Master's in Financial Management

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Based on Utrecht University’s research expertise, this multidisciplinary Master’s gives you a broad and specific understanding of the financial management of organisations. You study with some of the world’s leading academics in the field of financial management.

CONTENT OF THE PROGRAMME

In the Master in Financial Management you will focus on:

• How to raise capital (i.e. issuing shares and bonds);
• How to allocate capital (capital and operational budgeting);
• How to manage short-term resources;
• How to deal with new alternative financing forms such as crowdfunding or fintech;
• How to manage different corporate risks;
• How to align individual motives to organisational motives via performance management and compensation systems;
• How to effectively introduce changes in financial management policies within organisations.

CFA RECOGNITION

The MSc programme in Financial Management is part of the CFA® Institute University Recognition Programme. As such, this Master’s programme is a good choice for  students interested in enrolling in the CFA® Programme and obtaining the CFA® charter, the designation of excellence in the investment community. U.S.E. can offer scholarships to outstanding master students to undertake CFA® exams at a special price.

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES

This MSc in Financial Management provides you with:

• a unique, multidisciplinary and international programme
  in which you  learn to understand not just a firm’s finances, but also how to deal with  economic, managerial, regulatory, and reporting issues to maximise enterprise value;
• the latest economic and financial theory and the hard financial skills
  to put theory into practice in an increasingly complex world;
• the mindset to understand and solve trade-offs between short- and long-term objectives, between shareholders and stakeholders, and between financial and social responsibility;

The core objectives of this Master’s programme can be summarised by the five A’s of financial management: Attract, Allocate, Administer, Analyse, and Anticipate.

• Attract: Attracting money involves key decisions on the source of financing.  This programme will provide you with insights into the dynamics of international capital markets and how they can be used to raise capital for everything from start-ups to multinational mega-projects.
• Allocate: In today’s fast-changing business environment, modern financial managers need a state-of-the-art tool-box to make complex capital budgeting decisions. Which projects in a company should get funding? How much and why?  You will analyse how to estimate cash flows, to calculate costs of capital in both domestic and international settings, and to use a real option framework to handle highly uncertain and irreversible investment and allocation decisions.
• Analyse: Financial managers need to constantly analyse and monitor the firm with respect to profitability, liquidity and solvency. This involves financial statement analysis and cost calculations. As a financial manager you also need to manage and monitor different risk exposures.
• Administer: In support of analytical activities and systems, a financial manager needs several administering activities such as collecting, registering, consolidating and reporting financial data (quarterly and annual reports). Knowledge of financial accounting and expertise in treasury is important here.
• Anticipate: An important task of the (chief) financial officer is to anticipate future events and cash flow streams. Cash planning, budgeting, investment planning, and risk assessment are crucial activities in this area.

Do you want to know if you are eligible for this Master?

Check the entry requirements and apply here

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CAREER PROSPECTS

Upon completion of the MSc in Banking and Finance you are prepared for a wide range of positions in (international) financial institutions: central and commercial banks, consulting firms, investment funds, hedge funds, insurance firms, pension funds or financial market regulators. Read more about possible career prospects.

Read more about Kevin's Experience

 

Read more about Tolias' experience

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WHY STUDY IN UTRECHT

• A real world perspective: real-life economic situattions, international community, experienced professionals. By working alongside individuals with real world experience, you will not only build up a solid knowledge base in your area of study, but you will also build on your professional network and gain an insider’s view into professional practice.
• You will be studying at one of the world's top universities: The Shanghai Ranking places UU as the top university in the Netherlands, 13th in Europe, and 47th in the world.
• Top facilities in a beautiful historic city: You will have access to a wide range of high-quality facilities such as Wi-Fi, cross-campus library access, and online access to academic books, journals, and databases.
• Active student association with a variety of student activities: from social gatherings to field trips and guest lectures, and every year, the study association hosts an annual career event and scientific conference, where you can speak with – and get noticed by – representatives from many major international companies.

Read more here

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE

It is recommended to have a BSc of a research University in Economics or Economics and Business Economics, with substantial quantitative background, preferably with some degree of specialisation in Financial Management.

Students with other university Bachelor’s degrees must have knowledge in the following fields:

• Microeconomics
• Mathematics
• Macroeconomics
• Corporate Finance
• Econometrics or Advanced Statistics

The admission and application requires varies depending on your nationality and institution where you obtained your previous degree. Enter to this page to check the specific requirements for your specific case