Having graduated from the programme, you’ll have the ability to understand the data techniques, how they can be applied in the financial sector, and how they can transform businesses. While you won’t be a data science specialist, you’ll form a bridge between the programmer and the manager. You’ll understand the technicians, apply the techniques in the financial sector, and sell them to the outside world.
The Duisenberg Honours Programme in Finance & Technology (F&T) is extra challenging, as it constitutes 84 EC within one year instead of the regular 60 EC. The programme is substantially more technical than the regular Finance specialization. So, expect to be coding on a daily frequency! The F&T programme combines Finance with Data Science. In doing so the programme focuses on financial markets, Python, machine learning, and their intersection. This makes the F&T honours programme a technical quite challenging specialization in the “Master of Finance”. In case you feel during the first block of the programme that the workload is too high you have the possibility to change over to the regular 60 EC Finance track of the programme.
To break it down:
- In the first period, you’ll study the structure of the financial sector and financial markets. You’ll also follow the first data science course on Python – the most widely used programming language for big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
- In the second period, you’ll study financial econometrics as well as the main new data science techniques, such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and blockchain.
- In the third period, you’ll conduct a research project – applying your Python and machine learning skills, ideally through an internship or company assignment.
- In the fourth period, and fifth period, you can choose from a set of electives in which you’ll apply your data science knowledge to different financial settings. For example, you can choose how to run a HFT firm, how the payments landscape is changing, how to manage financial risks, how regulation is adopting to the latest innovations, or how to market your FinTech innovation.
- During the last two periods, you’ll also write your Master’s thesis. Again, ideally you’ll be applying your knowledge at a large financial institution or start-up in practice.
See an overview of the course schedule here.
The start date of this programme is September 1st.
