Finance (Investments) with Placement Year BSc (Hons)

University of Reading

Prepare for a career in the fast-paced industries of investment banking, asset management, corporate finance or general accounting – and gain valuable real-world experience – with our BSc Finance (Investments) with Placement Year degree.

Recent changes in finance – including the emergence of financial technology and the focus on sustainability – have necessitated changes throughout the industry.

This four-year courses develops the key skills and knowledge to meet these changes head-on, as you gain a deep understanding of finance and the financial services industry. An integrated Placement Year provides a fantastic opportunity to put your skills into practice in preparation for your future career.

Experts from Henley Business School will introduce you to the:

• fundamental principles of accounting, finance and economics
• quantitative techniques of finance
• role of finance in business and society
• ethics required to work in the finance industry.

As your studies progress, you’ll gain deeper knowledge of the core concepts in:

• portfolio management
• financial modelling
• corporate finance
• econometrics for finance
• FX and international debt markets
• hedging and trading.

You’ll learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical workshops, and self-guided study. This will provide the opportunity to discuss subject materials in an in-depth way with your lecturers and fellow students.

The University of Reading is a CFA partner university. Within this partnership, a number of scholarships are offered towards CFA exams (partial fee reduction) for which students can apply.

Choose BSc Finance (Investments) with Placement Year at Henley Business School

• Ranked 19th in the UK for Accounting and Finance (The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide, 2020).
• Triple-accredited status from the UK, European and US accrediting bodies (AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB).

Flexible study options

After the first year of your BSc Finance (Investments) with Placement Year degree, you will have the option to transfer to any of our other specialist pathways:

• BSc Finance (FinTech)
• BSc Finance (Sustainable Finance)
• BSc Finance (International Business)

Each pathway is designed to help you understand particular challenges within finance and how to respond to them.

If you choose to remain on the general degree course, you’ll still be offered a wide range of options in your second and final years – allowing you to tailor your learning to your individual interests.

We also offer two other variations of this course: BSc Finance (Investments), a three-year course without a Placement Year; and BSc Finance (Investments) with Study Year Abroad, a four-year course with a year studying overseas instead of on placement.

Dedicated industry facilities with BSc Finance (Investments) with Placement Year

Put your understanding of financial systems and capital markets into practice in our state-of-the-art dealing rooms, featuring computer trading simulations and financial modelling.

You’ll experience the thrill of a live market – take positions, quote two-way prices, and manage the risk of a $50-100m trading book. This is an excellent learning opportunity, offering you highly valuable practice experience to draw upon when applying for graduate roles.

Accredited by the EFMD Quality Improvement System.

Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Recognised by the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA).