MSc — 2024 entry FinTech and Policy
The new FinTech sector is transforming the global financial services industry, which has increasing demand for advanced data analytics skills and knowledge. Our MSc will give you the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to understand the ever-changing FinTech landscape.
We will continue to accept applications from UK students until 1 September 2024.
Why choose
this course?
- As an entrepreneurship & innovation management student, you’ll be based in the Surrey Business School and be part of a vibrant community, focused on improving business practice and creating a sustainable and positive change.
- We combine an academic foundation with practical experience to reinforce your skills. This includes the MSc Corporate Challenge which supports digital marketing activity for SMEs as well as the product-market research project which supports start-ups with product development and builds on synergies with the SETSquared Partnership which is typically ranked as one of the top university business incubators worldwide by UBI Global
- You can also tailor your learning through a range of optional modules, including modules in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, and a module to develop an original business idea with mentoring through SET-Squared Surrey. For the final project, students can choose either a consulting project with an existing company or a business plan based on original business idea while benefiting from mentoring to help you design your future career path.
- The School is renowned for its:
- World-class teaching and research
- Strong focus on entrepreneurship and enterprise
- Vibrant and diverse community
- Excellent career prospects.
Statistics
Fantastic graduate prospects
94% of our Surrey Business School postgraduate students go on to employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2024, HESA)
Top 75 globally
Surrey is ranked 67th in the THE World University 2023 Business and Economics subject rankings
Top 10
Surrey is ranked 9th in the UK for overall satisfaction (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2023)
Accreditation
What you will study
In an intensely competitive employment market, employers are increasingly looking for graduates with transferable knowledge and skills that cut across the evolving areas of finance, law and technology.
Our FinTech and Policy MSc will enable you to understand the rapidly changing financial market conditions, investment technologies and regulatory climates that drive business decisions around the world.
Our course will equip you with the skills and training to give you a competitive edge in today’s job market, especially for those seeking to combine business training with exploration of the law and ethics, in responding to and shaping technological innovation.
Professional recognition
MSc - Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
Facilities
Surrey Business School will also provide you with opportunities to obtain practical skills development through a state-of-the-art Bloomberg trading room.
Full-time students complete four modules per semester. Case and project topics are normally allocated towards the end of Semester 2, and work on these will be carried out during the summer period.
The structure of our programmes follows clear educational aims that are tailored to each programme. These are all outlined in the programme specifications which include further details such as the learning outcomes:
Modules
Modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Modules are subject to teaching availability, student demand and/or class size caps.
The University operates a credit framework for all taught programmes based on a 15-credit tariff.
Course options
Year 1
Semester 1
Compulsory
FinTech is revolutionizing and rapidly changing the global financial services industries. Business models that can facilitate disintermediation, revolutionize how existing firms create and deliver products and services, address privacy, regulatory and law-enforcement challenges, provide new gateways for entrepreneurship, and seed opportunities for inclusive growth. This module provides an introduction to the FinTech sector. Topics may include but are not limited to: blockchain, cryptocurrencies, decentralized applications, smart contracts, payments services, alternative and P2P lending and crowdfunding, AI, machine learning (including applications such as robo-advising) and Insurtech. Students are expected to develop a broad understanding of recent FinTech development, valuation, risk and its impact in the financial industries.
View full module detailsThe primary purpose of this module is to teach students how to structure a business data analysis from end to end, from business question to communication of options and insights. Such a skill is fundamental to all Business Analytics, and will help students structure their analyses throughout the rest of the programme. Students will learn how to apply data analysis within a general decision-making framework by practical first-hand experience, taking a business problem (and associated dataset) from start to finish, with each week teaching them how to progress through one step of the analytical process. Along the way they will learn key concepts that determine the quality of a data analysis, including how to generate a specific business question, how to generate reliable, clean data, how to differentiate signal from noise, such that they may identify useful business insights. At the end of the module, they will take their analyses and learn how to communicate data insights through visualisation and dashboarding.
