Postgraduate Diploma in Finance
Online, United Kingdom
Postgraduate Diploma
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
GBP 7,460 *
STUDY FORMAT
* total cost of fees in England
Key Summary
About: The Postgraduate Diploma in Finance at The Open University prepares you for roles in investment banking, portfolio management and corporate finance. It covers corporate finance, markets, valuation, M&A, reporting, econometrics, Islamic finance, ethics and governance. Specialize in derivatives and risk management or investment and portfolio management; gain digital and research skills; top up to an MSc in Finance. Duration: 1–2 years.
Career Outcomes: Graduates can enter investment banking, portfolio management and corporate finance, or work as financial, risk, M&A or quantitative analysts, or compliance specialists. They'll apply skills in valuation, risk analysis, econometrics, derivatives, portfolio construction, modeling and governance.
The postgraduate Diploma in Finance qualification is designed to support professional development and practice in a wide range of finance roles, whether you are developing in your career or aspiring to enter the sector, such as investment banking, portfolio management, corporate finance, treasury, and consultancy. It provides a thorough grounding in areas such as the financing of companies and other organisations, instruments and structures of financial markets, financial decision-making, valuation, mergers and acquisitions, and financial reporting.
It develops competencies in applying statistical and econometric techniques and equips you with knowledge of the fundamentals of Islamic finance, ethics as well as corporate financial strategy and governance. You can choose to specialise either in derivatives and financial risk management or in investment and portfolio management.
Key features
- Provides an up-to-date perspective on both theory and practice in national and international contexts
- Learn and apply the most important tools for financial analysis and decision support
- Acquire competencies in statistical and econometric analysis
- Develop your digital literacy skills, research capabilities and critical thinking
- Opens up the opportunity to top up to the MSc in Finance in just one more year by completing a dissertation module.
How long it takes
- 1 year - 2 years
To gain this qualification, you need 120 credits with:
60 credits from the following:
Compulsory modules
- Financial markets and the financing of organisations (B815) NEW
- Financial strategy: valuation, governance and ethics (B859)
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued module B858.
plus 30 credits from the following:
Compulsory module
- Research methods for finance (B817)
plus 30 credits from either of the following:
Optional modules
- Investment and portfolio management (B818)
- Derivatives and risk management (B819)
You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 60 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.
The qualification provides opportunities for you to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
Knowledge and understanding
On completion of this qualification, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the:
- Scope of financial knowledge and its application within a wide range of national and multinational organisations
- Fundamentals of financial analysis and corporate finance theory
- Organisational performance in terms of return on investment, investment risk and capital structure management.
- Implications of corporate governance, agency theory and the related role of stakeholders
- Links between corporate finance theories underpinning the cost of capital, dividend policy and efficient markets
- Practical applications of quantitative finance to project appraisal, company valuation, mergers and acquisitions, methods and risk management, history of investment and investment management
- Core features of Islamic finance
- Various financial risks faced by corporations and financial institutions and ways to manage those risks and become aware of the trends in finance theory and its applications
- Concept of diversification through a portfolio of assets, asset allocation in the international context, investment objectives and management of the portfolio and their performance.
Cognitive skills
On completion of this qualification, you will be able to:
- Critically assess alternative methods for valuing companies, prepare and evaluate financial projections of projects and carry out sensitivity analysis
- Calculate the cost of capital using different methods, evaluate capital structures that may be applied by companies and the implications of these structures for the cost of capital and valuation
- Construct a portfolio of assets comprising financial securities and manage portfolio risk
- Value various types of derivative securities and use financial risk management techniques and hedge risks
- Select, access and evaluate relevant published research and information across a range of areas relevant to finance theory and its application accessed digitally through the OU library and other web-based resources.
Practical and/or professional skills
On completion of this qualification, you will be able to:
- Demonstrate a sound understanding of financial theory and its application in strategic decision-making; appreciate the governance and ethical issues encountered in the finance profession
- Identify the financial data and analytically present the same, prepare a financial appraisal of projects and comment and advise on the mergers and acquisition valuation
- Devise risk management strategies
- Construct portfolios and manage portfolio risk
- Use Excel to solve problems related to investing and financial analysis, to conduct data visualisation, statistical tests, and basic regression analysis
- Practise conducting data visualisation, statistical tests and regression analysis in R.
Key skills
On completion of this qualification, you will be able to:
- Carry out financial calculations for use in corporate finance decisions (e.g. investment analysis), including the use of computer spreadsheets, risk and return calculations for individual securities and portfolios of securities
- Analyse and interpret financial statements and carry out valuation of companies
- Conduct statistical and econometrical analysis of financial problems
- Show evidence of digital scholarship by finding, using, managing and sharing information and literature using digital resources.