Programmes

MSc Finance and Economics

  • Graduate taught
  • Department of Finance
  • Application code LN43
  • Starting 2024
  • Home full-time: Open
  • Overseas full-time: Open
  • Location: Houghton Street, London

The MSc Finance and Economics draws on the School's strengths in economics, finance and econometrics. It is aimed at students who are interested in gaining a deep understanding of the theory and practice of financial markets.

This interdisciplinary degree, taught jointly by the Department of Finance and the Department of Economics, offers exceptional graduates from quantitative disciplines the opportunity to study in two of the most highly rated departments in their subject areas in the world.

As we teach you not only how to apply and use various well-known models, but also to understand the fundamental concepts on which they are based, you will learn how to alter, test and adapt these models in new market environments. In learning what makes the models tick, you will develop an awareness of the assumptions on which they rely, and - increasingly important in today’s markets - of situations in which these assumptions can break down.

As well as developing your understanding of financial economics, financial econometrics, microeconomics and macroeconomics to a high level, you will have the opportunity to investigate two further specialist aspects of finance in elective courses.

The rigour of the Finance and Economics programme is recognised across the world. As the most academically oriented of our programmes, it provides an excellent grounding for students who are interested in progressing to a PhD in finance or in economics.

Successful applicants come from a variety of quantitative backgrounds including economics, mathematics, engineering, statistics, finance and others. To apply, you should have strong credentials in mathematics and a fascination for finance. 

Programme details

Key facts

MSc Finance and Economics
Start date Pre-sessional course begins late August 2024
Application deadline None – rolling admissions. However, please note the funding deadlines
Duration 10 months full-time only (see Bologna process)
Applications 2022 997
Intake 2022 49
Financial support Graduate support scheme, Sudipto Bhattacharya Scholarships and the MSc Finance and Economics Conversion Scholarship for Engineering, Mathematics and Sciences (see 'Fees and funding')
Minimum entry requirement 2:1 degree or equivalent in a quantitative subject, typically with at least a year of calculus and semester of linear algebra
GRE/GMAT requirement GMAT or GRE is required for all applicants without a UK undergraduate degree and it is recommended for applicants with UK undergraduate degrees who did not achieve or are not expected to achieve a first class degree (see GRE and GMAT for further information and exceptions)
English language requirements Standard (see 'Assessing your application')
Location  Houghton Street, London

For more information about tuition fees and entry requirements, see the fees and funding and assessing your application sections.

Entry requirements

Minimum entry requirements

Undergraduate degree

Upper second-class honours (2:1) degree or international equivalent in a quantitative subject such as economics, maths, physics, engineering, or finance. Your training should typically include at least a year of calculus and a semester of linear algebra. (See international entry requirements)

Admission to this programme is very competitive. In previous years, most students accepted into the programme had obtained 1st class honours degrees or the equivalent.

Even if you meet the minimum entry requirement, this does not guarantee you an offer of admission. 

Quantitative skills

Applicants should typically have studied at least a year of calculus and a semester of linear algebra. 

Where appropriate, applicants may be offered a fully funded place at the LSE Summer School in order to develop their knowledge of microeconomics and/or econometrics prior to the start of the programme.

GMAT/GRE

GMAT or GRE is required for all applicants without a full three-year UK undergraduate degree. A GRE or GMAT is recommended for applicants with UK undergraduate degrees who did not achieve or are not expected to achieve a first-class degree. Test scores must show a strong performance in the quantitative segment.  More about GRE/GMAT

Professional experience

Work experience (either through internships or full employment) is not a pre-requisite; however, applicants who have some professional experience should include this in their application.

English language

You may also have to provide evidence of your English proficiency, although you do not need to provide this at the time of your application to LSE. See our English language requirements


We welcome applications from all prospective students who meet the minimum requirements for this programme. We seek to recruit students with the very best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of their background. We carefully consider each application on an individual basis, and take into account all the information presented on your application form, including your: 

  • Academic achievement
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Two academic references
  • CV
  • Additional test scores

See further information on supporting documents

You should note that there are always many more applications than places available and possession of the minimum entrance requirements does not guarantee that you will be offered a place.

