 1 who show a strong interest in CFA, will get free access to Kaplan's online training materials for CFA Part One.
- Gain student support from Kaplan with access to tuition material, online question banks and progress tests, and mock exam runs. Plus tutor support and 1-2-1 sessions.
- The CFA Program builds a strong foundation of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills.
- Take the first step to earning the Chartered Financial Analyst ® (CFA) credential to prepare for the Level I exam
- The CFA is the most respected and recognised investment designation in the world.
Trading BootCamp Week
Together with Amplify Trading , a global financial trading and training firm, we offer a week long Trading BootCamp for MSc Accounting, MSc Accounting and Finance, MSc Finance and MSc Quantitative Finance course students.
- experience a live trading floor provided by two experienced traders with specialist software
- engage with contemporary financial markets and apply your classroom theory in practice
- watch live breaking news, economic data and geo-political events, and use your knowledge and skills in trading different asset classes
- a fantastic opportunity to prepare you for successful careers after graduation.
The Finance Zone
- gain access to one of the UK's most comprehensive collections of specialist financial and business databases that are used by top researchers around the world.
- Databases include Bloomberg, Datastream, Thomson ONE, Compustat, WRDS, Capital IQ and many more. Read more about the specialist financial and business databases
Special features
Our accounting and finance division courses are now affiliated with the Worshipful Company of International Bankers (WCIB). Every year the best dissertation out of the following four courses will receive the WCIB Prize worth £300.
- MSc Accounting
- MSc Accounting and Finance
- MSc Finance
- MSc Quantitative Finance
The winner will also enter the competition for the prestigious WCIB Lombard Prize .
Coursework and assessment
Course unit details
During the course you will be taking 180 credits in all. The eight taught units during semester one and two total 120 credits and consists of both compulsory and optional taught units which can be viewed in the list below.
Over the summer period, you will carry out your Research Dissertation, worth 60 credits. The dissertation gives you the opportunity to apply what you have learned in the taught part of the course. Our topics are aligned with the research interests of leading financial institutions from the City of London and internationally.
Examples of recent dissertation project topics include:
- Investigating dynamics and determinants of risk-neutral PDs
- Using hazard models to forecast corporate bankruptcy
- Analysing asset pricing implications from real options models
- Pricing sovereign CDS contracts
- Estimating liquidation probabilities of hedge funds
Course unit list
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
| Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interest Rate Derivatives | BMAN63012 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Derivative Securities | BMAN70141 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Asset Pricing Theory | BMAN70381 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Time Series Econometrics | BMAN71122 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Stochastic Calculus for Finance | BMAN71541 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Credit Risk Measurement and Management | BMAN71572 | 15 | Mandatory |
| Current Issues in Empirical Finance | BMAN70162 | 15 | Optional |
| Cross Sectional Econometrics | BMAN70211 | 15 | Optional |
| Corporate Finance | BMAN71152 | 15 | Optional |
| Portfolio Investment | BMAN71171 | 15 | Optional |
| Displaying 10 of 14 course units | |||
| Display all course units | |||
Scholarships and bursaries
Masters scholarships for Accounting and Finance programmes for UK/EU students
We are delighted to be able to offer five scholarships available across the four Accounting and Finance programmes with a value of £10,000 towards the cost of the tuition fee. The scholarships will be awarded in line with our scholarship deadlines so early application is advisable. Read more >>
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
This course provides ideal preparation for a career in the finance industry specialising in designing and trading financial instruments. These financial engineers are expected to be proficient in computer programming and strong in financial mathematics. They have to be at ease with complex derivatives and creative enough to find solutions for pricing and hedging. The course also provides research skills for those who wish to pursue an academic career by studying at doctoral level.
Recent recruiters
Armacell, Bank of Thailand, Barclays Capital, Bloomberg, China Merchants Bank, CIBC World Markets, Citigroup, Hewitt Associates, KPMG, Matrix, MFC Fund and Schlumberger.
Read more about graduate career destinations >>