The goal of the Master’s programme in Banking and Finance (MBF) is to deliver financial experts with a thorough micro- and macrofinancial training, and a mastery of data science and quantitative risk management techniques. The MBF should enable them to apply state-of-the-art techniques to problems in banks or other financial intermediaries, and to formulate and implement innovative solutions. The banking and economic crisis after the fall of Lehman Brothers fundamentally altered the financial landscape. Regulators devised new rules, of which the Basel III framework is the most influential. Supervisors are organised at European level, and various mechanisms have been enacted in order to maintain the financial system’s integrity. Risk management is more important than ever before. The MBF integrates all these elements into a coherent curriculum covering all the major fields of banking and finance. MBF graduates are therefore well equipped to tackle the relevant banking, asset management and risk management challenges in modern financial services firms.

Thorough understanding of the complex relationships and dynamics of financial markets and institutions requires an understanding of many disciplines. Knowledge about the organisation of financial markets and the mechanics of the assets trade by itself is not sufficient, and has to be supplemented by an understanding of macroeconomic and monetary concepts. Moreover, the quantitative nature of finance also requires a sound command of econometrics and data processing skills.

The financial community’s need for graduates with precisely this mastery –i.e. a combination of economic, financial and quantitative skills - that has led Ghent University’s Faculty of Economics and Business Administration to organize advanced studies in Banking and Finance. Our Master programme heavily draws upon the expertise of a young team of lecturers and researchers from the Banking & Finance Research Group, bringing together subfields such as monetary economics, banking, microeconomics of financial markets, investment analysis, financial econometrics, and risk management.

The MBF mission statement goes as follows:

• Provide advanced, state-of-the-art education in banking and finance to a select group of Master students with the necessary economic and quantitative background.
• Analyse the interactions of banking and finance with risk management and with macroeconomic conditions.
• Focus on the development of quantitative and econometric and data science skills applied to banking, finance, risk and portfolio management.
• Stimulate intellectual and research competences by promoting independent thinking and creative problem-solving.
• Develop communication and presentation skills through interactive classes, group assignments and a real-world graduation project.
• Integrate theory and practice by organising cases, business games and frequent interaction with the financial industry.  

Master's dissertation

Students will be given the opportunity to work in small teams on their dissertation in cooperation with a financial institution. This will allow them to demonstrate their abilities to analyse real-world situations in a academically accurate way, applying the modelling techniques covered in the Master’s course units. Often, they will be required to offer solutions to actual problems and to assess potential policy implications of such solutions. The Master’s dissertation topics are usually suggested by financial institutions or other companies. A team consisting of faculty members and company employees will supervise the students while working on their dissertation. The findings will be presented by the end of June to the supervising team.

The MBF is intended for economists with a background in finance, who feel the need for a serious in-depth training in finance and banking. Students graduating from this programme will most likely feel at ease in positions or departments such as:

• investment analysis
• risk management units of financial and corporate organisations
• asset and liability management units of financial intermediaries
• pension funds, hedge funds
• study department of a central bank or government agency
• financial consulting firms, rating agencies
• supervisory bodies for financial markets and institutions
• university or research departments
• ...