MASTER IN FINANCE & BANKING
Foreword
The Master in Finance & Banking is the result of cooperation between Fundación Centro Internacional de Fundación Financiera (CIFF), Santander Group –the first bank worldwide in terms of stock value - and Universidad de Alcalá. This programme offers participants a brand-new training initiative which combines the possibility of working for the number one bank in the Euro zone -Santander Group- with being immersed in a learning process that leads to a promising career. At the end of the Masters, participants will be in a position to respond to the demand from global firms for dedicated professionals with specialised financial knowledge.
Throughout the programme, participants will receive a solid theoretical basis in topics such as corporate finance, risk management and private banking. And on the practical level, they will be able to enhance their career opportunities through internship options within the Santander Group, BNP-Paribas and Madrid branches of other international banks and specialised firms.
We employ a practical teaching methodology based largely on the use of problem-solving and decision-making techniques, such as Harvard and IESE business school cases. Sophisticated financial and technological tools allow the participants to apply the theoretical knowledge gathered during the Masters course.
Objectives
This programme pursues two main objectives: on one hand, to foster the participants’ analytical understanding of finance and banking subjects and, on the other hand, to enable participants to master the decision-making process in uncertain environments. As the programme advances, participants improve their management skills thanks to the strong interconnection between the topics dealt with in the programme, supported by business cases and tutorials guided by professionals in a multicultural setting.
Fundación CIFF is convinced that this training programme responds to the personal and professional needs of the candidates, as well as to those derived from the market, thus promoting the access of qualified personnel into the job market.
Participants
The Masters course has been specifically designed for international young professionals with a high development potential and a strong profile in the financial and banking area. The participants’ performance and professional profile are monitored during the Masters, with the possibility of the students being recruited upon completion for an internship in one of the sponsor institutions. Our goal is to help the participant join the most reputable financial institutions via a fast-track process.
Candidates for admission must be high-achieving students that already hold a university degree and want to develop a career in a global firm. The required academic credentials are assessed in accordance with international standards.
Course Structure
The programme is divided into two academic terms, with a potential 6-month internship at the end of the second term, subject to the students passing the company’s selection process.
The curriculum consists of:
Core courses
Elective courses
Tutorials
Final course project
Programme
Introductory course (optional)
Introduction to Accounting
Introduction to Macroeconomics
Mandatory Subjects
1st term subjects
Information Reporting
Fixed and Variable Securities
Corporate Finance
Retail Banking
Portfolio Management
Risk Management
International Capital Market
Derivatives
Venture Capital
Strategic Financial Management
2nd term subjects
Cash Management
Private Banking
Private Banking
Project Finance
Merchant Banking
Export Finance
Merger & Acquisition
Socially Responsible Investment and Corporate Responsibility
Financial Marketing
Leadership in the banking sector
Optional Subjects
Corporate Law
IT and operations in the financial sector
Spanish bank and insurance system
Microfinance
Financial Software
Potential internship programme: 300 hours (12 ECTS credits
Methodology
The methodology employed in the Master in Finance & Banking course focuses on enhancing the participants´ skills to analyse different types of business cases and, as a result, to make appropriate business decisions. Besides becoming familiar with financial software, the business case methodology (based on Harvard Business School and IESE Business School cases) is intensively used by the students. During the course, the skills they have acquired are tested by working on three projects which will be co-directed by Fundación CIFF and a financial institution tutor.
At the end of the Masters, participants will complete a Final Course Project on a current financial topic. This will enable them to put into practice the cross-subject knowledge they have gathered during the whole course.
The Master is taught entirely in English, which means that candidates have to be fluent in spoken and written English.
The training methodology used at CIFF is adapted to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), focused on the student and based on the workload necessary to achieve the objectives of a given programme. These objectives are defined in terms of results to be achieved and skills to be acquired during the course.
ECTS is based on the assumption that 60 credits are equivalent to the workload of a full-time student during two course semesters. The workload for a full-time student enrolled in a programme anywhere in Europe is generally equivalent to 1,500 hours per year, where one credit represents 25 hours of work.
The Master in Finance & Banking includes approximately:
500 hours of class work: on-site classes, tutorials, conferences and complementary activities (20 ECTS credits)
250 hours of Final Course Project (10 ECTS credits)
1.000 hours of study by the student: study, and individual and group assignments (40 ECTS credits)
Total: 1.750 hours (70 ECTS credits)
Duration and Schedule
The duration of the course is 10 months divided into 2 semesters. The programme begins on 15 October 2007 and finishes on 30 July 2008. Sessions are generally held from Monday to Thursday, 9.30 am to 1.30 pm.
Degree
Participants that have succeeded in passing the exams, projects and tutorials graduate as Master in Finance & Banking from the Universidad de Alcalá.
Faculty Directorate
The Masters is chaired by Manuel Gala -PhD. in Economics, Full Professor of Economic Theory, President of Fundación CIFF and former Provost of the Universidad de Alcalá, 1982-2001. Tanguy Jacopin -PhD in Business Economics, Sorbonne University and Post-Doctorate, Columbia University and IESE Business School- is in charge of the academic co-ordination.
The Masters benefits from the cooperation and participation of international academics and professionals from leading financial institutions.
In-company internship
One of the notable and innovative strengths of this Masters course is the recruiting process by which participants are given the possibility to engage in a 6-month in-company internship after the second semester. Tailored selection processes for all students will be carried out by Santander Group and BNP-Paribas.
