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1. Study
2. Postgraduate
3. Taught Courses
4. Masters
5. Finance (Corporate Finance)

Course Fact File

Code	MSCFCF
Duration	1 Year Full-time
Teaching Mode	Full-time
Qualifications	MSc
NFQ Level	Level 9
Closing Date	Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.
Non-EU Closing Date	Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.
Start Date	8 September 2025

Course Outline

The objective of our MSc Finance (Corporate Finance) at UCC is to produce graduates who can contribute immediately to the corporate finance industry. As a participant in the course, you will focus on developing your analytical and professional skills, culminating in either a corporate finance project or a corporate internship.

Our course has been designed in conjunction with an industry course board to ensure it meets the corporate finance skills needs of employers. Upon completion of MSc Finance (Corporate Finance), you can expect to have excellent career prospects with business advisory, consultancy, corporate investment banking, and venture capital firms. 

The quality of the programme is demonstrated by its winning the Postgraduate Course of the Year in Business, Finance & Management in 2017.

The corporate internship [of this course] is an excellent way to build industry relationships and get real work experience. (Judging panel, GradIreland Higher Education Awards)

The Professional Development module provides students with additional training in industry-relevant skills: this ranges from presentation skills to Excel training. There is a strong focus on teamwork and several modules have elements with team projects/assessments.

In the third semester, students have the choice to complete either a corporate finance project or a corporate internship. For the internship opportunity students have to go through a competitive recruitment process, including interviews with employers. In the project, students work under the supervision of an academic mentor while the corporate internship option allows students to explore their career options to make informed career choices.

This programme has been accepted into the CFA Institute University Recognition Programme and the CAIA® Academic Partner Programme and carries ACCA exemptions.    

• The CAIA academic partnership is granted to institutions that cover at least 60% of the entire CAIA curriculum as represented by the Core Knowledge Outline (CKO).   
• ACCA recognises this MSc for accreditation. Upon graduation, students have exemptions from the following ACCA examinations: Accountant in Business (AB), Management Accounting (MA), Financial Accounting (FA), and depending on module selection Financial Management (FM).

The programme is taken in two parts:

Part I consists of a combination of examinations and coursework in a set of specified taught modules to the value of 60 credits.

Part II consists of a Research Project or a Corporate Internship to the value of 30 credits. In total students take 90 credits as follows:

PART I

• AC6101 International Project Finance
• AC6102 Investments 
• AC6103 Capital Markets 
• AC6105 Risk Management in International Financial Institutions
• AC6106 Corporate Restructuring 
• AC6108 Venture Capital and Private Equity*
• AC6113 Financial Analysis and Forecasting 
• AC6412  Business Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibility for International Firms  
• FI6001 Treasury Risk Management 
• FI6002 Regulation and Compliance in Capital Markets 
• FI6005 Equity Valuation 
• FI6006 Professional Development 

And either

* AC6108 Venture Capital and Private Equity (5 Credits)
Or
AC6030   Python and Machine Learning for Finance

PART II

• AC6128 Research Project or
• AC6129 Corporate Internship 

Integrated Research Project/Corporate Internship 

The final element of the course takes place in the summer term. Students have the choice of completing with an integrated research project or an internship. 

• In the research project, you have the opportunity to work in a team made up of your classmates, under the supervision of an academic mentor on a corporate finance issue. This project allows you to hone your analytical and professional skills.
• If you chose the internship option, you will learn to apply your knowledge of finance in a work context, allowing you to learn through practice and to develop your critical writing and thinking skills through using the corporate internship as a site of inquiry, research and reflection. Students will undertake an internship with a relevant company in an area appropriate to the programme. To secure an internship place, students go through a competitive recruitment process, including interviews with employers.

Course Practicalities

The MSc Finance (Corporate Finance) may be taken full-time over 12 months. 

Assessment: To meet the development objectives of this programme the degree is assessed by a blend of formal examination and continuous assessment. A number of modules contain up to 30% continuous assessment. The final element of the MSc programme is either a research project or a corporate internship. This represents one-third of the marks for the masters programme.

Who teaches this course

The academics who teach on the course are experts in their field. These lecturers all have PhDs and/or significant industry experience. Several of the Cork University Business School faculty have worked previously at leading investment banks such as UBS, HSBC Investment Bank, Lehman Brothers, stockbrokers like Davy, and business advisory firms such as Ernst and Young.

Our academic staff at the Cork University Business School are also engaged in research with involvement in research centres in UCC and publish regularly in international finance journals such as Applied Financial Economics, Journal of Trading and the Journal of Business, Finance and Accounting.

Why Choose This Course

The objective of this MSc Finance (Corporate Finance) programme is to produce graduates who can contribute immediately in the corporate finance industry. There are many reasons to choose this unique course, including the following:

• It is a one-year course
• The course has been running since 2009 and has a strong alumnus in Ireland and globally who understand the quality of course Graduates
• You will gain excellent employment prospects on completion of the course
• The course is developed and delivered in conjunction with industry
• You will benefit from a deep corporate finance syllabus
• A business research skills module is included
• You will produce Corporate Finance Research Project or gain experience on a Corporate Internship
• Throughout the programme we will focus on enhancing your analytical skills and personal development

Skills and Careers Information

The course prepares you for careers in investment banking, large corporations, and business advisory firms. Graduates of the course will also enter careers in regulation, venture capital, and consultancy.

All the top international and national companies recruit students from UCC. The course management team spend a lot of time developing links with the top international companies with a particular focus both on Dublin and London and beyond.

Recognising that not all our graduates are interested in pursuing careers abroad or in Dublin we also actively foster relationships with the local business community in Munster.

Requirements

Applicants must normally have

• A second class honours grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or equivalent in a business programme or
• The expectation of graduating with a second class honours grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or equivalent in a business programme in the year of entry or
• A second class honours grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) or equivalent in a cognate discipline with a quantitative element.

Applicants who achieve a second class honours grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8), in either a business degree or a degree in a cognate discipline with a quantitative element, will be assessed on a case by case basis under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

Fees and Costs

How To Apply

Additional Requirements (All Applicants): Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following question:

• You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.

• What is your current occupation/speciality?

 

The closing date for non-EU applications is Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

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