Overview

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. 

Expertise

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  
• 
  

Your learning environment

The MSc Economics, Banking and Finance programme is taught through a combination of lectures and tutorials, allowing you to get to know and build relationships with the teaching staff and academics. You will be assessed by coursework, exams, and your dissertation, and will receive support and feedback throughout the programme.   

During your studies, you’ll benefit from and have access to our state-of-the-art facilities, including our professional-standard Bloomberg Trading Room with 12 Bloomberg Terminals to enhance your employability with data skills. These Terminals are equipped with industry-standard software that provides live financial data and trading tools to the world’s leading banks and corporations.   

Outside of the classroom, you can join Heriot-Watt’s Business Society which holds regular social events and provides networking opportunities and insights into career prospects in Economics, Business, Finance, and other relevant industries. 

Customise your learning

You’ll have the opportunity to focus on the areas of economics, business and finance that interest you the most. You can customise your degree to match your specific interests or career pathway by selecting two specialist course options.   

In semester three, you’ll explore in-depth your chosen area of Economics, Business and Finance through your dissertation. You will be required to demonstrate your mastery of the subject area by developing new insight from the analysis of valuable primary research.  

You can choose whether to study the programme full-time, part-time, or by course. This flexibility allows you to fit your postgraduate studies around your lifestyle. You can begin the programme either in January or September, based on your availability, and the full-time course will last 12 months full-time or 24 months part-time. If you decide to study part-time, you register for two courses per semester and progress to the dissertation at the end of your second year.   

You may have the opportunity to Go Global on our Inter-Campus Transfer. Opportunities for postgraduate study abroad are assessed on a case-by-case basis and if you are interested in studying at our Dubai campus or Malaysia campus for a semester or longer, you should contact the Go Global Team.   

Industry

We work closely with the industry to ensure our course content is up-to-date and reflects the current and emerging needs of the industry and employers. You’ll gain the right blend of knowledge, practical skills, and soft skills to set you up for life after graduation.   

Heriot-Watt University is named Bloomberg Experiential Learning Partner (ELP), a programme designed by Bloomberg to recognise universities that are leaders in experiential learning. 

Our partnership with Bloomberg, and the achievement of ELP status, is a mark of our innovative approach to connecting our teaching experience with real-life practical applications. Being a Bloomberg experiential learning partner allows Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh Business School to better integrate industry-leading data, research, news and analytics into our curricula.  

The Bloomberg Trading Room at Heriot-Watt University is unique in Scotland and enables students from different disciplines of business to better understand different aspects of markets, business behaviours and economic trends. It enables:  

• Performance comparison between different companies or industries using financial reports, company valuations, company news, company portfolios, and key changes/trends  
• Supply chain analysis through the company's supply chain relationships that include suppliers, customers and competitors. This enables managers to refine their supply chain configuration and strategy 
• Market share analysis by providing key industry data, interactive charting and commentary by Bloomberg industry experts.  It also provides industry fundamental statistics, market share and other key industry-specific metrics (e.g. retailers, airlines, and global auto manufacturing)  
• Strategic portfolio analysis through creating portfolios against markets and market positions, allocation of assets and performance attribution analysis 
• Accounting and financial analysis by providing a financial history of companies and indices including current and historical income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, ratio analysis and more