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Master of Science in Finance and Banking
Master of Science in Finance and Banking
The Master of Science in Finance and Banking provides you with the necessary skills for solid decision-making in finance, banking, and financial regulation.
The MSc in Finance and Banking provides students with the knowledge and practical skills to succeed in the financial sector, in commercial or investment banks, consultancy, or in the finance department of any company. Practically focused and internationally oriented, this MSc program includes elective courses that allow students to choose their preferred track according to their career plans.
The MSc in Finance and Banking benefits from the outstanding world-renowned faculty of UPF's Department of Economics and Business, known for its scientific approach, its constant contribution to creating knowledge, and its high-level ability to stimulate and convey knowledge.
In addition, this program is recognized by Eduniversal Ranking as one the best master's degrees in Corporate Finance. In 2019, the program climbed one place to 47th position in Europe and is among the Top 5 Best Masters in Corporate Finance in Spain.
Program jointly offered with:
Why choose this program
Excellent teaching staff
You will learn from the faculty of the UPF's Department of Economics and Business, and from experienced business professionals from some of the top financial firms, consultancies, and corporate financial services.
Full immersion in Finance and Banking
The subjects in the program will offer you a global vision of financial institutions, markets, and consumers. You will work on real case studies using the latest technological tools, quantitative analysis trends, and research techniques.
Analytical focus
You will master and put into practice the latest analytical tools and techniques, used by financial analysts.
QTEM Program
You will have the opportunity to undertake an extension of your master with the QTEM program, an optional experience to study abroad at more than 20 top international universities which are leaders in the field of Economics, Finance, and Management.
CFA Accreditation
The Master's is a member of the University Affiliation Program of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute. At the end of the Master you will be ready to take the exam to obtain the CFA accreditation, a prestigious international recognition in investment management and financial analysis, and for which there are two scholarships offered in each course.
You can also take part in the CFA Research Challenge, a team competition in which more than 1,000 universities and Business Schools participate from all over the world.
Who is it for?
The MSc in Finance and Banking is aimed at recent graduates and junior professionals with previous analytical studies such as Business Administration, Economics, Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics among others. Applicants with a different academic background may be asked to provide proof of sufficient quantitative and analytical training (GMAT).
Accreditations
his is an official master and has the academic recognition of the Ministry of Education of the Government of Spain. The Quality Agency of the University System of Catalonia (AQU Catalunya) has institutionally accredited the UPF-BSM. This accreditation certifies all the official university master's degrees that we teach and recognizes the quality of our educational model in accordance with the criteria of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).
Curriculum
The MSc in Finance and Banking is organized over three terms.
During the first term all students will take the Basics of Finance and Banking core courses. Electives will be distributed throughout the three terms with the highest workload during the second and third term.
Students have the option to do curricular internships in companies. Career development sessions will be offered to aid students in finding the placement and prepare them for their professional future.
From October to June, students will work on their MSc thesis, supervised by a specialized faculty member.
Core courses
Electives
MSc Final Thesis
Complementary activities
Additional Off-Program Activities
Further to the course's regular classes, all Master of Science students have the possibility of attending free complementary training parallel to the running of their studies. The following activities are optional and are included in the program's tuition fees:
- Brush-up Courses: online preparatory crash-courses on business and economy-related subjects which take place two weeks prior to the beginning of the program.
- Spanish Course: free of charge during the first term. 3 hours/week course at the UPF's language school.
- Career Development Program: career sessions and workshops where students obtain specific training on how to improve their professional profile, approach potential employers and develop professional soft skills.
Double Degrees
UPF Barcelona School of Management Master of Science in Finance and Banking offers a Double Degrees option with:
- Washington University in Saint Louis - Olin Business School (United States):
- Global Master in Finance
- Global Master in Finance
- EBS Business School (Germany):
- MSc in Automotive Management
- MSc in Real Estate
- MSc in Management
- HSE Saint Petersburg (Russia)
- Master in Management and Analytics for Business
For more information on each of the agreements please send an email to international@bsm.upf.edu
QTEM Progam
After successfully completing the Master of Science in Finance and Banking students have the opportunity to participate in the QTEM Program, an optional and free of charge experience to study abroad at more than 20 top international universities which are leaders in the field of Economics.
UPF Barcelona School of Management is the first and only Spanish institution to be part of the QTEM (Quantitative Techniques for Economics and Management) network.
Find more information about QTEM here.
International mobility
The UPF Barcelona School of Management offers you the possibility of expanding your training and international vision through different programmes and activities:
- International mobility programme: extend your studies extracurricularly, during the academic year following the completion of your Master's, at a top-level institution. Limited places.
