Master of Computer Science

at Middlesex University London United Kingdom

The banking and finance industry has become a major end-user and even a major driver of technological innovation, such as machine learning, big data analysis and algorithm trading. This course uniquely combines theory and applications of finance, economics, quantitative methods, and big data analysis to allow you to increase your career opportunities in this fast paced field.

The MSc Banking and Finance is an academically solid programme that provides the foundations of a career in financial services, and in the banking industry. This course has an emphasis on relevant and prominent issues for the sector such as financial regulation, risk management, international systems, banking institutions and securities markets.

The programme covers all aspects of the industry from macroeconomic and corporate to regulatory, computational and quantitative. Advanced skills preparation in financial modelling, econometrics, and quantitative risk management will prepare you for the practical requirements of your profession. You can also choose what you study with optional modules covering accounting and corporate finance, big data analysis, and FinTech.

You'll be taught by academics who are currently involved in pioneering research in areas such as portfolio management, corporate finance and ethics in finance. Many have also been practitioners with organisations such as Standard & Poor's and The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. We value skills training as highly as we value theory, so you can also expect to learn the practical ways in which you can use this knowledge within your profession, including training in a range of financial software systems.

Course Highlights

• Benefit from unlimited access to the Financial Markets Lab, where you can set up or simulate your trades in FX, equity and derivatives markets
• There is a strong emphasis on practical application of theory to ensure you are ready for the working world
• Complete year-long modules to improve your learning and enhance assimilation of complex subjects in a rewarding and beneficial manner
• You'll use specialist industry-standard databases such as Bloomberg and Datastream, as well as software packages including Stata
• Free online subscription to The Financial Times.

Our banking and finance degree gives you the specialist knowledge, skills and experience to succeed in a sector that influences the success of our global economy. London is one of the best cities in the world to study finance, which means our BSc in finance will give you the essential skills to pursue international career opportunities in banking, insurance and accountancy.

With the flexibility to study over three or four years – the latter with a year-long paid industry placement – you’ll build your specialist economic knowledge, gain experience of the operations, strategy and regulatory functions of banking and finance, and learn the practical skills you need to succeed in one of most important global sectors.

Build your banking and finance skills

• Our London location gives you access to some of the industry’s most prestigious companies and influencers. You’ll also have the opportunity to build your professional network and gain hands-on experience through a range of work experience placements.
• Our three-year and four-year study options both give you the chance to develop your practical skills through work experience in the industry. You’ll have the opportunity to take two 18-week summer placements as part of a three-year degree, or a 36-week paid work placement in your third year as part of a four-year approach.
• You’ll have access to the latest Bloomberg and Datastream finance software in our Financial Markets Lab.

Often known as the science of uncertainty, statistics is of vital importance in modern society where almost all sectors rely on the collection, analysis and interpretation of data. There is a great shortage of well qualified statisticians, data analysts and statistical consultants across the sector and this course has been specifically designed to meet that demand.

Applied statistics involves putting theory into practice - not only summarising and describing data, but extrapolating from it to draw conclusions about the population being studied. This is an applied, practically-orientated course that gives you advanced knowledge of statistical methods and the theory that underpins these methods. With a strong emphasis on relating theory to practice, you will develop your analytical, logical, numerical and problem-solving, skills that are in such high demand with employers.

Middlesex is one of only four institutions in the UK which has been approved as a mirror for the statistical programming language R – meaning you will have access to software used in the industry. You'll also learn how to use standard statistical software like SPSS and Minitab.

You'll have the freedom to choose the type of independent research project you do which can take the form of a theoretical dissertation, a survey or a more practical project involving a data set. If you're working, you'll have the option of basing your project at your workplace – making your studies even more relevant and beneficial for both you and your employer.

Course Highlights

• You will be able to work with real datasets by utilising our subscriptions to Bloomberg and Datastream
• As a student of this course you'll receive a free electronic textbook for every module.

You enrol on a four-year course, which includes the one-year foundation course. If you complete this year successfully you progress directly onto our three-year media degree courses listed below. The number of students who progress to degree study are very high - in fact some of these students have gone on to become some of our most successful graduates.

BA Visual Effects

Our visual effects course gives you access to some of the best VFX facilities, studios and workshops in the country. Led by our team of experienced VFX professionals who’ve worked professionally on films including Avatar, Planet of the Apes and Happy Feet, you’ll learn the practical skills you need to succeed in the industry.

You enrol on a four-year course, which includes the one-year foundation course. If you complete this year successfully you progress directly onto one of our three-year degree courses in these subject areas. The number of students who progress to degree study are very high - in fact some of these students have gone on to become some of our most successful graduates.

BA International Politics

International politics has never been so relevant to our daily lives, which means our international politics degree will open up opportunities in all areas of this diverse and dynamic field – from public service and international relations to regional organisations, NGOs, diplomacy, the media, and everything in between.

Our information systems degree gives you the skills, experience and expertise you need to succeed in the computer-based sector – and beyond.

