Finance (International Business) with Placement Year

Finance with an international business focus, combined with a placement year, prepares you for careers at the intersection of global commerce and financial management. Finance as a discipline examines how money is raised, allocated, and managed within organisations and markets, covering corporate finance, investment, financial markets, risk management, and financial analysis. The international business dimension adds a sustained engagement with how these financial functions operate across national borders, where currency risk, different regulatory regimes, political instability, and cultural variation all affect how financial decisions are made and implemented.

At the University of Reading, this four-year programme includes a placement year, which is a central and valuable feature. Spending an extended period working within a financial organisation gives you first-hand experience of how international finance operates in practice, allows you to apply the analytical skills and frameworks you have developed in your studies to real problems, and builds the professional experience that graduate employers consistently say matters most. Throughout the academic parts of the programme, you will study corporate finance, financial markets and institutions, international banking, financial modelling, risk management, and the economics of international trade and investment.

You will develop quantitative skills in financial analysis alongside broader management and strategic thinking.

Reading's business school has strong connections with financial services employers and has a well-established placement programme, with students finding placements across banking, asset management, corporate treasury, financial consulting, and related fields.

Graduates move into investment banking, corporate finance, asset management, financial consulting, international treasury, risk management, and financial analysis roles across a wide range of industries. The combination of financial expertise and international business knowledge, enriched by the placement experience, makes graduates competitive in a demanding but well-rewarded sector.