- Study Trip: optional trip to a European city in which conferences and visits to companies will be scheduled so as to expand knowledge and acquire a global vision.
Qualification obtained
Once students have completed the course they will obtain the Máster Universitario en Finanzas y Banca / Master of Science in Finance and Banking official Master's Degree awarded by Pompeu Fabra University.
Students will also receive an additional Master of Science in Finance and Banking completion certificate awarded by the UPF Barcelona School of Management.
Issuance of official Master's Degrees: The amount stipulated in the DOGC (Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia) must be paid for the rights to issue the title. This rate varies annually and the rate in force at the time of application for the degree will be applied.
Note:The information contained in these documents is for information purposes only and may be subject to change in the adaptations of each academic year. The definitive guide will be available to students enrolled in the virtual space before the start of each subject.
Faculty
The MSc in Finance and Banking benefits from the outstanding world-renowned faculty of the UPF's Department of Economics and Business, known for its scientific approach, its constant contribution to creating knowledge and its high-level ability to stimulate and convey knowledge. In addition to the regular program faculty, experienced professionals from diverse sectors are invited to share their expertise and professional experience during the year.
Academic directors
Associate Professor UPF
Faculty
Senior Lecturer BSM
Associate Professor UPF
Associate Professor UPF
Ramon y Cajal Researcher UPF
Head of Accounting and Finance
Senior Lecturer BSM
- Oriol Aspachs Bracons
Head of Macroeconomics at CaixaBank ResearchPhD in Economics from London School of Economics.
Master in Economics and Finance from the Center for Monetary and Financial Studies (CEMFI). Worked as Assistant Professor at the London School of Economics, as a Research Assistant at the Financial Markets Group and in the Financial Stability Department at the Bank of England. His areas of study include monetary policy, the real estate sector, financial stability and banking regulation. - Enrique Benito Ruiz
Advisor of financial institutions in the Banking & Capital Markets practice at Deloitte (London)
PhD in Financial Economics from City University, London. He holds a BA in Business Administration from the University of Valencia. He has led the foundation of the new Treasury at the GE Capital Bank. He was also responsible for the management and oversight of liquidity & funding of GE's Capital Bank €6bn Pan-European commercial lending business. He was member of the FSA and UK Representative for the international negotiations relating to Basel III and CRD IV standards. - Victor Burguete Vidal
Economist at Banc Sabadell Research Department
MSc in Specialized Economic Analysis from Barcelona Graduate School of Economics (BSGE) - Eudald Canadell Casanova
Director of Research and Statistics at the CNMV (Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores)
MSc in Economics from the University of Minnesota. - Tomàs Casanovas Martinez
President of the company ENERSIDE
Master of Business Administration from the University of Strathclyde - Glasgow. CEO of Open Learning Spain S.A. Economist. Business Professor. Advanced Post-Degree at Risk for Darden University, Virginia, USA. Post-Degree in Project Finance for Middlesex University - England. Author of the book Project Finance International. - Craig Chatfield
Research and architecture experience in enterprise systems, service personalisation, security solutions and user privacy.
Since completing his PhD Craig has worked for over 10 years as an enterprise solution and security architect, and has spent the last four years as a Blockchain Architect working for top tier global financial services and market infrastructure organisations. He has experience developing identity, digital assets, payments, and supply chain blockchain solutions across a wide range of industries. - Jacobo Cuadrado Arévalo
Financial Project Director at VISAN
Master in Banking and Finance from AFI. Former Controller and Corporate Finance Manager at Telefónica. - Javier Gil-Bazo
Associate Professor of Finance at Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
He has previously held an Associate Professor position (with tenure) at Universidad Carlos III. Javier has also undertaken research at the University of Maryland, Tilburg University, and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
His research interests cover institutional investors, investor behavior, asset management, and asset pricing. -
Germán López Espinosa
Associate Professor at Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona
PhD in Business Administration from Alicante University -
Gyöngyi Loranth
Professor of Finance at the University of Vienna.
She joined the university in 2009 after her employment at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. She previously held a postdoctoral position at the London Business School. She received her PhD in Economics from Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona (1999) and from Université Libre de Bruxelles (2003).
Loranth’s research interests focus on financial intermediation, corporate finance and corporate governance. - Manuel Moreno Fuentes
Associate professor of the Department of Economic and Financial Analysis at the University of Castilla-La Mancha.
PhD in Economic Sciences from Carlos III University of Madrid. He has a BSc in Mathematics from the Complutense University of Madrid and a MSc in Economics from the University Carlos III of Madrid. He has held teaching and research positions at the Financial Option Research Centre (Warwick Business School, UK), IE Business School, IESE Business School, University Carlos III of Madrid and Pompeu Fabra University. His main research fields are Finance in Continuous-Time, financial engineering applications, Derivatives Pricing and Financial Risk Management. - Sandra Orozco
Senior Data Scientist at Accenture Applied Intelligence.
