Courses in

Graduates with Finance, Economics and Big Data skills are in high demand in Ireland and overseas.

This four year, Level 8 degree offers graduates many career opportunities:

• A direct pathway into a full-time career in financial services or economics. View the Financial Services Career Map here to explore these pathways further. 
• Opportunities in a range of business careers including financial planning and management consulting. Click here for more information on careers in the banking, insurance and financial services sector. 

Lecturers on this degree are highly qualified accountants, financiers and economists with considerable lecturing experience. Some act as examiners and lecturers for the professional accounting bodies. They maintain very close links with all of the professional bodies, as well as with industry.

This degree was designed around the following professional qualifications:

• Level 7 Qualified Financial Advisor (QFA) accredited by the Institute of Banking
• Level 7 CFA Institute Investment Foundations Program run by the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Institute

On completion of this Level 8 degree, graduates can sit these two qualifications based on the core content mastered in their degree programme. This gives graduates  a unique selling point when marketing themselves for  their ideal job.

This is a programme which offers you options.

The first three semesters of the programme are common across all programmes and give you a broad basis in general business.

You can decide at that point if you want to stay with Finance and Economics or change over to one of the four other Business Programmes (Marketing, Enterprise, Accounting, and General).

If you decide to stay with Finance and Economics, the remaining semesters allow you to specialise in Finance and Economics (in the Level 8 programme).  

Year 1 - Semester 1

Mandatory

Financial Accounting 1, Microeconomics, Management Principles and Business Management, Introduction to Marketing, Learning and Innovation Skills

Year 1 - Semester 2

Mandatory

Management Accounting 1, Macroeconomics, Computer Applications, Human Resource Management, Introduction to Entrepreneurship

Electives

Academic Writing or Language & Culture 1 (French, German, Spanish or Gaelige)

Year 2 - Semster 3 (All modules are mandatory)

Management Accounting 2, Applied Principles of Marketing, Business Communications, Business Information Systems, Human Resource Development

Year 2 - Semster 4 (All modules are mandatory)

Financial Accounting 2, Intermediate Macroeconomics, Statistics for Business, Organisational Behaviour, Business Start Up, Business Law & Legal Studies (Year Long)

Year 3 - Semster 5

Mandatory

Financial Management 1 (Managerial Finance), Quantitative Techniques, Financial Services 1 (Loans & Life Insurance), Introduction to Irish Taxation, Business Analytics

Electives:

New Venture Creation or Digital Business

Year 3 - Semster 6 (All modules are mandatory)

Financial Management 2 (Investment Decisions), Financial Services 2 (Pensions & Regulation), Business Ethics and Corporate Governance, International Economic Policy, New Venture Planning, Operations Management

Year 4 (All modules are mandatory)

Data Science Analytics & Research Project (Year long), Strategic Management (Year-long)

Semester 7

Irish Economic Policy, Financial Management 3 (Corporate Finance), Irish Taxation Theory and Policy, Econometrics

Semester 8

Global Financial & Capital Markets, International Monetary Policy, Intermediate Microeconomics, Financial Services 3 (Investment and Planning)

• You can sit two professional examinations on completion of your 4 year programme which makes you well placed to secure a job in the sector.
• Allows you to focus on employability skills for finance and economics including big data management, IT, communication and problem solving.
• Professional Development is a module to that you can take at Level 8 which helps you to get a job and commence your career.
• Transition to work is a module you can take at Level 7 which helps you market yourself for employment.
• Provides you with a strong basis for a postgraduate in finance or economics.
• The programme offers you flexibility. You can switch to another degree (Marketing & Sales, Enterprise, Accounting or General) up until the end of second year.

Financial services are a key growth area of the Irish economy.  This degree will leave you well placed to find employment in this growing sector in Ireland or abroad.

The principal career opportunities for graduates include:

• Finance and investment roles
• Data analytics
• Financial advisory roles
• Business analyst roles
• Accountancy roles
• Economic research roles

GMIT Honours (Level 8) qualifications are recognised worldwide for postgraduate entry.

Applicants for this programme do not have to have studied Accounting, Finance, Economics or Business previously.

Those that succeed best at Finance and Economics tend to be logical and analytical, have good communication skills, an aptitude for IT and have strong personal motivation and integrity.

You can find more indepth detail of this course, and all our other courses, at GMIT School of Businees by downloading a copy of our online brochure.