What does a course on finance and investment management involve?
The programme has eight taught modules, each studied consecutively and lasting eight weeks. Students also complete a dissertation module, where further research into an area of interest from the programme can be undertaken.
The course is fully online and therefore allows a flexible study option, particularly aimed at students who are in full or part-time employment. As students are based all over the world, this provides a unique opportunity to share experiences, practices and viewpoints while studying.
We are Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Affiliated - this is an endorsement of the design and content of the degree. This hopefully provides some assurance to students about the relevance of the syllabus and attractiveness of the programme. We also have students who are keen to undertake the CFA’s own professional exams alongside their degree and the resources and design of the programme are of great support for those wishing to do so. This affiliation also ensures that we can share resources and industry news in the industry as it is happening. This can help stimulate our student’s interests further.
All of the modules have been designed and developed by academic staff from the accounting and finance department at the University of Liverpool, ensuring the same quality and proven results as we see on-campus.
Can you tell us about studying online and how that works?
Each taught module has a similar feel on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) - students are provided with video lectures, discussion forums, seminars and of course, assessments. These assessments vary - we are keen to create tasks which allow the student to demonstrate their academic skills along with practical skills they have learned. As such, we use a variety of assessment types including academic written tasks, calculations, professional analysis reports as well as tasks which require communication with student peers.
Task schedules are issued at the start of each eight week period, so that students can carefully plan their time around other work or personal obligations. Of course, students have full access to the university's online library resources, exactly as if they were attending an on-campus programme. This is an important resource as independent research is the key to success.
The programme is structured to have a dedicated lecturer to guide students through each week’s learnings and to provide academic support.
Many online programmes do not provide an opportunity for real-time discussions with peers and lecturers. As well as being available to deal with queries and to mark assessments, the lecturers hold scheduled synchronous (live) sessions, designed to allow group discussions on subject matter, provide formative guidance and support for summative assessments. This can be a huge benefit, especially for students who have taken long breaks from studying.