Course specification and structure
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PMINTRFI - MSc International Trade and Finance

Course Specification


Validation status Validated
Highest award Master of Science Level Masters
Possible interim awards Postgraduate Diploma, Postgraduate Certificate
Total credits for course 180
Awarding institution London Metropolitan University
Teaching institutions London Metropolitan University
School Guildhall School of Business and Law
Subject Area Accounting, Banking and Finance
Attendance options
Option Minimum duration Maximum duration
Full-time 1 YEARS  
Part-time 2 YEARS  
Course leader  

About the course and its strategy towards teaching and learning and towards blended learning/e-learning

The ‘MSc in International Trade and Finance’ course provides students with the broad range of skills required to secure and retain employment in the highly competitive labour market in international trade, finance and financial regulation. Areas to be studied will include the role of international finance with an emphasis on the role of international intermediaries and global markets in relation to trade and finance, economic growth and the theoretical and empirical links between trade, investment and growth.

During their course, students will participate in both formal and associated informal events in order to develop an understanding of the contemporary international trading and financial environment. This may include outside speakers to address unfolding events and visits to City Institutions. The programme is designed to do this.

The academic depth and breadth of this postgraduate programme provide highly relevant subject specific knowledge and transferable skills. Students develop cognitive, problem solving, critical thinking and communication skills as well as quantitative and IT competence.

There are four core modules which all students will study on the course, and they will also have the opportunity of choosing two optional modules from a range of available options, making up 6 taught modules.

Thus, all students will take 4 x 20 credit core modules that will cover the fundamentals of International Trade and Finance. Within the compulsory set of taught modules students will study the 20 credit research methods module, designed to familiarise them with business research methods. Students will also have the opportunity of choosing one alternative core 60-credit module, and two optional modules. The modules will allow them to develop an in-depth knowledge in areas related to international trade and finance.

Students are encouraged to choose options that are particularly suited to their individual skill development needs. Skills and expertise in various areas such as corporate finance, financial reporting, risk management, growth, and development are available in a range of core and optional module topics. Students will be directed and encouraged to develop their understanding of international trade and finance, show their ability to apply their knowledge and to analyse a range of business scenarios, through case studies, business scenarios, presentations and problem-based learning exercises.

Lectures and seminars are essential activities that will support the development of knowledge and understanding. These sessions will provide students with tools of analysis, outline methods for evaluation and give clear guidance on how students may best extend and apply their learning independently. An important dimension of the skills they must acquire during the programme is the capacity to work successfully with others to achieve a desired objective. Assessments will include group assignments, which will help students to develop their interpersonal skills and personal awareness.

The course uses Bloomberg for teaching delivery and assessment tasks and enables students to join the elite group of Bloomberg users around the world. Bloomberg provides contemporary, historical and forward looking (forecast) business and financial data, news and insight. In addition, Bloomberg provides an array of financial tools which may be used for interrogating financial datasets.

The course also enables the development of expertise in the use of packages such as Sage, Eviews, NVivo and SPSS to analyse accounting and financial data. Sage accounting software simplifies and facilitates a diverse range of accounting tasks. It may be used for simple accounting assessments to the management of complex financial systems. EViews is a statistical package which facilitates statistical analysis of large and varied datasets; SPSS analyses social science data which may be used for market research, surveys, and data mining; and Nvivo employs qualitative and mixed-methods research to analyse unstructured text, audio, video, and image data, such as interviews, focus groups, surveys, social media, and journal articles

Guest lecturers and teaching staff are renowned within the industry / discipline. A number of modules are offered in the evening to facilitate and enhance student engagement and participation.

All modules will include the use of the University’s virtual learning environment (Weblearn). Core materials, e.g., handbooks, presentations, reading materials etc. will be made available on Weblearn and the platform will also provide the vehicle for online collaboration and other blended learning activities.

Students will have a course leader with whom they will be encouraged to discuss all relevant issues relating to their course.

Note: If there are not sufficient student numbers to make a module viable, the School reserves the right to cancel such a module. If the School cancels a module it will use its reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable alternative.

Course aims

The course promotes the use of a range of teaching, learning and assessment methods, which develop the students’ intellectual abilities, self-confidence and ability to study independently. The course has been devised with reference to the subject benchmark statement for international trade and finance. The subject specific knowledge and skills, cognitive abilities and non-subject specific skills outlined in the benchmark statement are referenced in the relevant section of this document (i.e., Section 11).

