The programme provides opportunities for students to develop relevant skills and a practical understanding of: the behaviour of international financial markets; the strategies of financial market investors; the role of finance in a modern economy; empirical modelling techniques, specifically the MATLAB programming language; alongside an evaluative appreciation of the issues facing today's global financial sector, students are encouraged to develop critical skills and awareness of contemporary debates around the operational efficiency of financial markets including: the drawbacks of derivatives models; the probability of derivatives increasing systematic risk; the potential roots of the recent financial crisis and an understanding of the Basel regulations within this context; how quantitative modules stand up to back testing; the programme is suitable for those wanting to develop a career in the broad financial services sector, but is particularly relevant to those interested in pursuing a career as a quantitative analyst in the investment banking and risk management fields; of particular note is the practical module on MATLAB, providing students with a detailed understanding of how this programming tool can be used for effective empirical modelling; the programme is modular in structure, comprising 180 credits which are studied on a full-time basis over 12 months.