Overview
The BSc (Hons) in Banking Practice and Management draws upon the many years of experience held by the ifs in educating banking professionals and our unrivalled understanding of the banking and financial services industry.
The programme covers all the essential understanding that you need to prepare for a successful career in banking and financial services management. Crucially it reflects what employers tell us they are looking for from potential recruits.
In the first year you will get to grips with the workings of the sector both from an organisational point of view and in respect of the financial markets. You will also gain a thorough grounding in the essential concepts of risk that underpin financial decision making at every level, and an appreciation of the different customer groups and their financial needs.
The second year builds specific understanding of the commercial environment in which banks operate and the principles of management and organisational effectiveness. There is also an opportunity to build specialist knowledge in retail or corporate financial services or to undertake a work placement within the industry.
In the final year the focus is on developing and embedding core strategic concepts, enhancing decision-making ability and growing the detailed industry knowledge that is essential for a successful management career in banking and financial services. Throughout the programme you will have the opportunity to be introduced to, and interact with, financial services employers through visits, industry speakers and practical workshop activities.
To download our full-time prospectus click here.
Career Opportunities
Graduates of this course would normally go on to careers in retail financial services or corporate banking and would be particularly well placed to enter executive and management trainee schemes. Typical future roles for graduates include leadership positions in the central functions of large institutions or areas such as branch or regional management, corporate lending and credit, relationship management and product development. The programme is also an excellent foundation for the study of finance at a higher level such as the ifs MSc in Banking Practice & Management
Programme structure
The BSc (Hons) in Banking practice and Management is studied via a series of core and elective modules, giving you essential understanding of the industry as a whole and the ability to tailor your learning to subjects of interest and your career aspirations.
Each module is taught through a variety of lectures and tutorials by our lecturers. Throughout the programme, senior industry practitioners will give guest lectures and seminars and provide insight on the latest developments in the industry.
First-year modules
- Marketing in Financial Services
- Financial Markets and Risk
- Assessing Financial Performance
- Fundamentals of Leadership and Management
Second-year core modules
- Organisational Management in Financial Services
- Financial Services: The Commercial Environment
Second-year elective modules
- Retail Financial Services
- Corporate Financial Services
- Work-based Learning
Third-year core modules
- Strategic Management in Financial Services
- Research-based Dissertation
Third-year elective modules
- Globalisation of Financial Markets
- Risk Financing and Management
- Credit Analysis and Lending
Modules
Year 1
Introduction to Marketing in Financial Services (core)
This module will focus on how financial services organisations identify customer needs, deliver products to meet those needs and promote them in the marketplace. A key aspect is understanding the importance of being aware of changes in the marketplace which, whilst outside the control of the organisation, will have a significant impact on its customers and the way it interacts with them.
Financial Markets and Risk (core)
The module provides an overview of the monetary and financial system and its functions and looks at the importance of financial institutions, markets and instruments within this system. Included within this are the processes of financial intermediation and disintermediation. Rather than focusing on categories of institutions, this unit concentrates on the reasons why individual financial institutions choose their particular business model.
Assessing Financial Performance (core)
This module focuses on financial performance information and performance indicators within a corporate (or business) environment. Topics such as the balanced scorecard, analysis and evaluation of financial statements, budgetary processes and operational performance targets are covered.
Introduction to Leadership and Management (core)
This module focuses on the principles of management in terms of the management of people, systems and self. It also identifies the importance of management skills in the strategic context, personal skills for the delivery of quality customer service, the impact of ICT and the increasing importance of ethical issues.
Year 2
Organisational Management in Financial Services (core)
This module focuses on the key operational areas that are crucial to the successful day-to-day management of an organisation. Careful consideration and analysis is given to financial management, human resource management, operational management and marketing within the financial services industry.
Financial Services: The Commercial Environment (core)
This module is concerned with the external environment in which financial services organisations operate. The module maintains a focus on the economic environment, financial markets and institutions, competition, regulation and other ethical and social considerations that can impact on an organisation’s management and marketing strategies.