In particular, the MSc International Trade and Finance aims to:

  1. Deliver an academically rigorous programme of study, which provides students with the opportunity to study the major disciplines in international trade and finance and to relate these to the professional practice
  2. Develop a critical awareness of issues affecting international trade and finance and an associated understanding of how their learning may be used to develop the operational practices of corporate entities.
  3. Develop a critical understanding of economic theory and policy to interpret trends and patterns in international trade and finance.
  4. Critically examine how flows in trade and investment between nations, trading associations and blocs, and within major corporations arise, and to be able to assess their impact on growth, trade and development.
  5. Demonstrate both a theoretical and practical understanding of the changing patterns of trade and finance and the responses and initiatives of both states and international institutions in the global economy.
  6. Critically examine the roles of the key global economic institutions such as the WTO, the World Bank, the OECD, the IMF, as well as the EU, Chinese, Indian, US and other governments in international trade.
  7. Develop knowledge appropriate to a range of global contexts, so preparing graduates for employment in international organisations and businesses.

Course learning outcomes

The course will equip students with the skills and attributes that will enable them to compete with success in the complex and challenging international trade and finance industries and employment markets. It brings together University and School distinctiveness, and refers to two principal sets of QAA Benchmark Statements:

The QAA Statement for Master’s Degree Characteristics (2020)

The QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Master's degrees in Business and Management (2015).

The University Learning Outcome (ULO) that cuts across the entirety of the London Metropolitan University provision is:

On completion of this course, students will be able to: demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible professionals in their discipline (ULO).

Thus, upon graduating with an MSc International Trade and Finance degree, students will typically:

  1. Have the confidence needed to take leadership decisions in challenging situations
  2. Possess extensive communication skills that will help them adopt a global and multicultural perspective in their professional context.
  3. Be critically cognisant of the effects of the social and environmental of their decisions and will remain active citizens of the places they live and work.
  4. Demonstrate application and ability to reflect on creative thinking to practical problems, and possess the analytical and organizational skills to translate creative ideas to operational solutions
  5. Have extensive knowledge and understanding of the broad range of areas of international trade and finance.
  6. Demonstrate conceptual understanding that enables the critical evaluation of key theories, current research and methodologies relating to the behaviour of international actors in the field of trade and finance, and the nature of the international competitive environment and regulatory framework within which they operate.
  7. Demonstrate initiative in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge relating to international trade and finance.
  8. Have sufficient theoretical, quantitative and statistical knowledge and understanding to be able to augment this knowledge with new developments in the field and be able to independently improve their analytical skills to a high level to be able to contribute to progress in international trading and finance practice.
  9. Deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, use IT to access sources of relevant international trading, economic and financial information, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences
  10. Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level.

Principle QAA benchmark statements

The MSc in International Trade and Finance degree programme conforms to the Master’s Degree Characteristics Statement set out by the QAA (2020) in their descriptors for a higher education qualification at level 7, and to the Subject Benchmark Statement for Master's degrees in Business and Management (QAA, 2015). Since this is a specialist programme concentrating on the trade and finance sectors, the benchmark statement and subsequent documents must be interpreted in the context of the trade and finance industries.

Assessment strategy

Assessment strategy

Principles

The course adopts the four assessment strategy principles of the School that are developed in the spirit of ESJ. These are:

i) The School is committed to ensuring that each student should have no more than 2 assessment points per 20 credit module.

ii) We provide balanced forms of assessment, both in terms of its overall volume and the types used.

iii) At PGT level group activities are part of the learning and teaching strategies but assessment should be at the level of the individual. Thus, assessment should focus on individual reflections and learning from participating in a group activity.

iv) Flexibility/choice in assessment methods will be introduced wherever possible (subject to PSRB requirements and QAA subject benchmarks) in order to facilitate different learning studies and support personalization

Course Strategy

The Course applies a combination of the above assessment strategies as appropriate for each module. A range of assessment methods are used across the course, reflecting the range of learning outcomes of the modules within the course and the diversity of learning styles amongst students. The volume, timing and nature of assessment enables students to demonstrate the extent to which they have achieved the intended learning outcomes.

In each module the assessments methods chosen are those best suited to measuring the achievement of that particular module’s learning outcomes. For instance, essays and reports are used in modules where learning outcomes include the development of writing skills, referencing, synthesis and critical evaluation. Group work is used in modules where cooperative skills are being developed. Case studies are employed where students are learning how to apply financial analysis to particular scenarios or organisations. Methods of assessment include: presentations, coursework problem sets and mini-projects, in-class tests and unseen exams. The 60-credit alternative core module incorporates assessment of research, planning and organising skills.

