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Why you should choose a postgraduate degree in financial management

Craig OCallaghan

Updated Oct 12, 2023

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Introduction
Build on existing knowledge to level-up your career prospects
Learn the skills you need for a career change into financial services
A more specialised alternative to a traditional MBA

Financial management

Learn more about studying the MSc Financial Management at Alliance Manchester Business School

Sponsored by Alliance Manchester Business School

If money really does make the world go round, understanding the interconnected financial systems which drive global businesses and industries is essential if you’re aiming to excel professionally.

While traditional business degrees such as an MBA will cover core financial principles and practices, it’s worth considering a more specialised postgraduate degree if you want to gain a more advanced skillset.

For example, the MSc Financial Management degree offered by Alliance Manchester Business School is informed by the latest cutting-edge research in finance, covering topics such as corporate finance, and quantitative methods for financial management.

Let’s take a closer look at what you can expect from an MSc Financial Management degree and how it will equip you with the financial acumen required to excel in any industry.

Build on existing knowledge to level-up your career prospects

When starting your professional career, it can be hard to appreciate the level of financial knowledge required for some roles. That was certainly something Julia Olberz discovered before studying Alliance Manchester’s Msc Financial Management.

She said: “I work as a controller and need to solve financial issues daily... Corporate finance and accounting are very essential for my job and my daily understanding. But learning about financial markets and investments gave me a broad range of financial knowledge.

“I was not very familiar with global financial markets and private equity before starting this degree. But now I feel more prepared to talk about these topics.”

Learn the skills you need for a career change into financial services

If your previous education lacked the specialised skills you require to advance in your preferred career path, returning to university for a postgraduate degree is often the easiestway to evolve your personal skillset and prepare for a career change.

Studying an MSc in financial management will ensure you’re equipped with the skills you need for a career in financial services, and if you can find a master’s programme with a blended or flexible learning format then you can even be learning these new skills while continuing to work full-time.

Alliance Manchester’s MSc Financial Management is taught part-time over two years, in a blended format which combines online learning with workshops held in Dubai, Hong Kong, Manchester, Shanghai or Singapore.

Julia said this format was a big selling point for her when deciding where to study: “The format of the MSc Financial Management was perfect for my situation because it consisted of flexible self-study but also of interactive workshops where I met students from around the world.”

A more specialised alternative to a traditional MBA

The benefits of studying an MBA are widely repeated, particularly when it comes to salary uplift, but the growing increase in specialised business master’s degrees demonstrates that an MBA can’t cover everything.

If you’re personally invested in a career in financial services or related sectors, studying a financial management degree allows you to drill deeper into topics which may only get covered briefly in a more generalist MBA programme.

At Alliance Manchester Business School, the MSc Financial Management explores a diverse range of topics including:

• Risk management and hedging strategies

• How to test empirical hypotheses formulated from research questions

• Credit and debt analysis

• Fintech and other innovative sources of finance

The two-year programme also includes a group project, which culminates in an 8,000-10,000-word report, allowing students to propose a topic to their supervisor and demonstrate specific skills they have learned throughout the degree.

Want to learn more about the MSc Financial Management at Alliance Manchester Business School? Watch the testimonial video below with Gustavo, a former student on the programme.

Testimonials

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