You’ll get to grips with the specialist equipment, systems and technologies that will give you the experience, expertise and confidence to apply your skills (due to Covid-19, access to the specialist software may be online rather than in on-campus labs). Our degree will prepare you for career paths that range from organisational management and systems architects to chief information officers and enterprise architects.

This is an interdisciplinary course meaning the content's structured in ways that map explicitly to modern technology, including systems design, application development, client-side programming, and much more

Build your information systems skills
You’ll have the opportunity to take a year-long, paid work experience placement as part of a four-year study path (subject to securing an organisation that is able to support such a placement during the COVID-19 pandemic). We’ll also give you industry professionals and work experience opportunities to help you further develop your professional skills and network. In the past, our students have taken part in Sky's hackathon which tested their knowledge and team-working skills.

We’re in the process of gaining BCS (British Computer Society) accreditation for our computer science degrees, which means you’ll be able to gain BCS membership once it’s awarded.

Our BA Sociology with Psychology lets you study two social sciences that naturally complement each other. You'll get a well-rounded understanding of the major concepts and themes in both contemporary sociology and psychology – and how they relate to everyday life.

Through a range of teaching methods, you’ll learn to analyse both macro and micro information, developing the skills needed to transform your findings into concrete, confident arguments. You’ll also enhance your research ability and gain valuable professional experience through a range of hands-on opportunities and work placements.

Build your practical skills
You’ll be part of our engaging learning environment, with a specialist teaching approach that gives you plenty of support throughout your studies. You’ll also get a free electronic textbook for every module as part of your course.

Our links with community organisations and NGOs across London means you’ll get opportunities to build your professional skills with a range of prestigious work placement opportunities.

You’ll have the option to extend your course by a year to spend your third year building the skills employers want as part of a paid work placement at a community organisation or NGO. Our academic advisers will also help you find your placement and give you the support you need to complete a winning application.

You enrol on a four-year course, which includes the one-year foundation course. If you complete this year successfully you progress directly onto one of our three-year degree courses in these subject areas. The number of students who progress to degree study are very high - in fact some of these students have gone on to become some of our most successful graduates.

BA Criminology

This course is ideal if you're interested in how society responds to criminal behaviour and the challenges that this provides. Blending theory with practice, you’ll develop your knowledge by exploring key issues related to crime and justice before testing that knowledge through placements (when possible) within criminology-focused organisations and projects.

You will learn the principles of the English legal system, and gain reflection through social, political, economic, ethical and historical perspectives. You will also build a range of transferable skills, including abstract thinking and problem solving, that will allow you to prepare practically as well as academically for a successful legal career.

In light of COVID19 and the need to prioritise a safe academic community, we shall be offering a blended learning model that will involve online teaching and learning delivered by our expert academics, until it is safe to start face-to-face teaching. All such decisions will be made in line with Government advice.

Build your hands-on experience while developing your legal skills

• After you have completed your year one modules, you will have the option to transfer to year two of the LLB, which, on completion will lead to the academic and vocational training required to become a fully qualified solicitor or barrister in England and Wales.
• You will have use of original council chambers in Hendon Town Hall, featuring a judge's bench and public gallery for mooting and lectures.
• Work-based and skills-based modules will allow you to gain practical, hands-on experience, and employability skills in both legal and non-legal environments.
• You will get plenty of support from tutors, including highly trained solicitors and barristers who bring vast experience in a variety of legal settings to help shape your studies and enhance your areas of interest and expertise.

As our lives become increasingly digitised the scope and potential impact of cybercrime is becoming ever broader. In both the business and personal worlds, cyber criminals have the ability to cause considerable harm from remote locations, with numerous industry reports* estimating that the global cost of cybercrime has grown to rival that of the illegal drugs trade. From financial theft to child abuse, cybercrime can take many forms, and the need for skilled professionals capable of tackling these problems will only grow as smart, connected devices increasingly become the norm.

This master's degree is designed to provide you with an understanding of the criminological, legal and research context of cybercrime. Furthermore, it aims to equip you with an understanding of computing skills and capabilities that will help to respond to online threats to personal information as well as to organisational environments.

This makes it the ideal postgraduate qualification for students and professionals seeking a specialist role in a community or support service environment, such as victim support services, the police force, child protection, offender services, as well as corporate environments where there is a need to prevent and respond to cybercrime and issues related to online safety.

Middlesex is home to some of the UK's foremost authorities on cybercrime and cyber safety. Among them is Dr Elena Martellozzo, who is currently co-leading a project on the use of online pornography funded by the NSPCC and the OCC and has recently worked with the Metropolitan Police to advance internet investigators' performance through the understanding of children and sex offenders' online activities.

Course Highlights

• You will be taught by leading experts working in the field of online safety and child protection
• Learn how cyber criminals seek to take advantage of internet systems and ways of preventing these crimes from happening
• Gain specialist skills and knowledge in a relevant and increasingly essential area of criminology, with many employment opportunities