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  • Finance (Graduate Diploma)
  • 2012/2013 entry
  • Contact us
  • Assessment

    • Mostly by unseen written examination. Each module, except Introduction to Mathematical Finance, includes some assessment based on in-class tests. Applied Statistics and Econometrics is also partly assessed by project.

  • Attendance
      • Up to four evenings a week for the intensive option; or two evenings a week for the less intensive two-year option. 
      • September–June.
  • Duration
      • Intensive one-year evening study, or less intensive two-year evening study.
  • Entry requirements
      • At least a 2:2 degree in any discipline, or equivalent.
      • Direct entry to the one-year intensive programme usually requires at least a 2:1 and some prior mathematical training.
      • Evidence of aptitude for mathematical and statistical analysis is advantageous.

      Find out about our international entry requirements

  • Fees and funding
    • Fees (2012/13)
      • Part-time (home/EU students): £2700 pa
      • Part-time (overseas students): £5466 pa
      • Full-time (home/EU students): £5400 pa
      • Full-time (overseas students): £10,932 pa
  • Location
      • Central London.
  • Teaching

    • Lectures and classes. Private study forms a crucial part of the learning process.

      A key feature of the programme is that all lecture courses are tailored specifically for it. This is in contrast to most other UK universities offering equivalent qualifcations, where lectures are usually taken from exisiting undergraduate programmes.   

Finance (Graduate Diploma) - 2012/2013 entry


  • Overview

    • This course offers an introduction to financial economics and preparation for advanced work in the field. No prior knowledge of finance or economics is assumed, and it offers an intensive introduction to the essentials of the subject. It can be studied either as a stand-alone programme or as preparation for entry onto an MSc programme in finance.

      The course will teach you the basic principles of financial economics and the ability to understand and apply quantitative and statistical techniques to financial problems of a practical nature. You will also be provided with the necessary mathematical and statistical toolkit for studying this subject – with pre-sessional courses beginning in late September – and will be introduced to the interpretation and analysis of data.

      Our Graduate Diploma courses fill a crucial gap in the market for training in finance and economics. Most MSc degrees are tailored to students proceeding out of an undergraduate training in economics or finance, but there are many able students from other backgrounds who wish to switch into economics and finance, and who would be able to cope with the intellectual rigour of such an MSc, but lack the prior knowledge and training. These degrees offer such students the opportunity to compete on equal terms with students with undergraduate degrees. Those who continue onto our MSc degrees, or to MSc degrees elsewhere, typically perform on equal terms with students with relevant undergraduate degrees.

  • Why study this course at Birkbeck?
  • Course structure
  • Study resources

    • Computer laboratories and the College library.

  • Further study opportunities
  • Careers information
  • Apply now