Master of Applied Finance

Overview

The Master of Applied Finance (MAF) program will help you develop a detailed understanding of banks and related financial intermediaries as well as topics such as investment management, quatitative economic analysis, financial mangement and risk assesment.

The program also offers the opportunity to specialise in a particular stream of financial practice that will help develop your in-depth knowledge of specific finance disciplines, including Financial Services, Investing and, Corporate Treasury. You can also acquire a detailed understanding of Sharia financing, through the Islamic Banking and Finance stream.

Course Learning Outcomes

Common Program Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from the Master of Applied Finance will be able to: 

1. Integrate technical, theoretical and industry knowledge as it relates to the operation of, organisation of and participation in local and international finance.

2.  Critically apply technical, theoretical and industry knowledge and skills to propose solutions to routine and/ or emerging problems in finance.

3. Exercise professional judgement to propose solutions to problems in diverse contexts using economic, finance, regulatory and ethical perspectives.

4. Communicate appropriately in oral, written and visual forms with relevant stakeholders.

5. Work appropriately with others in order to achieve outputs relevant to finance.

6. Conduct an applied research project.

7. Reflect on performance and feedback to identify learning opportunities and self-improvement.

Learning Outcomes (Investing)

Students graduating with a specialisation in Investing will be able to:

1. Inspect a variety of financial assets and range of investment scenarios using analytical tools and processes for financial and investment returns.

2. Construct a portfolio and formulate appropriate investment strategies, including the selection of passive indexing/ active/ management strategies, top-down/ bottom-up portfolio construction approaches, style investing, and risk management strategies.

3. Evaluate and monitor portfolio performance with qualitative and quantitative methods.

4. Explain the complex relationships between investors, financial institutions, regulators and markets across a range of investment and financing contexts.

Learning Outcomes (Financial Services)

Students graduating with a specialisation in Financial Services will be able to:

1. Assimilate advanced knowledge of financial services, banking and regulatory systems, advanced theories related to financial services, bank management, risk control, and lending decisions for a range of stakeholders.

2. Analyse case studies and contemporary media texts using analytical tools relevant to financial services and processes for lending decisions and liquidity management.

3. Collect reliable information to make rational choices for the benefit of market security and financial integrity of financial services and banking systems, and for the financial benefit of stakeholders.

4. Explain the complex relationships between central banks and other financial institutions, regulators, markets and society across a range of banking and finance contexts.

Learning Outcomes (Corporate Treasury)

Students graduating with a specialisation in Corporate Treasury will be able to:

1. Articulate the role of corporate goals and agency theory in the development of ethical business practice.

2. Identify sources and costs of finance and discuss the complex issues around corporate financial structure.

3. Demonstrate the complex background to organisational growth strategies by discussing the comparative benefits and risks.

4. Identify, measure and manage complex business risk.

5. Identify the practical problems faced by managers in maximising firm value.

Learning Outcomes (Islamic Banking and Finance)

Students graduating with a specialisation in Islamic Banking and Finance will be able to:

1. Analyse Islamic Sharia financing and its objectives.

2. Compare and contrast Islamic banking systems with conventional banking systems.

3. Describe the legal and regulatory framework of Islamic financial institutions.

4. Analyse complex alternative Islamic Banking and Investment Products.

5. Assess alternative Islamic Insurance (Takaful) and Re-Insurance (Re-Takaful) Products.

6. Evaluate the level of financial risk for a range of stakeholders (including corporations, investors, and banks) and demonstrate ability to manage these risks using risk management analytical tools and processes associated with Islamic finance and banking.

7. Elaborate on the complex relationships between central banks and other financial institutions, regulators, markets and society across a range of Islamic banking and finance contexts.

Course Structure

You are required to complete 12 subjects in total, outlined below:

 Note: UOWD are using the original subject codes for Spring 2016 then the new subject codes from Autumn 2016.  Both codes are listed in the structure as they are equivalent subjects.