View full module detailsOptional
Digital technology influences every aspect of daily life, shaping the way that individuals live, work and socialise (and therefore also inevitably matters of civil law, such as contract and tort) but it has a less positive aspect as it has also transformed criminal behaviour. This module considers the legal, regulatory and commercial issues relating to the internet and digitisation as well as the dark side of technology that has led to the growth of online crime. It reflects on the ensuing impact on the digital economy, platforms and the wider business community plus the legal regulation thereof taking account of the unprecedented transformation in the digitisation of the law and the way business is conducted in the 21st century. The module encourages critical engagement with the way in which the law operates in an effort to both facilitate digitisation as well as combat cybercrime. It brings together theoretical ideas about the function of law with the practical considerations of the impact of criminal behaviour on society. It also engages with the challenges of preventing online crime and policing the internet.
View full module detailsThe module provides the theoretical underpinnings of our MSc Accounting and Finance programme. It introduces the pivotal concepts which form the basis of theoretical finance under three broad headings; Portfolio Theory and Practice, Equilibrium in Capital Markets and Introductory Analysis of Asset Classes. Core concepts include the relationship between risk and return, the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) but the module also extends this analysis into new theoretical areas such as Behavioural Finance.
View full module detailsThe module has the aim of introducing students to core concepts in the blockchain technology. Students will become familiar with applications of cryptography to financial transactions and the technicalities behind cryptocurrencies and their workings. Using case studies and simulations, students will be exposed to the use of software wallets and engage in blockchain and cryptocurrency related transactions.
View full module detailsData mining is the process of finding anomalies, patterns and correlations within large data sets to predict outcomes. It involves searching through databases for potentially useful information such as knowledge rules, patterns, regularities, and other trends hidden in the data. Using a broad range of techniques, this information is leveraged to increase revenues, cut costs, improve customer relationships, reduce risks and more. Applications of data mining and business analytics are highly useful in today's competitive market. In this module several case studies of well- known data mining techniques are used; e.g. shopping basket analysis such as Tesco club card, credit card fraud detection, predicting stock market returns, risk analysis in banking, web analytics and social network analysis including Facebook and Twitter.
View full module detailsSemester 2
Compulsory
This module provides an overview of financial regulation including regulation of banking, capital markets payments and digital assets. Building on prior knowledge of private and public law, it introduces the regulatory frameworks for each of these areas and the policy considerations that animate regulatory policy. The module also examines the impact of financial regulation on emerging FinTech businesses and considers the ways in which new technology challenges traditional models of financial regulation.
View full module detailsThis course introduces modern programming concepts and practice for students with little or no background in computing using the computer language Python. The course will start with a presentation of basic programming concepts, including data types and structures as they exist in Python. Loops and conditional statements will then be introduced, as well as custom functions, along with a wider discussion of structured programming and ways to reuse code. Students will then consider practical applications of programming. They will learn to work with data input and output in different formats, use suitable libraries for scientific computing and data analysis, and create plots and visualizations to display results. Throughout the course, students will engage with professional programming practices and tools (test-driven development, version control, code reviewing, debugging), and will have the opportunity to collaborate with peers to develop their skills.
View full module detailsThis is a compulsory module for the MSc in FinTech and Policy Programme. The module provides an opportunity to conduct study on a FinTech-related situation and reflect on it. Students are expected to select a FinTech and policy-related issue, conduct an independent research and complete a report within a stipulated period. Students will have the opportunity to consult with the Module Convenor while deciding on the business case that interests them. The research should be based on secondary data sources. Students will have opportunity to understand the techniques essential in writing financial reports in the taught module “Cases in FinTech”. In addition, support session will be conducted by the module convenor to assist students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the requirements of the report
View full module detailsFinTech is revolutionizing and rapidly changing the global financial services industries. Business models that can facilitate disintermediation, revolutionize how existing firms create and deliver products and services, address privacy, regulatory and law-enforcement challenges, provide new gateways for entrepreneurship, and seed opportunities for inclusive growth. This module provides an introduction to the FinTech sector. Topics may include but are not limited to: blockchain, cryptocurrencies, decentralized applications, smart contracts, payments services, alternative and P2P lending and crowdfunding, AI, machine learning (including applications such as robo-advising) and Insurtech. Students are expected to develop a broad understanding of recent FinTech development, valuation, risk and its impact in the financial industries.