Retail Financial Services (elective)
This module provides an overview of the retail financial services environment and aims to provide the student with the necessary skills to handle responsibilities in a broad range of customer-facing activities. These include transaction-based banking facilities, then at a later point, borrowing, protection, investments and specialist services.
Corporate Financial Services (elective)
This module has been designed to provide an understanding of and an ability to analyse the detailed relationship between a financial institution and its business/corporate customers, including both the legal and practical aspects of the relationship.
Work-based Learning (elective)
Students are given the opportunity to learn through reflecting on practice and linking theory to practice enabling the theories learnt over the previous year to be applied and experienced within the financial services environment first hand.
Year 3
Strategic Management in Financial Services (core)
This module mainly focuses on the strategic management of financial service organisations, covering both strategic management concepts and skills with reference to case studies and empirical evidence. The module aims to give the student an understanding of the nature of strategic management by providing a comprehensive analysis of pertinent issues, both theoretical and practical.
Research-based Dissertation (core)
This module will enable students to undertake and complete a piece of independent work which involves the collection, interpretation, analysis and presentation of information and data. It will provide the opportunity to present key findings within an evaluative and balanced argument. It will enable the development of a critical approach to undertaking and using research methodology and the interpretation of the outcomes.
Credit Analysis and Lending (elective)
This module focuses on corporate analysis and lending, with an aim to build an understanding of bank lending techniques and credit analysis. Consideration is given to the analysis and evaluation of corporate business models, cash flow drivers, debt structure, security analysis and risk awareness.
Globalisation of Financial Markets (elective)
This module provides an analysis of the global financial system in tandem with specific components from the theory of finance. It encourages the student to make use of finance theory and history to draw / develop conclusions about the future direction of the global financial system in general and individual markets in particular.
Risk Financing and Management (elective)
This module focuses on the use of risk financing techniques as a key element in the process by which organisations manage risk. The module examines the concepts of risk financing and their practical implementation and evaluation with respect to empirical evidence.
Entry criteria
A tariff, normally of 300 UCAS points, to include at least one subject qualification at A2 level or the International Baccalaureate or equivalent; this can include up to 120 points gained from the ifs CeFS and DipFS qualifications.
All students are required to hold:
- GCSE Mathematics at minimum grade C (or equivalent) and
- GCSE English Language at minimum grade C (or equivalent) or an IELTS score of 6.0 or above with no element below 5.5.
All students are required to join the ifs School of Finance as a student member when they enrol on an ifs Professional Higher Education programme.
Applicants for a full-time BSc (Hons) programme may be interviewed and will be required to submit a piece of written work (personal statement) as part of their UCAS application to enable an assessment to be made of their suitability for the programme.
If you do not meet the entry requirements or you require any further information please call +44 (0) 1227 829 499 to speak to a student adviser or email enquiries@ifslearning.ac.uk.
Mature applicants
We are happy to consider applications from mature students.
Mature students who do not meet the entry requirements will be required to submit a CV supported by a 500 to 600 word statement indicating why they have chosen to undertake the programme and how it will support their career plans. If invited to progress, an interview may be held and a numeracy and deductive reasoning assessment may need to be passed.
All students are required to hold:
- GCSE Mathematics at minimum grade C (or equivalent) and
- GCSE English Language at minimum grade C (or equivalent) or an IELTS score of 6.0 or above with no element below 5.5
International students
We are delighted to announce that our application for Tier 4 has been succesful and we are now able to recruit international students. Please visit UCAS to apply for September 2012 entry.
For more information, please visit our International students page.
Applications
All applications must be made via UCAS:
BSc (Hons) in Banking Practice and Management UCAS Code N310
For more information on how to apply, visit www.ucas.com/students/apply
Your application should reach UCAS between 1st September 2011 and 15th January 2012.
All applications made before the closing date will be considered equally against the stated selection criteria and in the context of the number of available places. The ifs will consider late applications only for courses where places are still available.
For more information on applying to study at the ifs and to view our admissions policy please visit our admissions page.