MSc in Finance and Economics

M2: Digital Transformation in Finance

By now, different Fintech initiatives adopt to, and co-exist with the institutional setup of the financial sector. Digitalized routines and data sharing that result from our societal and economic interactions drive the development of advanced analytics. Adding to it all, the Blockchain technology offers the opportunity to rethink systematically the way we design, use, and embrace financial services.

The Digital Transformation in Finance study track offers You an inter-disciplinary learning environment, if You are curious to learn about the challenges of the future of Finance, and if You are interested in seeking for technology-intensive alternatives to the problems that characterize the traditional financial infrastructure.

Important facts

• The study track spams over the whole second year of the 2-year long MSc Finance & Economics study program.
• It offers in total 60 ECTS-worth study content (Core courses: 25 ECTS, Elective courses: 15 ECTS, Thesis project: 20 ECTS)
• Students are encouraged to do (as well as offered a Faculty-wide assistance) an internship and combine that with their master thesis project.

Learning goals

• We walk through and contrast the traditional institutional processes and market infrastructure with emerging, IT-intensive solutions;
• We offer state-of-the art academic knowledge in Finance and Economics related to technology adoption and diffusion;
• We allow students to acquire topical scientific knowledge from information systems management, data science and requirements engineering;
• We aim at training competences that are essential for the out-of the box, creative Finance professionals, in order to collaborate with IT professionals at the workplace;
• We let students instrumentalize the gained knowledge and competences through different design exercises and programming tasks.

The didactical underpinning leverages on problem-based learning, enabling you to build the state-of the art scientific context around real-life cases. Real-life use cases are provided by residing industry representatives. You will also take part in a Hackathon by JPMorgan.

Curriculum

First semester

Core module: Data as an Asset Class (9 ECTS)

• Course “Advanced Data Analytics & Technology (5 ECTS)
• Course “Digital Finance Law, regulation and implications” (4 ECTS)

Core module: Digital Transformation in Financial Institutions and Markets (10 ECTS)

• Course “Digital assets, crypto-space and novel markets” (4 ECTS)
• Course “Institutions and Fintechs & systemic implications” (4 ECTS)
• Course “Corporate risk assessment & digital transformation” (2 ECTS)”

Core module: Future of Finance (6 ECTS)

• Course “The future operating models in banking” (3 ECTS)
• Course “Cases on Service Design and Systemic Change in Finance” (3 ECTS)

Core module: Elective courses on Special Topics in Finance (5 ECTS)

Second semester:

• Core module: Elective courses on Special Topics in Finance(10 ECTS)
• Core module: Master Thesis or Internship and Applied Master Thesis (20 ECTS) 

Know-how for your thesis project

During the second semester, you can choose between two options: (1) To complete an Applied Master Thesis within an internship, or (2) to write an Academic Master Thesis.

• An Applied Master Thesis is an academic reflection of an observed, real-life problem. The internship provides the context, and ideally data, to finalize your thesis. The topic of this thesis is coordinated by your academic supervisor and the company supervisor.
• An Academic Master Thesis is a solid academic research work, showcasing a thorough understanding of the chosen topic and the research methodology. The selected topic is coordinated together with the programme director and the thesis supervisor.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the track, you shall be able to:

• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of contemporary, state-of the art academic knowledge regarding digital transformation in Finance, including among others theoretical representations of, and empirical findings related to blockchains and their financial applications;
• Demonstrate up-to date, applicable knowledge regarding the impact and implications of the changing regulatory landscape on financial markets, instruments and institutions;
• Demonstrate up-to date, applicable knowledge regarding the impact and implications of digitisation on households, including among others the effect of digitisation on financial inclusion, on debt management and on retirement planning;
• Demonstrate up-to date, applicable knowledge on the fundamental technological concepts regarding digital transformation in Finance, such as blockchains, smart contracts, cryptography, (truly) distributed architectures and systems engineering;
• Apply the study content to address, to explore, and to analyse both socio-economic and performance implications of digital transformation initiatives in the workplace;
• Develop critical thinking, the ability to work independently as well as in teams of different domain experts, and to present their work in front of an audience.

Prerequisite

You need to successfully complete the first year (M1) of the MSc in Finance and Economics, or any other equivalent MSc program in Finance and/or in Economics. You also need to have a completed corporate finance course in MSc level. This track is for you, if you are:

• interested in an interdisciplinary learning environment;
• willing to work on industry-strength cases and apply academic knowledge;
• a forward-looking thinker, and a critical mind regarding both the advantages and disadvantages of digitization.

Employability

We are training highly skilled and employable graduates: 100% of past year cohort is currently employed! Discover the career paths of our former students with our employability survey.