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MSc Economics, Banking and Finance

Key information

Our MSc Economics, Banking and Finance gives you the opportunity to develop specialist expertise across three inter-connected and highly influential subject areas.

Level
Postgraduate Taught
Delivery type
Full Time, Part Time
Degree qualification
MSc
Mode of delivery
On-Campus
Duration
1 year
Location
Edinburgh
Start date
September, January

Throughout this programme, you’ll learn a highly relevant and current programme, informed by recent developments in Heriot-Watt’s sector-leading research in Economics and Finance. This industry-relevant programme will give you access to a wide range of professional and managerial careers within businesses, banks, financial sector firms, non-government organisations, and government institutions.   

During the master’s programme, you’ll gain practical specialist knowledge whilst fine-tuning your professional, research and advanced communication skills. You’ll gain knowledge of the core analytical tools and research methods in Economics, Banking and Finance. You’ll have the opportunity to choose from optional courses to customise your learning and gain additional expertise in applied economics and finance. You’ll use your learned knowledge and skills to carry out an original research project at the forefront of knowledge on your chosen topic through your economics dissertation.   

The career-focused master’s programme will develop your professional skills and advanced communication skills. You’ll gain relevant knowledge and skills which are highly relevant to the current and emerging employer needs in governmental, financial and non-financial private sectors, making you highly employable, both on a national and international scale, upon graduation. During your studies, you’ll have opportunities to develop scholarship skills, undertake professional and employability development, and engage in reflective learning.   

As Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University is situated on the edge of Edinburgh, you’ll have excellent links to the financial sector of Scotland’s capital city, and the UK’s second-biggest financial and economic hub. You’ll also benefit from our close ties to the London Stock Exchange and Bloomberg, which can provide you with excellent industry-focused learning opportunities.   

Your student experience

Your learning will be informed by the expertise of our research-active academics whose work covers four key areas:  

  • Employment, Work and the Professions  
  • Logistics and Sustainability  
  • Networks and Enterprise Excellence  
  • Social and Economic Data Analysis  

Go Global

With Go Global, Heriot-Watt's global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.

Inter-Campus Transfer

Some of our Postgraduate Taught Masters Programmes are eligible for Inter-Campus Transfer. Please contact studywithus@hw.ac.uk for further information.

Course content

September Intake - Edinburgh

Mandatory September

  • International Banking and Money Markets

Optional September

  • International Finance
  • Advanced Economic Policy 1
  • Economics
  • Principles of Environmental and Energy Economics
  • Making Economic Policy
  • Corporate Finance
  • Corporate Governance and Sustainability
  • Capital Markets
  • Financial Analysis

Mandatory January

  • Emerging Financial Markets
  • International Banking Institutions and Regulatory Frameworks

Optional January

  • Development Economics
  • Econometric Methods for Economic Research
  • Derivatives
  • Empirical Financial Modelling

Mandatory May

  • Economics Dissertation

January intake - Edinburgh

Mandatory January

  • Emerging Financial Markets
  • International Banking Institutions and Regulatory Frameworks

Optional January

  • Development Economics
  • Econometric Methods for Economic Research
  • Derivatives
  • Empirical Financial Modelling

Mandatory September

  • International Banking and Money Markets

Optional September

  • Economics
  • Advanced Economic Policy 1
  • Capital Markets
  • Corporate Governance and Sustainability
  • Corporate Finance
  • Financial Analysis
  • International Finance
  • Principles of Environmental and Energy Economics
  • Making Economic Policy

Mandatory Second January

  • Economics Dissertation

Fees and funding

/ intake tuition fees
StatusFull TimePart Time
UK£10,528£5,264
International£21,192£10,596
  • Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
  • International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).

Additional information

Note: the fees indicated above will apply if you begin your studies in September. If you choose to join us in January instead, the fees below will apply.

January 2025 intake tuition fees

Status Full Time Part Time
UK £9,152 £4,576
International £20,376 £10,188
  • Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
  • International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland).

Scholarships and bursaries

Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries

We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.

View details

Entry requirements

We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.

A minimum of honours degree at 2:2 or non-UK equivalent in a relevant subject such as Economics, Accountancy, Finance, Business Management, or an unrelated degree that demonstrates numerical ability.

Why Heriot-Watt

We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.

We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.

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