View full module detailsCases in FinTech and Policy is a compulsory module that aims to help students develop an understanding of the process involved in successfully analyzing case information to complete a Fintech-related project, in preparation for the FinTech and Policy Project module. It enables students to understand a real-life, complex, multi-layered, global issue and synthesize appropriate information while preparing an analysis on the case and / or critically evaluating the evolving market structure / competitive environment and developments in regulatory policy. The Cases in FinTech and Policy module facilitates the independent learning process and provides students with the knowledge, skills and understanding required to articulate findings in a structured report format.
View full module detailsAs a result of a range of recent corporate scandals an increased emphasis has been put on corporate social responsibility and the need for the board of directors to conform to an ethical code of conduct while managing the affairs of an entity. This module explores how corporate governance examines the system of rules, principles and procedures through which a company is run to promote the best interest of its shareholders, other stakeholders and the wider society.
View full module detailsOptional
Risk management focuses on the following types of financial risk that arise for a business: market risk, credit risk and liquidity risk. A brief introduction to non-financial risks is also given, but is not the main focus. This module considers financial risk management strategies; how risk is evaluated; the methods that are available to hedge against risk and the strategies that are employed to mitigate risk. This is complemented by consideration of key risk management issues for financial institutions including bank capital adequacy. The lessons to be learned from the Financial Crisis of 2007-08 are also investigated. Understanding risk and how to identify and deal with it provides a key input for students of finance, accounting or banking.
View full module detailsThe module equips students with the knowledge and tools to implement financial models using Python. The course introduces students to the general principles of building financial models, as well as a number of specific financial modelling tools, including matrix calculations, optimization, regression analysis (both time-series modelling and panel data modelling), out-of-sample forecasting and simulation. These methods are applied to a range of practical problems in finance, including passive and active portfolio management, risk management and currency valuation. The emphasis of the course is on practical application of the theory, with lectures on each topic followed by in-depth practical classes, in which students work through real world problems using Python.
View full module detailsThis module examines international currency markets and currency transactions, exchange rate systems and the implications of exchange rate volatility. It also explores various currency risks that arise from international operations and examines issues that arise when firms seek financing outside their home markets.
View full module detailsYear 1
Semester 1
Compulsory
FinTech is revolutionizing and rapidly changing the global financial services industries. Business models that can facilitate disintermediation, revolutionize how existing firms create and deliver products and services, address privacy, regulatory and law-enforcement challenges, provide new gateways for entrepreneurship, and seed opportunities for inclusive growth. This module provides an introduction to the FinTech sector. Topics may include but are not limited to: blockchain, cryptocurrencies, decentralized applications, smart contracts, payments services, alternative and P2P lending and crowdfunding, AI, machine learning (including applications such as robo-advising) and Insurtech. Students are expected to develop a broad understanding of recent FinTech development, valuation, risk and its impact in the financial industries.
View full module detailsThe primary purpose of this module is to teach students how to structure a business data analysis from end to end, from business question to communication of options and insights. Such a skill is fundamental to all Business Analytics, and will help students structure their analyses throughout the rest of the programme. Students will learn how to apply data analysis within a general decision-making framework by practical first-hand experience, taking a business problem (and associated dataset) from start to finish, with each week teaching them how to progress through one step of the analytical process. Along the way they will learn key concepts that determine the quality of a data analysis, including how to generate a specific business question, how to generate reliable, clean data, how to differentiate signal from noise, such that they may identify useful business insights. At the end of the module, they will take their analyses and learn how to communicate data insights through visualisation and dashboarding.