Feedback on formative assessment will be provided on an ongoing basis throughout the course.

The University Regulations and policies will be followed in marking and moderating summative assessments.

Organised work experience, work based learning, sandwich year or year abroad

The University has dedicated careers teams who will assist learners with all aspects of their job search and application.

The course draws on external links with trade and finance practitioners in the City and elsewhere in the UK. These links give rise to University and GSBL guest lectures, external speaker seminars and other meetings of interest to students. These events throughout the course provide opportunities for students to gain knowledge and experience from outside the University.

Students are able to take an optional single semester Business Work Placement Project (MN7W89); this module is not available along with 60-credit alternative core Work Placement module discussed below.

The one-year Work placement module (MN7W01) is one of the three 60-credit alternative core modules available on the course. It is offered as an alternative to the ‘Dissertation’ and ‘Business Consultancy Project’ with the same credits. There will be a series of work readiness and career preparation workshops / seminars to ensure students are engaging critically with their experiences.

The choice of MN7W01 alternative core module will have the effect of extending the course length by one more year. The student needs to have secured a one-year work placement within 6 months of start of teaching i.e., if their course starts in September/October the deadline for securing the placement will be 31 March of the following year; if their course starts in February/March the deadline for securing the placement will be 31 August of the same year. If students have difficulty securing a placement within the deadlines above they will switch to alternatives bearing equivalent credit without any detriment (e.g. Dissertation or Business Consultancy Project), and the length of their course will be converted from 2 years to 1 year, and the visa office informed accordingly in respect of tier 4 international students.

International students studying on a Student Visa will be required to submit weekly timesheets for the hours undertaken for the work placement. The timesheets will need to be signed by the student’s line manager to meet Visa regulations.

It is a student's responsibility to apply for opportunities and to engage with the University and/or partner organisations as required. The suitability of any opportunities will be assessed by the Module and Work-Based Learning Teams and all placement roles must meet the Health and Safety requirements for Higher Education Accredited Work Placements.

Course specific regulations

Modules are required to be taken as indicated in section 22 above. Where a student is taking no more than 90 credits in an academic year within the maximum permissible time limit, they may be designated as Part Time.

Modules required for interim awards

Modules are required to be taken as indicated in section 22 above.

A student who has passed modules equivalent to 120 credits comprising four core and two option modules will be entitled to the award of a Postgraduate Diploma.

A student who has passed modules equivalent to 60 credits including any two core modules will be entitled to the award of a Postgraduate Certificate.

A Master’s degree shall be awarded to a student who has passed modules equivalent to 180 credits including a dissertation.

Arrangements for promoting reflective learning and personal development

Students are introduced to reflective learning in an induction programme which is designed to promote active learning and development from the outset. This will include the principles of individual and team learning and development and preparation for academic study at master’s level. This, it is believed, will lead to an understanding of the students learning to work independently and in collaboration with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Students are encouraged to reflect on their personal development throughout the course. All core and option modules require students to reflect and formative feedback on this activity is provided by the course team

The final alternative cored module requires students to undertake reflection in carrying out an independent research project, and will include a statement of personal learning achieved through undertaking the report.

Other external links providing expertise and experience

Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) (2014)

Career, employability and opportunities for continuing professional development

Students will be encouraged to attend meetings with the University’s Careers Service.

Additional activities including networking events, master classes, workshops, guest lectures and other events will also support career development and employability.

By the end of the course students will have developed knowledge and transferable skills that will enhance their employability internationally. Engagement with the alumni network and events that enable students to meet with employers will support their capacity to progress their careers.

The Careers and Employability Service is a university-wide resource made available to students which provides information about labour market opportunities and career development. The University’s Careers and Employability Service disseminates information on Employer Panel events, Recruitment events, Internships, Employability events organised by professional bodies and Career fairs; see for example https://blogs.londonmet.ac.uk/careersandemployability/

Students are also reminded that they have access to our Careers and Employability service for careers and employability related advice guidance for three years after graduation.

Career opportunities

The knowledge and skills you’ll develop will enable you to enter a variety of careers in UK and international organisations including a wide range of public, private and third sector organisations.

As well as providing a firm base for securing employment, our MSc provides the opportunity to enhance your current career. You’ll find many of our master's alumni working in a diverse mix of industries around the world, including a large number in finance and international trade roles.