When to apply

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis, meaning the programme will close once it becomes full. There is no fixed deadline by which you need to apply, however we encourage you to apply early. Details on how to apply.

To be considered for any LSE funding opportunity, you must have submitted your application and all supporting documents by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section for more details.

Information for international students

LSE is an international community, with over 140 nationalities represented amongst its student body. We celebrate this diversity through everything we do.  

If you are applying to LSE from outside of the UK then take a look at our Information for International students

1) Take a note of the UK qualifications we require for your programme of interest (found in the ‘Entry requirements’ section of this page). 

2) Go to the International Students section of our website. 

3) Select your country. 

4) Select ‘Graduate entry requirements’ and scroll until you arrive at the information about your local/national qualification. Compare the stated UK entry requirements listed on this page with the local/national entry requirement listed on your country specific page.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees 2024/25 for MSc Finance and Economics

Home students: £35,472
Overseas students: £36,168

The Table of Fees shows the latest tuition amounts for all programmes offered by the School.

Every graduate student is charged a fee for their programme. The fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It does not cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.

Fee status

The amount of tuition fees you will need to pay, and any financial support you are eligible for, will depend on whether you are classified as a home or overseas student, otherwise known as your fee status. LSE assesses your fee status based on guidelines provided by the Department of Education.

Further information about fee status classification.

Fee reduction

Students who completed undergraduate study at LSE and are beginning taught graduate study at the School are eligible for a fee reduction of around 10 per cent of the fee.

Scholarships and other funding

The School recognises that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country, and we provide generous scholarships each year to home and overseas students.

This programme is eligible for needs-based awards from LSE, including the Graduate Support SchemeMaster's Awards, and Anniversary Scholarships

Students on this programme are also eligible for the Sudipto Bhattacharya Scholarships.

Selection for any funding opportunity is based on receipt of an offer for a place and submitting a Graduate Financial Support application, before the funding deadline. Funding deadline for needs-based awards from LSE: 25 April 2024.

In addition to our needs-based awards, LSE also makes available scholarships for students from specific regions of the world and awards for students studying specific subject areas. Find out more about financial support.

Government tuition fee loans and external funding

A postgraduate loan is available from the UK government for eligible students studying for a first master’s programme, to help with fees and living costs. Some other governments and organisations also offer tuition fee loan schemes.

Find out more about tuition fee loans

Further information

Fees and funding opportunities

Programme structure and courses

Programme overview

Students on the MSc Finance and Economics programme are required to complete courses to the total value of four full units, comprising three full-unit core courses and two half-unit elective courses.

Pre-sessional programme

All registered students will participate in a compulsory pre-sessional programme in August 2024. This combines academic preparation with professional development workshops and events.

Academic training
Students will take part in the EC400 Introductory Course in Mathematics and Statistics (before the main term-time teaching programme starts). The course includes treatment of dynamic programming, continuous time dynamic optimisation, quadratic forms, Kuhn-Tucker theorem, joint and conditional probability distributions, Gauss-Markov assumptions and maximum likelihood estimation, amongst other topics.

Professional development
Students will participate in careers skills development sessions delivered by in-house and external professionals. The programme also includes networking and social events with alumni, a City Speaker Series of interactive talks from leading finance professionals and preparation for technical finance interviews. The programme is designed to enable students to be ready for the competitive financial services sector job market.

Courses

Students take three units’ worth of compulsory core courses and choose two half-unit elective courses from a range offered within the Department, enabling them to tailor the programme to their interests.

(* denotes a half unit course)

Core courses

Financial Economics (taught entirely in Autumn Term)
Examines investors' behaviour, market equilibrium and asset pricing. Includes a mandatory preparatory course in stochastic calculus in Week 6.