She holds a master’s degree in Statistics and Operations Research as well as a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, UPC). Her main area of expertise is Operations Research related to Supply Chain & Operations. She has more than 4 years of experience on the translation of real-world problems into mathematical or conceptual models and their implementation through linear programming and metaheuristics. She is very keen of innovation, lecturing at the BGSE and developing analytics use cases related to Blockchain and IoT. - José-Luis Peydró
Professor of Finance of the Department of Economics and Business at Pompeu Fabra University
PhD in Finance from INSEAD. He also has a Master in Economics and Finance from the Center for Monetary and Financial Studies (CEMFI). He is Advisor of the Department of Financial Stability at Banco de España. He has worked as a consultant at the Federal Reserve Board, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. His main research field is Banking. - Amedeo Pugliese
Professor of Accounting at the University of Padua.
Amedeo held positions at the University of Naples ‘Federico II’ (Italy), Queensland University of Technology (Australia) and KU Leuven (Belgium). His research interests span across corporate governance, accounting in the banking industry and the effects of changes in financial regulation during systemic crisis. His work has been published in highly reputable scientific journals, such as Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management Studies, British Journal of Management, Corporate Governance: an International Review. - Alberto Santini
Assistant professor of the Department of Economics and Business at Pompeu Fabra University
PhD in Operational Research from the University of Bologna, Italy. Master of Science in Mathematics from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. His main research interest is in combinatorial optimisation. - José Suárez-Lledó
Manager at the Capital Planning & Forecasting Department at CaixaBank
PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Director at Moody's Analytics based in London. His team provided consulting support to major industry players and implemented stress-testing solutions to quantify portfolio risk under alternative macroeconomic scenarios. He held a research position at the Autonomous University of Barcelona where he focused on illiquid financial markets and the dynamics of asset prices and credit. - Adrià Thorson
Senior Data Scientist at Accenture Applied Intelligence.
He holds a bachelor's degree in Statistics (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, UPC) as well as a bachelor's degree in Economics (Universitat de Barcelona, UB). His main area of expertise is Data Science applied to the Supply Chain. He is also deeply involved in the Blockchain world. On one hand he is an active member of the Innovation team within Accenture where several Blockchain solutions have been built. - Victoria Magdalena Vanasco
Affiliated Professor at Barcelona GSE and junior Researcher at CREI
PhD in Economics from the University of California Berkeley - Sergio Vicente
Assistant professor of Finance of the Department of Business Administration at Charles III University of Madrid
PhD in Economics from New York University
Methodology
The MSc in Finance and Banking is an on-campus program that combines diverse teaching methodologies in its various courses to offer a rigorous, hands-on and interactive learning experience, involving both individual and group work.
Lectures
Concepts and methodologies are introduced by leading academics and highly-experienced professionals in the financial sector, who are experts in their respective subject matters.
Practical case studies
Learning from the successes and failures of real organizations, and training problem solving skills based on acquired competences.
Guest speakers
Experienced professionals from the corporate and financial sector are invited to share their knowledge and expertise with the students in an interactive environment.
Interactive activities
Stock market competitions, investment games, and role-playing allow the students to enhance the learning process through hands-on interactive activities.
In-class discussions and group activities
Debates, discussions, and presentations allow the students to learn how to contribute to and respond to group dynamics, and benefit from the diverse group of students that participate in the program.
Evaluation
The evaluation system may vary from course to course and it will be based on the student's performance on a selection of the following activities:
- Written exams and multiple choice tests
- Oral presentations
- Individual assignments and essays
- Group projects
- Class participation and debate interventions
- Performance in simulation and role-playing games
Tools
Project-oriented learning and the combination of lectures and active methodologies such as case studies, flipped learning, solving real problems and professional simulations allow the student to connect theory and practice, acquire advanced skills and achieve learning which is transferable to work.
You will have:
- Master's or postgraduate work to learn by doing
- A personal mentor to monitor your Master's Final Project (TFM) or Postgraduate Final Project (TFP)
- Digital resources to achieve transversal skills
- Interdisciplinary activities and workshops
Professional Future
The MSc in Finance and Banking is aimed at recent graduates and junior professionals with analytical backgrounds who wish to acquire the necessary skills for solid decision-making in finance, banking and financial regulation.
Student profile
Every year the program welcomes junior profiles, coming from analytical backgrounds, to study finance and banking in Barcelona: a vibrant, dynamic and international city. The program has a multicultural environment with students from all around the world. The first step to work, communicate and negotiate globally.
