MSc Academic Programme Director

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Finance (full-time) (Work Placement Pathway), MSc in Finance and Economics (Work Placement Pathway) and MSc in Finance and Private Equity (Work Placement Pathway). This course is not available as an outside option.

This course must be taken in addition to the full 4 units of courses prescribed by the programme regulations. Completion of the work placement and assessment is a requirement for students to be eligible for graduation from the Work Placement Pathway.

The Finance Work Placement and Assessment is only available to students who are registered on the Work Placement Pathway for the following programmes: MSc in Finance (full-time), MSc in Finance and Private Equity or MSc in Finance and Economics. Students must complete the work placement and assessment in addition to four full units of courses, as described in the programme regulations.

There are no classes for this course. Students instead undertake a work placement during which they will be employed by an external company or institution. However, the work placement should be relevant to the topics studied during the student's academic modules, and be likely to build on and enhance topics studied during the year. Academic modules studied during the programme should also have a direct bearing on the role that a student will undertake on their placement. Students must hold a formal offer in writing of an appropriate work placement before approval will be granted to join the work placement pathway, and the aspects outlined above will be considered by the Department before approval to undertake a placement is granted. The student will be an employee of the relevant company or institution for the duration of the placement; they will be expected to undertake tasks as appropriate and all management of the placement will be undertaking by the employing institution or company. The course will be assessed by an essay which students are required to submit to the Department of Finance at the end of the placement.

There will be no direct teaching for this course. Students will participate on a work placement which will be entirely delivered and managed by the company or institution with which they are employed. Students' learning and experience will be gained through participation in the placement as an employee of that company and they will be required to submit an assessed essay to the Department of Finance upon completion of the placement.

There is no formative coursework for this course. Students will participate on a work placement which will be entirely delivered and managed by the company or institution with which they are employed. Students' learning and experience will be gained through participation in the placement as an employee of that company and they will be required to submit an assessed essay to the Department of Finance upon completion of the placement.

Essay (100%, 2000 words) post-summer term.

The assessment of the work placement will be on the basis of submission of a written piece of work following completion of the work placement. Students will be required to submit their work to the Department following completion of the placement.

The essay will be required to be in the region of 2,000 words in which the student should describe:

• How the work placement built on or shed further light on the topics covered during the programme’s academic modules, and/or how the elements of theory learned were applied in practice;

• How topics covered in the academic modules were relevant to the student’s role on the work placement;

• How/whether the academic and pastoral aspects of the programme prepared students for their experiences in the workplace;

• What the student feels they have learned from the placement.

The essay submission will be marked on a Pass/Fail basis. Students will need to demonstrate that they have fully addressed the topics described above, evidenced with examples from their placement, to be eligible for a pass mark. Students enrolled on the work placement pathway must satisfactorily complete the work placement and assessment in order to be eligible for graduation from the work placement pathway.