Master of Science Financial Management

Programme Overview

Academic Level
Academic Level

Postgraduate/Masters, Single Major

Awarded by
Awarded by

Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, UK

Programme type
Programme type

Full-time, 1 year

Campus location
Campus location

SIM Campus

Application Dates
Application Dates

Now till 7 April 2025

Estimated Fees (incl. GST)
Estimated Fees

(incl. GST)*

S$45,322.20 to S$47,676.60

* Exclude application fee, preparatory or bridging course fee, and other fees. Refer to the Fees & Financial Aid section for details.

Programme Outline

Awarded and developed by: Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, UK

The MSc Financial Management aims to produce responsible financial management specialists who will be able to contribute and craft their career in the finance sector globally and in Asia.

Students will study a variety of innovative and contemporary topics including corporate finance, business valuation, financial modelling techniques, financial technology, data analytics, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) financing, international cash, liquidity and treasury management and more.

  • This programme is accredited by the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT) – the chartered professional body for treasury in the UK.

Why a Master's from University of Birmingham?  

  • Degrees are of the same standings and standards as those awarded in the UK 
  • Long tradition and established track record of teaching business and management 
  • Established international reputation of the University and the Business School 
  • Research led – cutting-edge research feeds directly into teaching 
  • International syllabus with a focus on the issues of globalisation 
  • Dedicated staff who provide continuous support for your studies 
  • Join the alumni community of more than 300,000 graduates. From television and sport to research and government, the University has outstanding alumni across all sectors. 


Prerequisite(s)

learning-outcome

Learning Outcomes

You will:  

  1. Appreciate the global nature of corporate finance abreast ethics, governance and regulations 
  2. Demonstrate knowledge and skills to manage treasury related activities, financial and various types of business risks 
  3. Develop competencies to interpret and analyse financial statements; valuate businesses and company securities for reporting 
  4. Apply theoretical knowledge, practical skills, tools and techniques in a written dissertation 

Further Studies & Career Prospects

Open doors to a wide range of career options in all sectors of business, industry and commerce. Some may begin their training in firms of chartered or certified accountants, whilst others may work with charities, health authorities, local government, banks, media, manufacturing industries and IT companies.

Top jobs in financial management include actuary, chartered management accountant, financial accountant, financial advisor, financial analyst, investment banker, management consultant, mortgage advisor, stockbroker, venture capitalist.

In addition to this MSc degree, SIM-Birmingham graduates will be able to gain the Certificate in Treasury Fundamentals and Certificate in Treasure awarded by the UK ACT if they meet the required criteria either through exemption or further study. This enables our graduates to get the best possible start in their careers with a recognised professional qualification.

UK ACT stands for the UK Association of Corporate Treasurers, the chartered professional body for treasury. Find out more about UK ACT and its qualifications

Graduates may further their studies in the PhD and doctoral programmes in universities around the world on programme completion.

Hear from our students
Prashant Kumar
Prashant Kumar

After witnessing how his parents’ jobs were made redundant multiple times during their corporate career, Prashant Kumar knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur who could take the reins of his own destiny. More importantly, he is passionate about making an impact in his community with job creation. A graduate of the University of Birmingham, Prashant co-founded FREO Labs, a B2B brand, design and digital consultancy and shared his experience on this challenging but rewarding journey.

Read story

Why study at SIM x University of Birmingham

uni-of-birmingham-fully-taught
SIM is the leading private education institution in Singapore.
uni-of-birmingham-ranked-90
University of Birmingham ranked 80th in the world (QS World University Rankings 2025).
uni-of-birmingham-no1-most-frequented
First choice for graduate employment among UK’s top employers (The Graduate Market in 2024, High Fliers Research).
uni-of-birmingham-gold-rating
Gold rating for outstanding teaching and learning in the UK (Teaching Excellence Framework 2017-2020).
Learn more about University of Birmingham

Intake Dates

Oct 2025 intake

PROGRAMME DURATION

1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2026

APPLICATION PERIOD

Now till 7 April 2025

Date & period is subject to change by the University.

Pre-sessional English Course
Applicants who have not reached the required IELTS English Language proficiency level or equivalent shall have to complete and pass a Pre-Sessional English Course before progressing to any of the MSc programmes. Please refer to Pre-sessional English Course (If Applicable) below for the latest intake details and closing dates.