Entry requirements

You will be required to have:

  • a minimum classification of second class, lower division (2.2) undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in any subject discipline
  • GSCE Maths at grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or above (or equivalent)

A full university application form will need to be submitted including a detailed statement to support your application to the course. You should also submit an up-to-date CV and copies of award certificates.

Official use and codes

Approved to run from 2017/18 Specification version 1 Specification status Validated
Original validation date 30 May 2017 Last validation date 30 May 2017  
Sources of funding HE FUNDING COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND
JACS codes 100107 (finance): 100%
Route code INTRFI

Course Structure

Stage 1 Level 07 September start Offered

Code Module title Info Type Credits Location Period Day Time
FE7052 International Corporate Finance Core 20 NORTH AUT WED EV
FE7054 Economics of International Trade Core 20 NORTH AUT THU EV
FE7055 Growth, Trade and Development Core 20 NORTH AUT MON EV
FE7066 Data Analysis for Global Business Core 20 NORTH SPR TUE EV
FE7P64 Dissertation Alt Core 60 NORTH SUM WED EV
          NORTH AUT FRI EV
          NORTH SPR WED EV
MC7P77 Business Consultancy Project-portfolio assessment Alt Core 60 NORTH SPR FRI AM
          NORTH SUM FRI AM
          NORTH SUM TUE PM
          NORTH SPR TUE PM
          NORTH SPR TUE PM
          NORTH AUT TUE PM
          NORTH AUT FRI AM
MN7W01 Professional Development and Work Placement Alt Core 60        
AC7070 Fundamentals of CSR and Sustainability Option 20 NORTH AUT WED PM
AC7071 International Financial Reporting Option 20 NORTH AUT TUE EV
AC7072 Audit and Assurance Option 20 NORTH SPR MON EV
AC7073 Advanced Financial Management Option 20 NORTH AUT MON EV
FE7053 Financial Derivatives and Risk Management Option 20 NORTH SPR MON EV
FE7057 Practical Sustainability Option 20 NORTH SPR WED PM
FE7060 Environmental Economics and Investment Option 20 NORTH AUT TUE EV
FE7061 International Logistics Option 20 NORTH SPR THU AM
          NORTH SPR THU PM
          NORTH SPR MON PM
          NORTH SUM MON AM
          NORTH SPR MON AM
          NORTH SUM MON PM
FE7062 Commercial and Investment Banking Option 20 NORTH AUT THU EV
FE7063 Financial Regulation and Compliance Option 20 NORTH SPR THU EV
MN7002 International Business Strategy with Simulation Option 20 NORTH AUT WED PM
          NORTH AUT WED AM
MN7W89 Business Work Placement Project Option 20        

Stage 1 Level 07 January start Offered

Code Module title Info Type Credits Location Period Day Time
FE7052 International Corporate Finance Core 20        
FE7054 Economics of International Trade Core 20        
FE7055 Growth, Trade and Development Core 20        
FE7066 Data Analysis for Global Business Core 20 NORTH SPR TUE EV
FE7P64 Dissertation Alt Core 60 NORTH SUM WED EV
          NORTH SPR WED EV
MC7P77 Business Consultancy Project-portfolio assessment Alt Core 60 NORTH SUM FRI AM
          NORTH SPR FRI AM
          NORTH SUM TUE PM
          NORTH SPR TUE PM
          NORTH SPR TUE PM
MN7W01 Professional Development and Work Placement Alt Core 60        
AC7070 Fundamentals of CSR and Sustainability Option 20        
AC7071 International Financial Reporting Option 20        
AC7072 Audit and Assurance Option 20 NORTH SPR MON EV
AC7073 Advanced Financial Management Option 20        
FE7053 Financial Derivatives and Risk Management Option 20 NORTH SPR MON EV
FE7057 Practical Sustainability Option 20 NORTH SPR WED PM
FE7060 Environmental Economics and Investment Option 20        
FE7061 International Logistics Option 20 NORTH SPR THU PM
          NORTH SPR THU AM
          NORTH SUM MON PM
          NORTH SPR MON PM
          NORTH SUM MON AM
          NORTH SPR MON AM
FE7062 Commercial and Investment Banking Option 20        
FE7063 Financial Regulation and Compliance Option 20 NORTH SPR THU EV
MN7002 International Business Strategy with Simulation Option 20        
MN7W89 Business Work Placement Project Option 20