View full module detailsOptional
Digital technology influences every aspect of daily life, shaping the way that individuals live, work and socialise (and therefore also inevitably matters of civil law, such as contract and tort) but it has a less positive aspect as it has also transformed criminal behaviour. This module considers the legal, regulatory and commercial issues relating to the internet and digitisation as well as the dark side of technology that has led to the growth of online crime. It reflects on the ensuing impact on the digital economy, platforms and the wider business community plus the legal regulation thereof taking account of the unprecedented transformation in the digitisation of the law and the way business is conducted in the 21st century. The module encourages critical engagement with the way in which the law operates in an effort to both facilitate digitisation as well as combat cybercrime. It brings together theoretical ideas about the function of law with the practical considerations of the impact of criminal behaviour on society. It also engages with the challenges of preventing online crime and policing the internet.
View full module detailsThe module provides the theoretical underpinnings of our MSc Accounting and Finance programme. It introduces the pivotal concepts which form the basis of theoretical finance under three broad headings; Portfolio Theory and Practice, Equilibrium in Capital Markets and Introductory Analysis of Asset Classes. Core concepts include the relationship between risk and return, the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) but the module also extends this analysis into new theoretical areas such as Behavioural Finance.
View full module detailsThe module has the aim of introducing students to core concepts in the blockchain technology. Students will become familiar with applications of cryptography to financial transactions and the technicalities behind cryptocurrencies and their workings. Using case studies and simulations, students will be exposed to the use of software wallets and engage in blockchain and cryptocurrency related transactions.
View full module detailsData mining is the process of finding anomalies, patterns and correlations within large data sets to predict outcomes. It involves searching through databases for potentially useful information such as knowledge rules, patterns, regularities, and other trends hidden in the data. Using a broad range of techniques, this information is leveraged to increase revenues, cut costs, improve customer relationships, reduce risks and more. Applications of data mining and business analytics are highly useful in today's competitive market. In this module several case studies of well- known data mining techniques are used; e.g. shopping basket analysis such as Tesco club card, credit card fraud detection, predicting stock market returns, risk analysis in banking, web analytics and social network analysis including Facebook and Twitter.
View full module detailsSemester 2
Compulsory
This module provides an overview of financial regulation including regulation of banking, capital markets payments and digital assets. Building on prior knowledge of private and public law, it introduces the regulatory frameworks for each of these areas and the policy considerations that animate regulatory policy. The module also examines the impact of financial regulation on emerging FinTech businesses and considers the ways in which new technology challenges traditional models of financial regulation.
View full module detailsThis course introduces modern programming concepts and practice for students with little or no background in computing using the computer language Python. The course will start with a presentation of basic programming concepts, including data types and structures as they exist in Python. Loops and conditional statements will then be introduced, as well as custom functions, along with a wider discussion of structured programming and ways to reuse code. Students will then consider practical applications of programming. They will learn to work with data input and output in different formats, use suitable libraries for scientific computing and data analysis, and create plots and visualizations to display results. Throughout the course, students will engage with professional programming practices and tools (test-driven development, version control, code reviewing, debugging), and will have the opportunity to collaborate with peers to develop their skills.