Financial Econometrics (taught in Autumn and Winter Terms)
Explores the techniques of empirical investigation in economics and finance, and their application.

Microeconomics† (taught in Autumn and Winter Terms)
Develops the basic tools for analysing problems of resource allocation used by economists working in research, government and business.

Students with relevant credentials can apply to replace the full unit of Microeconomics with a half-unit of Microeconomics and a half-unit of Macroeconomics:

Microeconomics for MSc F&E* (half unit, taught in Autumn Term)
Develops the basic tools for analysing problems of resource allocation used by economists working in research, government and business.
and
Macroeconomics for MSc F&E* (half unit, taught in Winter Term)
Focuses on the main characteristics of business cycle fluctuations with a special emphasis on what happened during the financial crisis and different macroeconomic models to study business cycles.

†Students with relevant credentials can apply to replace the full unit of Microeconomics with a full-unit of Macroeconomics.

Courses to the value of one unit from the options below:

Elective courses

Dedicated courses (Finance students only)

Advanced Financial Economics*
Fixed Income Securities and Credit Markets*
Topics in Portfolio Management*
Financial Engineering*
Risk Management in Financial Markets*
International Finance A*

Non-dedicated courses (open to non-Finance students)

Quantitative Security Analysis*
Applied Corporate Finance*
Sustainable Finance and Impact Investing*

Entrepreneurial Finance*

You will complete a 6000-word structured project in place of an exam in one of your elective courses.

MSc comparison: view an overview of all of the Master’s programmes in the Department of Finance

For the most up-to-date list of optional courses please visit the relevant School Calendar page. 

Please note that, while care has been taken to ensure that this information is up to date and correct, a change of circumstances since publication may cause the School to change, suspend or withdraw a course or programme of study, or change the fees that apply to it. The School will always notify the affected parties as early as practicably possible and propose any viable and relevant alternative options. Note that the School will neither be liable for information that after publication becomes inaccurate or irrelevant, nor for changing, suspending or withdrawing a course or programme of study due to events outside of its control, which includes but is not limited to a lack of demand for a course or programme of study, industrial action, fire, flood or other environmental or physical damage to premises.

You must also note that places are limited on some courses and/or subject to specific entry requirements. The School cannot therefore guarantee you a place. Please note that changes to programmes and courses can sometimes occur after you have accepted your offer of a place. These changes are normally made in light of developments in the discipline or path-breaking research, or on the basis of student feedback. Changes can take the form of altered course content, teaching formats or assessment modes. Any such changes are intended to enhance the student learning experience. You should visit the School’s Calendar, or contact the relevant academic department, for information on the availability and/or content of courses and programmes of study. Certain substantive changes will be listed on the updated graduate course and programme information page.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching 

The format of teaching for MSc Finance and Economics courses varies. Some courses may have two-hour lectures followed by a separate class; others may have three-hour interactive sessions. Teaching sessions can vary in size depending upon the course. Some classes may be taught by Graduate Teaching Assistants. Students on the MSc Finance and Economics programme have on average 11 hours of contact time per week during the teaching terms.

Assessment methods

Examinations: MSc Finance and Economics students have two exams in Week 0 of Winter Term. The Summer Exam Period takes place from late April until early June. The exam timetable changes each year and is published by the school at least six weeks before the start of the exam period.

Summative work: Some Finance courses contain a coursework element which contributes to the final course grade. At LSE this type of coursework is called 'summative assessment'. Different courses set different types of summative work. Some courses require weekly submission of problem sets which all make up a small percentage of the final grade. Summer Exams in some elective courses are replaced by In-Class Assessments, which can take place from the end of Winter Term.

Formative work: At LSE, any work which is set but does not contribute towards the final course mark is known as formative work. The purpose of formative work is to inform students of their progress on the course and whether they are understanding the concepts taught in lectures. Some formative work is informal, via the setting of problems sets that the teacher will work through with the class, however most courses will also ask for a piece of work to be submitted and then graded.