Scholarship
A partial scholarship will be offered to new students of the University of Birmingham’s Master of Science programmes who meet the scholarship requirements and have successfully been offered a place of study at SIM for Academic Year 2025-2026. Further details will be shared once available. Please check back regularly for updates.

The programme is designed to be completed in a year.

There will not be any refund or recourse should students fail to complete the programme within the candidature period. 

Curriculum

Structure

  • Comprises six taught modules (120 credits) and a written dissertation (60 credits). 
  • Fully taught by Birmingham academics from the UK home campus to ensure equivalent academic inputs to the Singapore programme.
    View a list of lecturers’ teaching modules (PDF 66 KB)
  • Average teacher-participant ratio is 1:50. 
  • Exemptions: Nil  
  • Minimum class size to commence: 25 students  
  • If the class fails to commence due to low take-up rate, students will be informed within one month before programme commencement with the refund of application fee.

Taught Modules

  • Delivered on a block teaching basis through classroom learning. 
  • A 20-credit module is equivalent to two weeks of intensive weekday lectures. One to two modules are expected to be delivered monthly.  
  • Class duration: Typically 6 hours per day on SIM campus with each lesson about 3 hours. Saturday classes may occasionally be scheduled if required. 
  • Face-to-face Delivery: Generally held on SIM campus unless otherwise stated. 


Dissertation

  • There will be workshops, consultation sessions and assigned supervisors to guide students on dissertation.

Assessment & Attendance

  • Attendance requirement – 100%
  • Typically, students will need to complete each module’s assessments and/or exams before progressing to the next module.
  • Assessment schedule is subject to change by the University.

Taught Modules

  • Taught modules are assessed either by written exams, coursework*, or a combination of both. They are normally scheduled one to two weeks after a module’s completion. Exams will be held on SIM campus unless otherwise stated.
  • Re-assessment will be advised by the University for participants who did not fulfil the passing requirement of any taught modules.

Dissertation

  • Students will need to complete a 16,000 – 20,000 word dissertation for submission. The submission period is normally in August/September.


* Coursework can take a variety of forms including individual and group assignments, presentations, class tests etc.

Requirements to Graduate

  • Obtain a total of 180 credits to attain the Master of Science Financial Management awarded by the University of Birmingham.  
  • A degree congregation presided by University of Birmingham is annually held in November on SIM campus. Alternatively, graduates may choose to attend the ceremony in July/December in the UK.
  • The awarded degree and degree certificate, is the same as that awarded in the UK
 

Student Performance Outcome
Above 92% passing rate over the last 3 years.

Graduate Performance Outcome
Above 76% postgraduate students achieving Distinctions and Merits over the last 3 years. 

(Source: The statistics are derived from the combined average of last 3 years.)

 

Modules

Year 2025 Modules 

A 20-credit module is equivalent to 60 contact hours.

  • Corporate Financial Management* (20 credits)
  • Financial Modelling Techniques (20 credits)
  • Financial Statement Analysis and Business Valuation* (20 credits)
  • Ethics, Governance and Regulation in Treasury* (20 credits)
  • International Treasury Management* (20 credits)
  • Risk Analysis and Management* (20 credits)
  • Dissertation (60 credits)

View list of modules and descriptions (including Dissertation) (PDF 605 KB)

Notes:

* Covers more than 80% of the syllabus for relevant UK ACT examination(s). Find out more from the UK ACT website

The modules listed here and on the University’s website may occasionally be subject to change to ensure consistency with the UK programme. In such a scenario, you will be informed of any changes. 

Students are required to own a laptop equipped with at least Microsoft Windows 10 or Apple MacOS Catalina (10.15) and 8GB RAM (recommended).

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Admission Criteria

All admissions are based on merit and are subject to the final approval of the Programme Director. Applicants may be interviewed prior to acceptance into the programme.
 

Accepted Entry Qualifications

Designed for bachelor’s degree holders with mathematical experience and the aspiration to work in the financial sector. 

  • Bachelor's degree in any discipline (Upper Second Class Honours degree or higher) or an equivalent qualification; and to fulfil the following criteria:
  • A GCE "A" Level minimum Grade D (or equivalent) in Maths/Applied Maths/ Further Maths/ Physics/ Statistics (or equivalent overseas qualification); or
  • A minimum grade of Lower Second Class in two Mathematics-related subjects at the undergraduate level.

