Finance with a Foundation Year

Finance is the discipline that examines how individuals, organisations and governments manage money, assets and risk across time and under conditions of uncertainty. It encompasses the pricing of financial instruments, the management of investment portfolios, the financing decisions of corporations, the functioning of financial markets and the regulatory frameworks that govern them. At Swansea University, this four-year full-time degree includes a foundation year and places particular emphasis on sustainability, financial technology and ethical dimensions of finance, reflecting the significant shifts in the financial industry toward environmental, social and governance considerations and the transformation of finance by digital technology.

You will study the foundations of financial theory, including time value of money, asset pricing, portfolio theory, derivative pricing and corporate financial decision-making, alongside the more practical content of financial markets, investment analysis, risk management and the financial technologies that are reshaping how markets function. The sustainability focus develops your understanding of how environmental and social factors affect financial risk and value, and the ethics dimension asks critical questions about the responsibilities of financial institutions and practitioners. The foundation year builds the mathematical and analytical grounding needed before the main finance curriculum.

A typical entry tariff of around 104 points is expected.

Graduates pursue careers in investment banking, asset management, corporate finance, risk management, financial regulation, FinTech, sustainable finance and financial consulting. The focus on sustainable finance and FinTech gives Swansea graduates relevant skills in areas of the financial sector that are growing most rapidly. Many graduates pursue professional qualifications including the CFA or chartered accountancy, and postgraduate study in finance or financial technology is a natural further step for those seeking senior technical or leadership roles.