Academic support

All academic faculty schedule weekly office hours in which any student may visit them to discuss academic issues. In some cases, students may be able to arrange a time to meet with a member of faculty outside their office hours.

The MSc Finance & Economics Associate Programme Director will also be your Academic Mentor. Her role is to keep an overview of your academic progress and overall wellbeing during your time at the School. In addition, she has extensive experience of the financial services sector, enabling her to provide a high level of careers support.

There are many opportunities to extend your learning outside the classroom and complement your academic studies at LSE. LSE LIFE is the School’s centre for academic, personal and professional development. Some of the services on offer include: guidance and hands-on practice of the key skills you will need to do well at LSE: effective reading, academic writing and critical thinking; workshops related to how to adapt to new or difficult situations, including development of skills for leadership, study/work/life balance and preparing for the world of work; and advice and practice on working in study groups and on cross-cultural communication and teamwork.

LSE is committed to enabling all students to achieve their full potential and the School’s Disability and Wellbeing Service provides a free, confidential service to all LSE students and is a first point of contact for all disabled students. It is a first point of contact for all students with physical impairments, long-term health conditions, mental health conditions, specific learning difficulties, and autistic spectrum conditions.

Professional Development Programme

Overview

The Department of Finance runs an extensive Professional Development Programme alongside the Academic programme to support and prepare students to enter the job market. Starting in the pre-sessional course in August, students are given a wide range of careers support, from CV workshops and application advice to sector overviews and opportunities to meet and network with recent alumni who are working in London.

We run a variety of events to best prepare students for the competitive financial services sector job market:

How the City Works

City Speaker Series

CV and cover letter workshops

Case Studies for Consulting Masterclass

Individual CV Consultations

Your Personal Brand

Application Form Workshop

Presentation Skills Workshop

Video Interview Training

Networking Skills


Technical Interview Prep Workshop

This workshop is designed to introduce students to the corporate valuation methodologies that are most often presented to them during finance interviews.  Using an intensive exercise-based approach, the workshop covers finance concepts, reinforces them through problems, and then integrates them into interview question drills.

All students are given access to crash courses in accounting and excel. The course also provides a useful grounding for the “Theories of Corporate Finance” part of the FM436 Financial Economics course.

Presentation Skills Workshop

Delivered by a professional corporate coach, this interactive workshop gives students the tools to communicate with impact, influence and confidence.

Careers

Graduates of the Department have excellent career prospects. Our MSc programmes prepare students for a range of careers in the financial services sector, as can be seen in the Department of Finance Employment Report.

PhD study

Each year a number of graduates are accepted into top PhD programmes in the UK, US and Europe. Some students choose to take a pre-doctoral research position after graduation and commence a PhD later. Students considering the PhD route will be able to discuss this with the Associate Programme Director and faculty members.

Selected institutions for PhD study (last 5 years)

LSE
Columbia
INSEAD
Chicago Booth
HEC
Oxford
Stanford
Rochester
Kellogg Northwestern
Imperial College
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Departmental Careers Support

The Department of Finance offers an in-depth Professional Development Programme for our students to help develop your skills and assist you in your job search. See the Professional Development Programme section on this page.

Graduate destinations

Graduates of the MSc Finance and Economics programme go on to work in challenging jobs in a variety of organisations around the world. Examples of the types of organisations include investment banks, central banks, economic and strategy consulting firms, professional services firms and financial boutiques.

In addition to the internationally recognised research environment and academic rigour of its teaching programmes, a great advantage of studying at LSE is the reputation it holds amongst employers for producing high level graduates. 

Selected employers over the past three years

Jane Street

Maven

Wells Fargo

Morgan Stanley

J P Morgan

Bain Capital Bank of America

European Central Bank

Bank of England

China Development Bank

McKinsey & Company

BCG

Merrill Lynch

Oxera

Oxford Economics

Oliver Wyman

CICC

CITIC

Nomura

Selected employment locations

London

Shanghai

Frankfurt

Beijing

LSE Careers

LSE Careers has a worldwide reputation. It offers a wide range of resources and events to registered students and alumni. These include:

Recruitment fairs

Company presentations

Interview and application skills sessions

Tailored careers advice

CV checking

Mock interviews

LSE Careers attracts top recruiters in many sectors, who actively target our students. It provides an LSE-exclusive vacancy board full of graduate positions, jobs for experienced hires, internships, voluntary and part-time work.

