MBA with a Specialism in Finance
Skip to section
Key information
- Mode of delivery
- Online
- Start date
- Open enrolment
- Duration
- 18 months
- Qualification
- MBA
Contact
Contact our enquiries team
Contact usOverview
Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University’s online MBA with a Specialism in Finance will equip you with the financial knowledge and understanding you need to boost your career.
Designed with the finance professionals in mind, you will complete eight mandatory MBA courses, which will arm you with a solid understanding of key business disciplines, including economics, financial decision making, leadership, marketing, people skills, project management and strategy, before completing three optional courses which include corporate governance, credit risk management, financial risk management and quantitative methods.
Degree duration
It takes approximately 200 study hours per course. On average, it takes four years to complete a full MBA, but it can be completed faster or over a longer period. You can choose your own pace by picking up or setting aside your studies whenever it suits you best. Your schedule always takes priority.
Online learning delivery
Our progressive course materials are made available online through our virtual learning environment (VLE). The VLE links you with our expert academics and course materials through videos, webinars, articles, journals, assessments and discussion boards. With us, it’s completely up to you when and where you sit your exams and you need only pay for one at a time. You can choose when to sit your exams and if you need to rearrange, that’s no problem either.
To find out more about the online MBA degree structure, resources and support please visit our Online learning delivery and support page.
Student support
Even the most gifted and most confident of students need a little help from time to time. Whether you study online at home or with a learning partner you’re never far from the support of our faculty and your fellow learners. Additional support is available through optional online tuition and revision sessions and other online resources such as tests, practice essays, collaborative discussion forums where you can engage with your fellow students around the world and tools to help you track your progress through the course materials. Online support is also available through our very popular Facebook community.
Meet our Students
Meet Corinne Caldwell, an online MBA graduate from Vancouver, Canada.
Course content
Year 1
The MBA with specialism in Finance degree covers various areas of finance, which will strengthen your knowledge and improve your career prospects.
To complete the degree, you will complete eight mandatory courses, and three optional. Each of the courses is assessed by a written exam and/or written coursework.
Degree structure
Core
- Advanced Financial Decision Making
- Delivering Successful Projects
- Developing and Executing Strategy
- Economics for Business
- Financial Decision Making
- Leadership, Theory and Practice
- People, Work and Organisations
- Strategic Marketing
Optional
- Research Methods for Business
- Corporate Governance
- Lending and Credit Risk Analysis
- Financial Derivatives
- Managing Financial Risk
- Mergers, Acquisitions and Restructuring
- Quantitative Methods
Detailed degree guide
Understanding, Knowledge and Cognitive Skills
Participants will achieve the following learning outcomes at programme level:
- Develop a detailed and critical awareness of relevant concepts, theories and principles in subjects fundamental to management
- Demonstrate leadership in professional situations with the ability to conceptualise, analyse and resolve complex problems and issues in business and management
- Gain professional level insights into dynamic international business environments and propose appropriate courses of action for organisations to deal with and take advantage of rapid external change
- Through synthesis of ideas across diverse management disciplines, critically evaluate complex situations and propose innovative and sustainable solutions to the strategic and operational challenges that organisations face
Scholarship, Enquiry and Research (Research Informed Learning)
The learning model and curriculum actively encourages students to develop and apply their learning to their own professional experience and to wider developments in business and management.
Approaches to Teaching and Learning
The MBA with a Specialism in Finance is an applied programme aimed at working professionals, providing them the opportunity to reflect on their own practice using contemporary theory in the management field. The programme is designed at the intersection of theory and practice and courses are oriented towards exploration of real-life examples and case studies.
The programme is entirely modular and delivery is flexible, operating a learning rather than a teaching model and each course is designed for self-study. All courses are designed around a comprehensive online offering that contains all necessary learning materials and guidance for students to successfully complete their studies. A key part of this is the opportunity for students to engage with each other as part of a global multicultural learning community.
In addition to the online offering the programme is available via Approved Learning Partners.
Assessment Policies
With the exception of the project, all courses are examined by written examination. Assessment includes objective questions (where appropriate), case studies and essays. All courses are examined three times per year aligned to Heriot-Watt University's two semesters and the summer period.
The pass mark for all courses is 50%. A candidate must pass all required course units to be eligible for an award. Failing candidates are allowed a single resit in each course.
Assessment for H11PJ is by 100% coursework. One re-assessment opportunity is permitted (coursework re-submission).
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
View fees for this course.
Scholarships and bursaries
Each year Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University makes available a number of scholarships and discounts to help students to achieve one of our awards.
Scholarship funding
Fully funded scholarships for some of the courses contained within the MSc are available to people living and working in Scotland. Find out more information about the Upskilling Scotland Scholarship.
Entry requirements
Typically you will hold a recognised first or second class honours degree, or equivalent professional qualification. Students whose native language is not English and who have not been educated previously in the English language must provide evidence of their English language proficiency.
Rewarding previous study
Edinburgh Business School recognises that some students entering our online MBA or MSc programmes will have completed prior academic study in subjects that align closelt to certain EBS courses.
The qualification being presented for consideration should have been gained within the last five years. Qualifications gained over five years ago may be considered if additional supporting evidence shows that you have kept abreast of the current developments and trends in the subject area.
Exemptions are considered only on the basis of qualifications which have been gained through formal assessment. No consideration will be given for life/work experience.
Exemption from mandatory and optional courses may be granted on the basis of a master's/postgraduate level qualifications and professional qualifications only. Undergraduate level qualifications cannot be considered.
Exemptions will not be awarded on the basis of courses which have been used towards the award of another degree (of the same discipline) at Master's level, whether this was awarded by Heriot-Watt University or any other institution. For example, a student who has gained an MSc in Accounting will not be given an exemption in Accounting from Edinburgh Business School’s MBA or MSc degree programmes.
Exemption eligibility
If you would like to enquire about your eligibility, please complete an Exemption Application Form.
Why Heriot-Watt?
Flexibility and affordability
Study at a time and pace that suits you, and even while you work. HW Online offers pay-as-you-study courses and fees inclusive of exams and study materials, meaning you can focus on success, not extra costs.
Online tutoring and revision
We offer live tutoring and revision sessions with highly experienced tutors from our global network of teaching partners. You can choose the session which best suits your needs, such as time of day, duration and structure.
Your career
Employers around the world actively seek out our graduates because they are work-ready. All our degrees are career-focused and relevant to the needs of industry. Around 95% of our students are in employment or further study within six months of graduating.
Online events
We host online events throughout the year, giving you the opportunity to speak to our academic teaching staff, meet students, find out what it is like to study using our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and discover how to enrol.
Lifelong connections
Upon completing your studies you will automatically join the UK’s oldest alumni association The Watt Club, with 147k members worldwide.