Description

Queen’s University Management School is one of the largest Schools in the University with more than 1300 full-time undergraduate students and 300 plus postgraduate students. The School has been delivering high quality programmes for more than 40 years and was one of the first schools in the UK to introduce undergraduate management education. Since then, QUMS has been developing and enhancing its teaching portfolio for both local and international students and boasts students from more than 20 different nationalities.

In recent years, the School has benefited from significant investment resulting in many new academic appointments and state-of-the-art facilities including computer teaching labs with specilaised software and a Trading Room in Riddel Hall. In addition, the new McClay library houses an excellent selection of Management and related texts and there are extensive IT facilities throughout the campus.

At Queen’s, we aim to deliver a high quality learning environment that embeds intellectual curiosity, innovation and best practice in learning, teaching and student support to enable student to achieve their full academic potential. In line with this, one of QUMS’ primary objectives is to deliver innovative learning and teaching programmes that provide students with the competences and skills to make a positive contribution to business, economic and civic life.

On the BSc Finance programme we achieve these goals by providing a range of learning environments which enable our students to engage with subject experts both academic staff and industry guest speakers, develop skills and attributes and perspectives that will equip them for life and work in a global society and make use of innovative technologies and a world-class library that enhances their development as independent, lifelong learners. Examples of the opportunities provided for learning on this degree programme are:

• Lectures: these introduce foundation information about new topics as a starting point for further self-directed private study/reading. As the module progresses this information becomes more complex. Lectures, which are normally delivered in large groups to all year-group peers, also provide opportunities to ask questions and seek clarification on key issues as well as gain feedback and advice on assessments. Additional lectures are also delivered by employer representatives. In addition to the academic content of the lectures and workshops, this enables employers to impart their valuable experience to QUMS Finance students, introduces important local employers to our students and allows our students to meet and engage with potential future employers.
• Seminars/tutorials: a significant amount of teaching is carried out in small groups (typically 15-20 students). These sessions are designed to explore, in more depth, the information that has been presented in the lectures. This provides students with the opportunity to engage closely with academic staff who have specialist knowledge of the topic, to ask questions of them and to assess their own progress and understanding with the support of their peers. During these classes, students will be expected to present their work to academic staff and their peers.
• Practicals: Finance is a very theoretical yet vocational subject and as such we facilitate opportunities for students to engage in the application of theory. Students will have opportunities to develop technical skills and apply theoretical principles to real-life or practical contexts through the modules you study and through industry presentations and workshops that we host.
• Trading RoomSeveral classes on the degree programme are taught in the dedicated financial trading room which recreates the excitement of an investment bank trading floor, and provides students with hands-on experience in a dynamic environment. Real-time data feeds from major exchanges are displayed on terminals and wall screens, and industry-standard software packages are used to provide the best possible introduction to investment banking IT.
• E-Learning technologies:information associated with lectures and assignments is often communicated via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Queen’s Online. A range of e-learning experiences are also embedded in the degree programme through the use of, for example, interactive support materials, podcasts and web-based learning activities. There are also opportunities to develop skills in the use of industry software associated with actuarial practice.
• Self-directed study: this is an essential part of life as a Queen’s student when important private reading, engagement with e-learning resources, reflection on feedback to date and assignment research and preparation work is carried out.
• Work placements: The BSc Finance programme has a compulsory placement year with an actuarial organisation. This begins after all Level 2 modules have been successfully completed. The dedicated Placement Office within the School facilitates students in sourcing and securing appropriate placements and provides appropriate support whilst the student is with the host organisation. This is a significant learning and employability enhancement opportunity and will ensure that the theory being understood in the lecture theatre is complemented by the development of practical, transferrable skills.
• Supervised projects: As part of the continual assessment on a range of modules, students will be expected to carry out projects. They will receive support from the module coordinators who will guide them in terms of how to carry out projects and who will provide feedback during the write up stage.
• Masterclasses: Throughout the degree students are offered exposure to financial experts from the London financial markets who share their industry knowledge and offer advice on what it takes to succeed in the world of finance.
• Student Support Systems: QUMS has an active and co-ordinated student support system to assist students in making the transition from school to university. This includes:
• assigning each student an Adviser of Studies to assist with the choice of modules at the beginning of each academic year;
• assigning each student a Personal Tutor (an academic member of staff) when they begin the degree programme. The Personal Tutoring System includes individual scheduled appointments with personal tutors, small group tutor meetings (4-5 students) and e-mail contact to discuss academic matters, academic performance, skills development, careers and/or prospective placements and issues related to University policies and practices. Students meet their Personal Tutor at induction and during the first and second year of study they are expected to meet with their Personal Tutor at least once per semester.
• A Peer Mentoring Scheme whereby students in second and third year of their degree programme volunteer to mentor Level 1 students. Developing the programme themselves, with support from academic staff in QUMS, the mentors organise informal meetings, regular contact and a series of events ranging from ice-breaker type events to employer-led sessions with the Level 1 students.
• a formalised induction for all undergraduate students. For Level 1 students, this includes several half-day sessions the week before the programme begins to allow students to familiarise themselves with the campus and the degree programme. During Level 1 there are a number of follow-up sessions throughout the year. Topics such as academic writing, referencing, plagiarism, communication skills, examination preparation and managing time effectively are all covered in these practical sessions.
• Personal Development Planning to encourage students to engage in independent learning.

