Why study at the IFT?

Finance is going through major changes due to disruptive innovations which have developed and accelerated the next era of technology-led financial services. 

The view of industry is that universities have not kept pace with the continuous innovations taking place in the finance sector.

The UCL Institute of Finance and Technology (IFT) aims to train students capable of not just keeping up with these innovations, but setting the pace of future developments. 

Addressing such concerns is being built into the IFT from the very start. In developing our first programme, the MSc Banking and Digital Finance, we have liaised with many industry and government professionals working for leading institutions, including:

• The World Bank
• International Monetary Fund
• BlackRock 
• HSBC
• European Investment Bank 
• London Stock Exchange Group
• KPMG
• WILLIS Re
• Bank of England
• HM Treasury

Initially offering graduate and executive programmes, our teaching will incorporate learning activities, research and industrial experiences designed to help develop commercial competencies.

Our new programme, Venture Capital and Private Equity with Financial Technology MSc, begins in September 2021. Administratively our programmes sits under the UCL Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (CEGE).

Why study at UCL?

Please note, some links below are to external websites. 

UCL is consistently rated as one of the world’s best universities, appearing in the Top 20 for both The Times World University Rankings 2019 and The Times World Reputation Rankings 2018, ranking 11th in The Guardian University league tables 2019, and ranking as a Top 10 QS World University 2019.  

As well as being home to the UK's finance sector, London is a diverse, welcoming, exciting metropolis, and was named the best University City in the world 2018 by QS Best Student Cities. 

Visit The UCL Advantage website to find out more about studying with us. 

Careers

As London’s Global University, UCL knows that any organisation is only as strong as the individuals who work for it. This, allied to the innovation and flexibility needed in today’s workplace, means that recruiting the right person has never been more important.

Alongside your programme-specific studies, as a UCL student you have access to central UCL Careers provision.

UCL Careers is connected to more than 1,000 employers in the UK and around the world. Recruiters and employers visit our campus throughout the year to participate in a range of careers events and activities.

On the UCL Careers website you can search for jobs, sign up for Career updates and be the first to know about new opportunities or events. You can also visit the UCL Careers Office and get tailored advice in a one-to-one guidance session. Help with job application processes and guidance on how to build a portfolio of experience is also offered, enabling you to better access opportunities in your chosen field.

UCL Careers one-to-one guidance session website 

The IFT's Banking and Digital Finance MSc enables you to make an early and substantial contribution to your future employer. Each of our students will be prepared for the future by learning from industry professors, as well as leading UCL academics active in innovative research. The programme aims to produce graduates that will serve the needs of universal banks, mutual and pension funds, investment banks, governments, central banks and advisory organisations. Whatever your experience or background, you will leave UCL equipped with the tools to become a high achiever in your chosen field.

For more information about programme and module content, visit our Banking and Digital Finance MSc programme page. 

Photo credit: Brooke Cagle, Unsplash