University of Stirling Launches new Fintech Masters Course

In September 2018, students will begin the new MSc. Fintech at the University of Stirling, studying computing, data analytics, banking, finance and entrepreneurship in a course designed to lead to a job in the new and exciting field of fintech.

A course relevant with today’s challenges

Banking and finance are undergoing a revolution driven by new technology and changes to regulations. New cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum are changing the way people hold money and are driving a new boom in investment. Mobile currencies such as M-Pena are empowering people across the world who would otherwise not have access to banking facilities.

Open banking regulations are allowing technology companies to produce new financial products based on mobile communications, using new business models and challenging the existing banks. It is a time of change, and an exciting field to work in.

To succeed in fintech you need skills and expertise in computing, finance and business. Many fintech companies are small startups so you need entrepreneurial skills and the ability to manage change and innovation.

Bringing tech and management together

The MSc. Financial Technology (Fintech) at the University of Stirling has been designed to give you the skills you need to get ahead in fintech. It is taught jointly by Computing Science, Finance and Accounting, and the Management School to provide you with the broad set of skills and knowledge demanded in the sector right now. The main taught modules in the course cover:

Manipulating data and scripting in Python

An introduction to blockchain

Cyber security and data protection

Relational and NoSQL databases

Contemporary issues in banking

An introduction to corporate finance

Data analytics and machine learning

Cluster computing on Hadoop and Spark

Fintech app development

Investment regulation and ethics

Heuristics and bias in behavioural finance

Innovation management and disruptive technology

Business startup planning

Professionalism, regulation and ethics in banking

The course will take its first students in September 2018 and can be studied full time over one year or part time over two years. Students study in the beautiful Stirling campus. Stirling University is 1st in Scotland and 3rd in the UK for graduate employment and 98% of our postgraduate leavers are in employment of further study within six months of graduating. The fintech course was designed in consultation with banks and companies who recruit into fintech jobs to ensure our graduates will have the best chance of landing that dream fintech job. For more details and to apply for a place on the course, go to stir.ac.uk/1hw

The Glasgow University FinTech Society – the story so far

What is Glasgow University FinTech Society?

The society was created in summer 2017. It’s goal is to increase knowledge and raise the profile of fintech among university students.

They have adopted a fresh approach to fintech, opening membership to students of any degree as long as they are interested in technology innovations. This is important as successful start-ups and SMEs will need more than tech and financial skills. As with all businesses, marketing, data, user experience, human sciences and much more will be necessary to develop sustainable and fruitful businesses.

A fast-growing society

The group has developed very quickly, acquiring 70 members in 3 months. They are a mix of first-year to PhD students. Through this group they will get opportunities to develop their knowledgge about everything fintech thanks to the organisation of events on various topics such as blockchain, cryptocurrencies,

P2P lending, and much more.

Jan Jindra, President of the society told us:

“What makes our society unique is that our society members form teams in advance to the event to

research the specific FinTech-related topic on their own first, write a group report and eventually

deliver the presentation at the event to other students. This supports the idea of “learning by doing”

and it becomes a very useful experience for everyone involved”.

3 events have been held so far:
-What does fintech mean?
-Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies (Students were able to create their

own crypto tokens and learn from speaker Dug

Campbell, Blockchain consultant and writer.)
-Peer-to- Peer lending and Stock Trading Apps.

What are the plans for the future?

More vents are being planned especially around the topics of AI and Ethics which is a growing topic within the tech community.
They’ll also cover regulations in FinTech.

One of the most exciting initiative is their Applied FinTech Project. Members will work with existing FS brands on FinTech matters.
They are looking to contact businesses interested in partnering with the society to look at challenges and opportunities. If it wasn’t interesting enough, they decided to provide this at no cost at all.

More information is available on www.uogfintech.com and if you want to get in touch with them you can do so at info@uogfintech.com