Careers

The BSc (Finance) degree offers a unique perspective on finance and investment management. The BSc (Finance) closely reflects the real-world finance and investment environment, and focuses on the applied skills that modern employers are looking for. The programme provides a comprehensive examination of corporate finance, international finance, portfolio management, the valuation of financial assets and financial institutions, instruments and markets.

Students pursuing a career in Finance should enjoy working with numbers, be effective communicators and work well with people as they will have to analyse and interpret financial and other information to meet the needs of different users, including managers and investors.

Employer Links – Consultations:We regularly consult and develop links with a large number of employers including all the major finance employers in NI, Ireland and GB. We host annual employer liaison meetings for the course as well as annual finance careers fairs at which students can engage with a range of employers on a one-one basis.

Placement Employers:Students undertake a minimum of nine months in a work placement. Salaries for students who have recently returned from placement (2011/12) range from £12k–39k. These placements are in Belfast, Dublin, London and the Channel Islands. For almost all students placed in Dublin and London the starting salary is in excess of £20k. The organisations and the functions in which students are currently placed (2012/11) include:

• Investment Banks (investment analysts): Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley
• Accountancy Firms (management consultants): Grant Thornton, KPMG, Ernst & Young, PWC
• Corporate Banks (corporate and security analysis): Lloyds TSB, Barclays Corporate
• Insurance Companies (risk assessors): Aviva, Allianz, Prudential and Irish Life
• Specialist Financial Firms (traders): First Derivatives, Setanta Asset Management, SIG.
• Actuarial Firms (back office processors): Mercer Plc
• Pension Consultancy: Xafinity, Kerr Henderson
• General Companies (finance functions): Abbot, Lagan Technologies, Microsoft, NI Civil Service, Oxford Economics, Queen's University Belfast Finance, Singer, Terex, Vion Foods and Xerox,

Graduate Careers and Achievements: Graduates from this degree at Queen’s are very well regarded by many employers (local, national and international).

Students who successfully complete the Finance degree are well placed to find employment in investment banks, corporate banks, building societies, insurance houses, stockbrokers, investment banks, accountancy and actuarial firms, specialist financial and private equity companies as well as in the finance functions of more general companies.

Within these organisations graduates operate as financial analysts (in bonds, equities and derivative products), fund managers, treasurers, financial planners, wealth managers, accountants, financial economists, forecasters and corporate lenders.

Recent graduate employers have included: AllState; Bank of Ireland; Citi Group; Delta Index

Energia; Ernst & Young ; First Derivatives; HSBC; Kerr Henderson; KPMG; Mercer Plc; Morgan Stanley; Nationwide Building Society; Nomura Bank; Oxford Economics; PWC; Setanta Asset Management

Degree Plus and other related initiatives: Recognising student diversity, as well as promoting employability enhancements and other interests, is part of the developmental experience at Queen’s. Students are encouraged to plan and build their own, personal skill and experiential profile through a range of activities including; recognised Queen’s Certificates, placements and other work experiences (at home or overseas), Erasmus study options elsewhere in Europe, learning development opportunities and involvement in wider university life through activities, such as clubs, societies, and sports.

Queen’s actively encourages this type of activity by offering students an additional qualification, the Degree Plus Award (and the related Researcher Plus Award for PhD and MPhil students). Degree Plus accredits wider experiential and skill development gained through extra-curricular activities that promote the enhancement of academic, career management, personal and employability skills in a variety of contexts. As part of the Award, students are also trained on how to reflect on the experience(s) and make the link between academic achievement, extracurricular activities, transferable skills and graduate employment. Participating students will also be trained in how to reflect on their skills and experiences and can gain an understanding of how to articulate the significance of these to others, e.g. employers.