Finance (BSc (Hons))

The BSc Finance is based equally on the subject areas of corporate finance and financial economics. This combined approach provides graduates with a thorough grounding in each area.

Finance is concerned with the operation of financial markets and the valuation of financial assets, in particular in stock, bond, foreign exchange and interest rate markets. Movements in financial markets are driven by information, risk and uncertainty, which in turn provide the foundation for understanding strategic business decision-making.

You will gain specialised knowledge of:

• Financial and monetary systems
• Investment and securities analysis
• Financial markets and institutions
• Strategy
• Information systems
• Accounting
• Quantitative techniques
• Research methods

Recruitment of UCC finance graduates remains exceptionally high among leading firms nationally and internationally. Employment prospects are excellent with nearly 100% of recent (2017 & 2016) graduates in employment (64% average) or further study (34% average). Graduates are highly sought after by financial companies in Ireland, primarily but the BSc Finance degree also has international applicability.

Modules

Year 1 Modules (all 5 credits):

AC1103 Financial Accounting Fundamentals; AC1104 Accounting for Partnerships and Companies; AC1105 Investment Analysis; AC1106 Introduction to Asset Valuation; AC1109 Management Accounting:Principles and Concepts & AC1115 Management Accounting: Cost & Control Systems (5 credits each); EC1200 & EC1211 Quantitative Techniques for Economics I and II (5 credits each); EC1209 Understanding and Interpreting Data; EC1210 Skills for Analysing Economic Data; EC1213 Microeconomic Reasoning & Practice; EC1214 is now Macroeconomics: Tools of Analysis

Year 2 Modules:

International Financial Reporting I;  Consolidated Financial Statements and Reporting;  Introduction to Taxation;  Data Analysis, Business Reporting & Process Automation;  Placement Plan; Corporate Financial Policies;  Business Econometrics and Forecasting;  The Macroeconomic Environment in the Short Term;  The Macroeconomic Environment in the Long Term; Microeconomics and the Individual;  Microeconomics and Macroeconomic Outcomes

Year 3 Modules:

Multinational Finance;  Governance, Regulation and Control of Financial Organisations;  Case Studies in Corporate Finance;  Economic Consulting;  Time Series Analysis;  Principles of Insurance for Finance;  Advanced Data Analysis for Finance;  Placement and Research Report;  Introduction to Corporate Information Systems

• Economics and Markets after the Crisis
• Governance, Regulation and Control of Financial Organisations
• Insurance for Finance
• Corporate Information Systems

You will also spend six months on placement in a financial organisation in Year 3. This internship, which is arranged by UCC, is in a designated financial institution or related organisation located in Ireland or the UK.

Year 4 Modules:

Core

Financial Information Analysis;  Corporate Valuation;  Securities Analysis;  Money Credit and Banking;  International Finance;  Economics of Corporate Strategy;  Economics of Strategic Behaviour;  Finance and Capital Markets;  Portfolio Analysis

Electives

Taxation:  Income Tax and VAT;  Corporation Tax and Capital Gains Tax;  Management Accounting;  Empirical and Behavioural Finance;  Entrepreneurial Finance;  Derivatives Valuation  

On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Derive and apply solutions to financial issues from knowledge of finance, economics,
  accounting, and information technology
• Apply theory to estimate the value of economies, industries, companies, capital projects
  as well as financial assets and derivatives
• Identify financial problems, analyse their impact, and formulate solutions that will
  withstand critical examination
• Work effectively as an individual, and as a finance professional, in teams and in multi-
  disciplinary settings
• Communicate and interact effectively with professional financial services bodies, the
  broader financial community, and with society at large.

Academic Programme Catalogue

See the Academic Programme Catalogue for the complete and up-to-date content for this course. Note that the modules for all courses are subject to change from year-to-year. For complete descriptions of individual modules, see the Book of Modules.

Graduates are highly sought-after by financial companies in Ireland, primarily the IFSC, and by companies in the City of London.

In addition, the BSc Finance degree has international applicability. Recent graduates have gone onto careers in places such as Zurich, Buenos Aries, London, Sydney, Mexico, Edinburgh, Dubai and Malaysia. 

The BSc Finance degree prepares you for a career in the financial markets and financial services sector. In Year 3 you will spend six months on placement in a financial organisation, during which you will gain a valuable mix of both academic and practical skills, which are highly valued by employers.

The degree will provide you with a range of interesting career opportunities. Graduates from the course have gone on to work in:

• investment banking
• securities trading
• stock broking
• financial consultancy
• corporate banking
• fund management
• fund accounting
• insurance 
• accountancy

These career paths have taken them to both national and international financial services centres where they have been highly successful.

All students in the BSc Finance degree go on a six-month work placement during Year 3 of the course. This internship, which is arranged by UCC, is in a designated financial institution or related organisation located in Ireland or the UK.

It will allow you to gain first-hand experience of financial institutions and enterprise, to make informed career decisions and to acquaint employers with the high-quality nature of the specialised graduates of the BSc Finance course, all of which will enhance your career prospects.

On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Communicate and work effectively to a professional standard;
• Demonstrate analytical and problem solving skills associated with effective practice;
• Engage in the application of frameworks and techniques in organizational settings;
• Demonstrate a wide range of capabilities in Corporate Finance, Financial Economics and Accounting;
• Identify financial problems, analyse their impact and formulate solutions using knowledge of Finance, Economics, Accounting and Information Technology.

Expected lecture hours: You will have approximately 12 lecture hours per week, with additional tutorial and practical hours.

Full module information is detailed in the section below.

Written exams will take place before Christmas and in May.  Not all modules will have formal examinations.  Many modules use other types of assessment.

Leaving Certificate Entry Requirements

At Least six subjects must be presented. Minimum grade H5 in two subjects and minimum grade O6/H7 in four other subjects. English and Irish are requirements for all programmes .

Applicants will need to meet the following minimum entry requirements:

EU/EFTA/UK Qualifications

EU/EFTA/UK applicants presenting an equivalent school-leaving qualification should review the EU/EFTA/UK Applicants page for information on equivalent grades and how to prove their level of English.

Mature Students

To compete through the mature entry route, applicants must be 23 years of age on or before 1 January of the application year and apply online via the CAO by 1 February. The application should include a statement of interest. Irish Leaving Certificate Maths (or equivalent) is recommended. Applicants may also be called for interview.

Further information on applying as a mature student is available on the Mature Applicants and Mature Student Entry support pages. 

Non-EU Candidates

Non-EU candidates are expected to have educational qualifications of a standard equivalent to Irish university primary degree level. In addition, where such candidates are non-native speakers of the English language they must satisfy the university of their competency in the English language. To verify if you meet the minimum academic requirements for this programme please visit our qualification comparison pages.

For more detailed entry requirement information please refer to the International website .

Non-EU Applications

For full details of the non-EU application procedure please visit our how to apply pages for international students. In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above.

For more information please contact the International Office.