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• Course Overview
• Admissions
• Student Experience
• Durham Law School Alumni
• Governance 

Course Overview

The MSc in Law and Finance combines two highly technical and evolving sectors into one distinctive study programme. Ideally suited to aspiring financial lawyers or regulatory compliance professionals with a limited background in mathematics and statistics, the course provides an understanding of the fundamental legal and financial concepts needed to work in the modern financial industry.

The interdisciplinary course is taught jointly by the Law School and the Department of Finance. Starting out with an intensive induction you will learn the basics of statistics and mathematics and the fundamentals of UK law.

Course in Brief

Following the induction, the course takes in key concepts from across the legal financial landscape including Banking Regulation, Capital Markets Law, Corporate Finance and Fundamentals of Finance.

Academic theory is brought to life through the Case Study in Financial Regulation, an innovative module which transports current national and international issues from the financial law/regulation or policy world into the classroom. Much of the case study content is delivered in conjunction with industry professionals from the banking, capital markets, and legal sectors, to strengthen the bridge between academic theory and practical industry application.

You will extend your real-world knowledge during a two-day London tour which takes in regulators, financial institutions and law firms. Added to this, our database resources, including Bloomberg, Capital IQ, Thomson Reuters, DataStream and Orbis will develop your practical skills. The dissertation draws together the knowledge and skills gained through the course.

By the end of the course, you will be fluent in not only the regulatory aspects that govern the world of finance, but also the core financial theory that underpins capital market and banking transactions and the financing of businesses more generally.

Course Table

The programme is structured in four distinct phases. In the pre-sessional week, students will learn the foundations of law, maths and statistics necessary to attend the various modules. They will also familiarise themselves with university life and facilities at the Law School and the Business School. In Term 1, students will take four foundational modules on finance theory and law. In Terms 2 and 3, students will take the compulsory module Case Studies in Financial Regulation and take four optional modules from a list of modules offered by the Law School and the Department of Finance. In the summer term, students will write a short dissertation on finance, with the possibility to link it to a summer work project or internship.

The course resources are still under review. Please come back later for further updates. 

Admissions

Entry Requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) or equivalent in law or a relevant business degree such as accounting, finance, or economics. 

Graduates with a 2.1 honours degree who also have other legal qualifications and/or substantial professional legal, regulatory, or finance experience may also qualify. 

Students whose native language is not English must show evidence of general proficiency in the English language by normally achieving 7.0 or higher in IELTS with a minimum of 7.0 in the writing component and a minimum of 6.5 in all other components. 

Students from EU member states whose native language is not English may show evidence of general proficiency in the English language by normally achieving 102 or higher in TOEFL with a minimum of 27 in the writing component and a minimum of 25 in all other components. 

Find out more about the English language requirements

If you have any questions regarding the admissions process, please contact: durham.admissions@durham.ac.uk 

Student Experience

Durham University Colleges

Durham University colleges are a central aspect of student life at our University. Colleges offer opportunities to make new friends, attend events and learn new skills. Find out more about our colleges here.

Living in Durham

Situated close to a number of academic departments and University services with views of the magnificent Durham Cathedral as well as offering easy access to the historic city, we believe that we have one of the most striking and best-equipped law buildings in the UK. Find out more about things to do at Durham University here.

Facilities and Locations

The MSc in Law and Finance will be taught at the School of Law in the Palatine Centre and the Business School Riverside Building.

Find out more about our location here.

Governance

Academic Director

• Prof Federico Lupo-Pasini, Professor of Financial Law

Faculty Members

• Prof Pierre Schammo, Professor of Law
• Dr Clara Martins-Pereira, Associate Professor in Financial Law
• Philip Bennett, Professor in Practice of Law
• Prof Habib Ahmed, Professor of Finance and Chair in Islamic Law and Finance
• Dr Anthony Kyiu, Assistant Professor in Finance
• Prof Luis Nguyen, Professor in Finance

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