English Language Requirements

  • A minimum C6 pass in English as First Language at GCE ‘O’ Level; or
  • IELTS 6.5 overall (at least 6.0 in each band); or
  • TOEFL iBT: 88 (with no less than 20 in Listening, 21 in Reading, 22 in Speaking and 21 in Writing); or 
  • Pearson Test of English (Academic); PTE academic 67 overall with a minimum of 64 in all four skills; or
  • Cambridge English (exams taken from 2015): Advanced or Proficiency - minimum overall score of 176, with no less than 169 in any component; or 
  • Successful completion of a SIM Pre-Sessional English Course, Certificate in Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes; or  
  • Equivalent

Other Requirements

These are to be submitted with the application: 

  • Two satisfactory references of which one must be academic-related; and 
  • A letter of academic interest and your objectives in undertaking postgraduate study. 

Pre-sessional English Course (If Applicable)

Developed and awarded by SIM, Singapore.

Applicants who have not reached the required IELTS English Language proficiency level or equivalent shall have to complete and pass a Pre-Sessional English Course before progressing to any of the MSc programmes.

This full-time course aims to improve all four Academic English Language skills in Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing to the required proficiency level for entry to the respective MSc programmes. 

A certificate of completion will be awarded upon successful passing of Part One and/or Part Two of the Pre-sessional English Course.

There will not be any refund or recourse should students fail to complete the course within the course duration.

MScFM_PSEC-Table_Updated-on-23-Oct-2023-(2).png* The PSEC is not open for direct application. The selection into the course is based upon recommendations by the Admission Committee (AC) for those who have applied to the respective MSc Programmes. 
** Fees are inclusive of 9% GST and are payable in full before each part of course commencement. Fees include online course materials.


Structure

  • Mode of delivery: Lessons will be delivered via blended learning with a combination of face-to-face lectures and e-learning components.
  • View module synopses
  • Class duration: Typically 6 hours on weekdays. Some lessons may also take place on Saturdays if required.
  • Assessments: Continuous assessments include in-class tests, individual / group assignments, online quizzes etc. There are no re-assessments.
  • Average teacher-student ratio – 1:30
    View a list of lecturers’ teaching modules (PDF 66 KB)
  • Minimum class size to commence – 25
    If the class fails to commence due to low take-up rate, students will be informed at least 1 week before programme commencement with the refund of application fee.
  • Attendance requirement:
    • Local students – at least 75% rate
    • International students – at least 90% rate

Certificate in Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes (CPEAP)

This programme is available through institutional collaborations, and not applicable for direct applications by prospective students. The selection into the programme is based upon recommendation by the Admission Committee for those who have applied to the Master of Science Financial Management and Master of Science International Business programmes awarded by University of Birmingham.

This programme is developed and awarded by Singapore Institute of Management, Singapore. It aims to improve all four Academic English Language skills, Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing to IELTS 6.5, through two parts.

2025 Intake (Full-time)
Programme Duration: 1 Oct 2025 - 30 June 2026*

*Dates are subject to change

For more information, please click here

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Fees and Financial Aid

All fees are inclusive of prevailing GST and payable before course/term commencement (exclude textbooks). Valid for 2025 intake and assumes that students complete the programme in one year. 

View all payment modes

 

Programme Fees 

Pre-sessional English Course* (If Applicable)
(Fees are valid for intake in 2025)*

  • Part One & Two: S$5,450.00
  • Part Two: S$2,725.00

*Fees are inclusive of 9% GST and are payable in full before course commencement. Fees do not include textbook. 

Master’s Programme*
(Fees are valid for intake in 2025)*

Local Students:

  • Total Programme Fees: S$45,322.20

International Students:

  • Total Programme Fees: S$47,676.60

*Fees are inclusive of 9% GST and are payable in instalments based on the number of taught module credits undertaken in a term. Fees include online course materials.

Scholarship

A partial scholarship will be offered to new students of the University of Birmingham’s Master of Science programmes who meet the scholarship requirements and have successfully been offered a place of study at SIM for Academic Year 2025-2026. Further details will be shared once available. Please check back regularly for updates.

Mandatory One-time Fees

All fees inclusive of prevailing GST.

International Student Induction Fee

A one-time fee payable by new full-time international students. This fee covers pre-arrival and arrival support, including activities to enhance the international student learning experience.

As applicable, this is payable with the programme fee’s first instalment.

S$436.00

Application Fee

Payable for each application form that is submitted. Fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. The fee will be refunded fully only if the intake does not commence. Unpaid applications will not be processed.

Local applicants:
S$109.00

International applicants:
S$545.00*
(*Not inclusive of all fees related to Student’s Pass application)