Overview
Global Finance and its role in the world has never been more complex. Recent events have shown that it is more important than ever to have an understanding of the theory and intuition behind the practice of financial decision-making, risk management and the behaviour of financial markets. Although specific techniques may go out of date, the ability to think analytically and to understand the fundamentals of why something is done a certain way will be invaluable in the rapidly developing world of finance, and will be crucial for those who wish to progress to senior roles within financial institutions. This is key to the study of finance and its related disciplines at LSE.
Features of LSE courses
Our programme is widely regarded as being at the forefront of international teaching in the field. Our aim is to give you an understanding of finance that will be useful throughout your career. This means that, unlike professional courses, we teach both finance techniques and the intuition behind them to enable our students to critically evaluate their suitability and usefulness in different contexts. We will encourage you to adopt a critical and flexible viewpoint and to analyse the subject from a variety of perspectives, including the international dimension.
Our finance faculty is one of the largest in Europe and includes internationally acknowledged leaders in academic research in all of the major subfields of finance.
Degree structure
The first year of the degree will give an essential foundation in the subject, equipping students with the necessary quantitative skills. Every student will take finance, accounting, economics, mathematics and statistics courses, plus the innovative LSE100.
The second year concentrates on building a firm grasp of core analytical methods in finance and financial economics and applying them to a range of problems, while the third year allows for students to gain rigorous depth in a range of finance subfields.
What the selectors are looking for in an application
The selectors are looking for students with strong analytical abilities and a high level of numeracy. A level Mathematics (or equivalent) is therefore a compulsory requirement. In addition to Mathematics, the selectors prefer to see subject combinations which indicate that you possess both analytical and writing abilities. Subjects which appear as common post-16 choices are Economics; Physics; History; Chemistry; Government and Politics. An additional qualification in Further Mathematics, at any level, if offered, is highly preferred as an indication of mathematical ability. However, we are aware that not everyone has the opportunity to follow a Further Mathematics programme and find it helpful if applicants and/or their referees can indicate whether or not the applicant's school or college offers Further Mathematics classes. Please note, however, that Further Mathematics, if taken as a full A level, is generally seen as an additional or fourth subject, rather than a substitute for one of your three main subjects. Thus a combination of Mathematics, Further Mathematics and one other subject is not seen as providing the required breadth of knowledge and skills.
The ability to communicate complex ideas with clarity is important. Selectors are therefore looking for an original, interesting and well-written personal statement which outlines your enthusiasm and motivation for the programme. You should explain why you wish to study finance, whether there are any aspects of particular interest to you, how this relates to your current academic studies and what additional reading or relevant experiences you have had which have led you to apply.
Your extra-curricular activities such as work experience, participation in competitions, sport or volunteering are important, particularly when they can provide evidence of useful skills such as problem solving, working under pressure and time management, however, they are deemed to be secondary to your academic competencies. Please note that work experience is not essential, as the composition of this degree programme is academic rather than vocational in nature.
Personal characteristics and skills that will be useful to students on this programme include the ability to apply logic, identify trends, follow lines of reasoning, approach problems creatively, ask questions, demonstrate attention to detail and think independently. In addition you should possess good communication skills, intellectual curiosity and have the motivation and capacity for hard work.
Please visit lse.ac.uk/ug/apply/fin for further information about admissions criteria.
Teaching and assessment
You will usually have about 12 to 15 hours of lectures and classes each week but you will also have to work hard on your own reading, writing essays or working on class assignments. Each student has an academic adviser who is available to offer general guidance and assistance with both academic and personal concerns on an individual basis.
You will usually be assessed by written examinations at the end of each academic year. To progress through the degree you will need to pass the appropriate examinations.
Preliminary reading
If you wish to gain further insight into the subject, we suggest that you look at one of the following books/papers/videos:
Graduate destinations
Graduates will be well prepared for careers in investment banking, sales, trading and research, investment management, management consultancy, start-ups and other professional careers in the City, as well as further academic study.