Student life

As a student at LSE you’ll be based at our central London campus. Find out what our campus and London have to offer you on academic, social and career perspective. 

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Life in London 

London is an exciting, vibrant and colourful city. It's also an academic city, with more than 400,000 university students. Whatever your interests or appetite you will find something to suit your palate and pocket in this truly international capital. Make the most of career opportunities and social activities, theatre, museums, music and more. 

Want to find out more? Read why we think London is a fantastic student city, find out about key sights, places and experiences for new Londoners. Don't fear, London doesn't have to be super expensive: hear about London on a budget

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We’re here to help and support you throughout your time at LSE, whether you need help with your academic studies, support with your welfare and wellbeing or simply to develop on a personal and professional level.

Whatever your query, big or small, there are a range of people you can speak to who will be happy to help.  

Department librarians – they will be able to help you navigate the library and maximise its resources during your studies. 

Accommodation service – they can offer advice on living in halls and offer guidance on private accommodation related queries.

Class teachers and seminar leaders – they will be able to assist with queries relating to specific courses. 

Disability and Wellbeing Service – they are experts in long-term health conditions, sensory impairments, mental health and specific learning difficulties. They offer confidential and free services such as student counselling, a peer support scheme and arranging exam adjustments. They run groups and workshops. 

IT help – support is available 24 hours a day to assist with all your technology queries.  

LSE Faith Centre – this is home to LSE's diverse religious activities and transformational interfaith leadership programmes, as well as a space for worship, prayer and quiet reflection. It includes Islamic prayer rooms and a main space for worship. It is also a space for wellbeing classes on campus and is open to all students and staff from all faiths and none.  

Language Centre – the Centre specialises in offering language courses targeted to the needs of students and practitioners in the social sciences. We offer pre-course English for Academic Purposes programmes; English language support during your studies; modern language courses in nine languages; proofreading, translation and document authentication; and language learning community activities.

LSE Careers ­– with the help of LSE Careers, you can make the most of the opportunities that London has to offer. Whatever your career plans, LSE Careers will work with you, connecting you to opportunities and experiences from internships and volunteering to networking events and employer and alumni insights. 

LSE Library  founded in 1896, the British Library of Political and Economic Science is the major international library of the social sciences. It stays open late, has lots of excellent resources and is a great place to study. As an LSE student, you’ll have access to a number of other academic libraries in Greater London and nationwide. 

LSE LIFE – this is where you should go to develop skills you’ll use as a student and beyond. The centre runs talks and workshops on skills you’ll find useful in the classroom; offers one-to-one sessions with study advisers who can help you with reading, making notes, writing, research and exam revision; and provides drop-in sessions for academic and personal support. (See ‘Teaching and assessment’). 

LSE Students’ Union (LSESU) – they offer academic, personal and financial advice and funding. 

PhD Academy – this is available for PhD students, wherever they are, to take part in interdisciplinary events and other professional development activities and access all the services related to their registration. 

Sardinia House Dental Practice – this offers discounted private dental services to LSE students. 

St Philips Medical Centre – based in Pethwick-Lawrence House, the Centre provides NHS Primary Care services to registered patients.

Student Services Centre – our staff here can answer general queries and can point you in the direction of other LSE services.  

Student advisers – we have a Deputy Head of Student Services (Advice and Policy) and an Adviser to Women Students who can help with academic and pastoral matters.

Alumni profiles

Contact us

If you have any questions about the academic programme or admissions process please check our frequently asked questions page, or contact the Department of Finance Admissions team at finance.admissionsenquiries@lse.ac.uk.

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