Finance is in a state of flux currently. On the one hand, technology is disrupting established practices while creating new opportunities that did not exist even 5 years ago. On the other hand, new innovations in financial markets mean that both investment professionals and investors need to understand new paradigms. The prevalent volatility in financial markets since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-09 is yet another factor that is leading to rethinking of many old ways of doing things in the world of finance.
Making sense of all these factors and being in a position to benefit from the opportunities they present requires a solid grounding in theoretical and empirical concepts in finance and investments. This grounding needs to cover not just fundamentals of finance theory but also contemporary topics in finance such as role of AI, FinTech, Behavioural Finance, Quantitative Finance, and other systems and instruments in use in financial markets. While undergraduate courses in finance can prepare students in the basics and provide direction in terms of areas of specific interest, the required depth and contemporaneous coverage of a robust Master’s level course, such as a M.Sc. Finance are necessary elements in bridging the gap between industry needs and finance education through recognition of the current challenges of the finance industry.
Such a Master’s programme in finance would enable students to better understand and utilize the information content provided by a data-rich world in financial decision-making. Students would also learn financial tools and strategies and their applications to develop integrated and innovative solutions to address current investment challenges faced by individuals and institutions and learn to employ available tools and technologies in creating sustainable financial solutions, understanding the process of investment, portfolio design, and trading, and learn advanced topics in behaviour science, financial markets, instruments, and systems.
M.Sc. Finance Programmes that offer students a chance to specialize in topical areas such as Quantitative Finance, Behavioral Finance, etc. are particularly valuable as they offer an opportunity to build expertise in subjects that have significant application in the real world and thus help solidify career prospects. The fact that this is achieved through a focus on rigorous research methods ensures that there is a genuine depth of learning. Couple this with a comprehensive curriculum and a customised pedagogy that has the coverage, depth expected from a Master’s level course, and experiential learning opportunities for actually utilising tools and techniques in a real world setting and you have an industry-ready skillset when you graduate with your Master’s degree.
With such a knowledge base, graduates of such M.Sc in Finance programmes can expect to target professional opportunities in a wide range of areas of finance and investments such as analysts, traders, portfolio managers, etc., at pension funds, insurance companies, hedge funds, mutual funds, and family offices. Alternatively, such an education can help graduates manage their own portfolios or undertake active stock trading with a deeper understanding of pricing, financial models, market behaviour, and more.
Jindal School of Banking & Finance (JSBF) is a research-led, future-oriented and interdisciplinary global school focused on developing a new generation of leaders for the financial services industry. JSBF offers a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Finance that provides theoretical and empirical concepts in finance, financial models, and pricing. The main objective of the programme is to equip students with the acumen and tools for impeccable financial decision-making. Students can then deploy this knowledge to manage investments, construct asset portfolios, trade in stock markets, manage risk and manage wealth, among others. Know all about the programme here.