View full module detailsThis is a compulsory module for the MSc in FinTech and Policy Programme. The module provides an opportunity to conduct study on a FinTech-related situation and reflect on it. Students are expected to select a FinTech and policy-related issue, conduct an independent research and complete a report within a stipulated period. Students will have the opportunity to consult with the Module Convenor while deciding on the business case that interests them. The research should be based on secondary data sources. Students will have opportunity to understand the techniques essential in writing financial reports in the taught module “Cases in FinTech”. In addition, support session will be conducted by the module convenor to assist students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the requirements of the report
View full module detailsFinTech is revolutionizing and rapidly changing the global financial services industries. Business models that can facilitate disintermediation, revolutionize how existing firms create and deliver products and services, address privacy, regulatory and law-enforcement challenges, provide new gateways for entrepreneurship, and seed opportunities for inclusive growth. This module provides an introduction to the FinTech sector. Topics may include but are not limited to: blockchain, cryptocurrencies, decentralized applications, smart contracts, payments services, alternative and P2P lending and crowdfunding, AI, machine learning (including applications such as robo-advising) and Insurtech. Students are expected to develop a broad understanding of recent FinTech development, valuation, risk and its impact in the financial industries.
View full module detailsCases in FinTech and Policy is a compulsory module that aims to help students develop an understanding of the process involved in successfully analyzing case information to complete a Fintech-related project, in preparation for the FinTech and Policy Project module. It enables students to understand a real-life, complex, multi-layered, global issue and synthesize appropriate information while preparing an analysis on the case and / or critically evaluating the evolving market structure / competitive environment and developments in regulatory policy. The Cases in FinTech and Policy module facilitates the independent learning process and provides students with the knowledge, skills and understanding required to articulate findings in a structured report format.
View full module detailsAs a result of a range of recent corporate scandals an increased emphasis has been put on corporate social responsibility and the need for the board of directors to conform to an ethical code of conduct while managing the affairs of an entity. This module explores how corporate governance examines the system of rules, principles and procedures through which a company is run to promote the best interest of its shareholders, other stakeholders and the wider society.
View full module detailsOptional
Risk management focuses on the following types of financial risk that arise for a business: market risk, credit risk and liquidity risk. A brief introduction to non-financial risks is also given, but is not the main focus. This module considers financial risk management strategies; how risk is evaluated; the methods that are available to hedge against risk and the strategies that are employed to mitigate risk. This is complemented by consideration of key risk management issues for financial institutions including bank capital adequacy. The lessons to be learned from the Financial Crisis of 2007-08 are also investigated. Understanding risk and how to identify and deal with it provides a key input for students of finance, accounting or banking.
View full module detailsThe module equips students with the knowledge and tools to implement financial models using Python. The course introduces students to the general principles of building financial models, as well as a number of specific financial modelling tools, including matrix calculations, optimization, regression analysis (both time-series modelling and panel data modelling), out-of-sample forecasting and simulation. These methods are applied to a range of practical problems in finance, including passive and active portfolio management, risk management and currency valuation. The emphasis of the course is on practical application of the theory, with lectures on each topic followed by in-depth practical classes, in which students work through real world problems using Python.
View full module detailsThis module examines international currency markets and currency transactions, exchange rate systems and the implications of exchange rate volatility. It also explores various currency risks that arise from international operations and examines issues that arise when firms seek financing outside their home markets.
View full module detailsTeaching and learning
Taught by an incredible team of subject experts, including Professor Bonnie Buchanan, Director of the FinTech Research Centre, who wrote the Turing Institute Report on AI in Financial Services and SWIFT report on FinTech in China versus the West. Professor Buchanan has presented seminars and workshops on FinTech and AI at SIBOS, the Bank of England and Bank of Finland. She has also testified before the US House of Financial Services on AI and algorithmic bias and appears regularly in the media. Professor Buchanan is the co-recipient of a £233,000 UK Innovate grant on AI.
General course information
Contact hours
Contact hours can vary across our modules. Full details of the contact hours for each module are available from the University of Surrey's module catalogue. See the modules section for more information.
Timetable
New students will receive their personalised timetable in Welcome Week. In later semesters, two weeks before the start of semester.
Scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week (Monday – Friday), with part-time classes normally scheduled on one or two days. Wednesday afternoons tend to be for sports and cultural activities.
View our code of practice for the scheduling of teaching and assessment (PDF) for more information.