Career opportunities
The Master of Science in Finance and Banking provides students with the opportunity to undertake a curricular internship, if desired. Resources and assistance will be provided by UPF-BSM Careers Service to support students in their search for internships and job positions.
- Business Consultant
- Central Bank Employee
- Commercial Bank Manager
- Corporate Finance Services
- Investment Banker
- M&A Advisor
- Private Equity Manager
- Treasury Manager
- Financial Analyst
Admission and enrolment
Our admission process consists of a rigorous evaluation of each application to preserve the quality of the group as well as the training, experience, and work capacity of all students.
Who can apply?
Bachelor degree
Applicants must have finished or be in the last year of a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited university. Ideally, students should come from any of the following academic fields of study:
- Business Administration
- Economics
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Life and Health Sciences
Applicants with a different academic background may be asked to provide proof of sufficient quantitative and analytical training by presenting a 650 or higher GMAT score.
If you are currently studying the last year of your Bachelor Degree you will need to finish your university studies and obtain your final diploma before the beginning of the program. If you finished your Bachelor Degrees some time ago you should preferably not exceed 3 years of working experience in a position relevant to the program's field.
Proficiency in English
An official English certificate is required in order to be successfully enrolled.
If you do not have your English results at the time of admission, you will be required to provide it two months before the course starts. Admission without an official English certificate will be considered conditional until the certificate is provided.
The English certificate scores are:
- TOEFL CBT: > 235
- TOEFL PBT: > 575
- TOEFL IBT: > 100
- CAE: C1
- IELTS: > 6.5
- Duolingo: > 115 (accepted during the academic years 20/21 and 21/22)
Applicants whose mother tongue is English do not need to present the aforementioned certificate.
Applicants who have completed their full Bachelor's Degree at an English-speaking university must submit written evidence that the language of instruction of their studies was English."
How to apply?
To apply for admission to this program, students must read and accept the Terms and Conditions of Contract once they start the application for admission through its form.
Application for admission
Complete your application within the next admission rounds:
| Round | Application deadline | Resolution deadline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11/11/2020 | 26/11/2020 |
| 2 | 3/12/2020 | 18/12/2020 |
| 3 | 17/12/2020 | 31/12/2020 |
| 4 | 12/01/2021 | 28/01/2021 |
| 5 | 02/02/2021 | 17/02/2021 |
| 6 | 23/02/2021 | 10/03/2021 |
| 7 | 16/03/2021 | 31/03/2021 |
| 8 | 08/04/2021 | 23/04/2021 |
| 9 | 27/04/2021 | 12/05/2021 |
| 10 | 13/05/2021 | 28/05/2021 |
| 11 | 27/05/2021 | 11/06/2021 |
| 12 | 08/06/2021 | 23/06/2021 |
| 13 | 22/06/2021 | 07/07/2021 |
| 14 | 06/07/2021 | 21/07/2021 |
| 15 | 20/07/2021 | 30/07/2021 |
Applications for admission will be evaluated when you complete the following steps:
- Complete the online admission form.
- Pay the €120 admission fee. This amount will be returned if you are not admitted.
- Send the following documents through the online platform e-registrar:
- Presentation letter or video
- CV
- 2 academic recommendation letters (mandatory) and 1 professional (optional)
- Scanned copy of university degree (if you are in the last year of your degree, you can provide your academic records)
- Scanned copy of Transcript of Records. Make sure that it includes your GPA (Grade Point Average)
- Scanned copy of ID Card or Passport
- Passport-size photo (jpg format)
Additional documents may be requested in certain cases.
Applications are subject to the number of places available on the program.
Admission
- The Admissions Committee will select the candidates on the basis of a personal or CV-based interview.
- You will be notified of the admission decision in writing.
Enrolment
- Resgistration must be paid within a 15 days after the admission.
- Once the letter of acceptance to the program has been received, you will need to submit the following original documents before the course begins:
- Stamped and/or authenticated photocopy of your university degree.
- Stamped and/or authenticated photocopy of your transcript of records.
- If you have a foreign degree you may need to submit additional documents.
- Paying the reservation fee (25% of the program's tuition fees) is essential in order to reserve your place
- If you pay the tuition fees by bank transfer you will be required to introduce the program code. The program code for this course is 1566.
- The remaining tuition fees must be paid 2 weeks before the start of the course.
Grants, scholarships and financing
Scholarships
The UPF Barcelona School of Management offers you different means of financing so that you can take any of our programs without worry. We offer you the opportunity to finance part of your program, either by rewarding your talent through scholarships, through grants from entities dedicated to promoting education or through collaboration agreements with financial entities.
Grants and discounts
Language: English
Price: 18500€