Location
Stag Hill is the University's main campus and where the majority of our courses are taught.
We offer careers information, advice and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University.
94 per cent of our Surrey Business School postgraduate students go on to employment or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2024, HESA).
Our masters will give you the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to understand the ever-changing FinTech landscape.
With an MSc in FinTech and Policy, it's likely you'll pursue a career in roles like the following:
- Risk manager
- App developer
- Compliance officer
- Data specialist
- Financial analyst
- Blockchain developer.
A minimum of a 2:2 UK honours degree in any recognised subject is required, although students with degrees with any of the following subjects would be especially well equipped for our MSc programme: Accountancy, banking, business administration, law, politics, economics, engineering, finance, management, mathematics or science or a recognised equivalent international qualification.
We may be able to take relevant work experience into consideration if you don't meet these requirements. If you have at least one year of relevant experience in a full-time graduate-level role (or a minimum of two years’ experience in a relevant graduate-level part-time role) please provide full details of your role and responsibilities in your personal statement and CV when you submit your application.
English language requirements
IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each element.
These are the English language qualifications and levels that we can accept.
If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
Recognition of prior learning
We recognise that many students enter their course with valuable knowledge and skills developed through a range of ways.
If this applies to you, the recognition of prior learning process may mean you can join a course without the formal entry requirements, or at a point appropriate to your previous learning and experience.
There are restrictions for some courses and fees may be payable for certain claims. Please contact the Admissions team with any queries.
Fees per year
Explore UKCISA’s website for more information if you are unsure whether you are a UK or overseas student. View the list of fees for all postgraduate courses.
September 2024 - Full-time - 1 year
- UK
- £15,200 per year
- Overseas
- £25,400 per year
February 2025 - Full-time - 1 year
- UK
- £15,200 per year
- Overseas
- £25,400 per year
- These fees apply to students commencing study in the academic year 2024-25 only. Fees for new starters are reviewed annually
- Annual fees will increase by 4% for each subsequent year of study, rounded up to the nearest £100, subject to any overriding applicable legislative requirements.
Payment schedule
- Students with Tuition Fee Loan: the Student Loans Company pay fees in line with their schedule (students on an unstructured self-paced part-time course are not eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan).
- Students without a Tuition Fee Loan: pay their fees either in full at the beginning of the programme or in two instalments as follows:
- 50% payable 10 days after the invoice date (expected to be early October of each academic year)
- 50% in January of the same academic year.
- Students on part-time programmes where fees are paid on a modular basis: cannot pay fees by instalment.
- Sponsored students: must provide us with valid sponsorship information that covers the period of study.
The exact date(s) will be on invoices.
Funding
You may be able to borrow money to help pay your tuition fees and support you with your living costs. Find out more about postgraduate student finance.
Scholarships and bursaries
Discover what scholarships and bursaries are available to support your studies.
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We will continue to accept applications from UK students until 1 September 2024.
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Register your interestAdmissions information
Once you apply, you can expect to hear back from us within 14 days. This might be with a decision on your application or with a request for further information.
Our code of practice for postgraduate admissions policy explains how the Admissions team considers applications and admits students. Read our postgraduate applicant guidance for more information on applying.
About the University of Surrey
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Contact our Admissions team or talk to a current University of Surrey student online.
Terms and conditions
When you accept an offer to study at the University of Surrey, you are agreeing to follow our policies and procedures, student regulations, and terms and conditions.
We provide these terms and conditions in two stages:
- First when we make an offer.
- Second when students accept their offer and register to study with us (registration terms and conditions will vary depending on your course and academic year).
View our generic registration terms and conditions (PDF) for the 2023/24 academic year, as a guide on what to expect.
Disclaimer
This online prospectus has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies.
Whilst we have done everything possible to ensure this information is accurate, some changes may happen between publishing and the start of the course.
It is important to check this website for any updates before you apply for a course with us. Read our full disclaimer.