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In the Banking and Regulation track, you learn about the causes of financial crises, the latest financial regulations, and how central bank decisions affect the real economy.

The programme

During your Master's you will follow 6 general courses and 4 track-specific courses. You will finish with a thesis. If you have a drive to enhance the adoption of sustainability in finance, you can participate in our Honours programme.

COURSES SEM 1 SEM 2 SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 EC
  • Advanced Corporate Finance
    Period 1
    5

    This course combines a deep analysis of traditional concepts, with an open-ended reflection upon the recent transition to a knowledge economy across most developed countries. Each week, you will first engage in a comprehensive examination of a specific topic in traditional corporate finance, analysing both foundational theories and salient empirical evidence. You will then engage in an exploratory analysis of how the traditional topic applies to intangible assets and human capital.

  • Financial Markets
    Period 1
    5

    This course explores market microstructure; how trading works and prices form in securities markets. Learn about trading mechanisms deployed in modern securities markets, the role of market makers, and techniques to measure market liquidity empirically. You will discuss theories of market liquidity and price discovery, and further examine how liquidity affects asset prices.

  • Applied Financial Econometrics
    Period 1
    Period 2
    5

    In this course, you apply various statistical techniques to make causal inferences and predictions. You will learn how to work with panel datasets, state-of-the-art statistical techniques for addressing endogeneity and omitted variables problems, and apply econometrics to time-series data analysis. Particular attention will be paid to common failures of the exogeneity assumption and how to solve these through appropriate empirical design, as well as to making predictions with econometric forecasting models.

  • Banking
    Period 2
    5

    This course covers stylised facts about the banking industry, and theoretical frameworks to analyse major issues in banking and examine the effects of various regulations. You will learn about major risks faced by banks, the rise of off-balance-sheet lending and securitisation, banks fund and how regulations can prevent them, and how FinTech innovation is transforming everyday banking.

  • Restricted-choice electives
    Period 2
    5

    Choose 1 out of 2 courses: Derivatives or Valuation.

  • Empirical Methods in Finance
    Period 3
    5

    In this course, you will learn statistical methodologies used on the current frontier of empirical analysis. You will also learn to implement these methodologies through weekly case assignments, completed using the statistical program STATA or computing language R. Discover the university’s databases and how to prepare for thesis research.

  • Thesis seminar
    Period 4
    3

    This course provides you with a solid foundation for your Master's thesis. You will start with a thesis proposal, which will receive multiple rounds of feedback from classmates. The guidance you receive in the course will help you to polish your proposal and prepare for further independent thesis work. Also, you will learn how to provide critical opinions of your classmates’ thesis proposals, and how to give effective presentations.

  • Financial Regulation
    Period 4
    5

    Learn about the economic foundations for financial regulation and prudential policy, based on a state-of-the-art view of macro-financial cycles. This course offers you a guide to the evolving micro-prudential legislation targeting structural vulnerabilities in the banking sector. You will learn to understand the formal rules, but also the spirit of novel regulatory approach, indispensable to appreciate future countercyclical policy.

  • Restricted-choice electives
    Period 4
    5

    Choose 1 out of 3 courses: Behavioural Finance, Corporate Restructuring, Advanced Risk Management.

  • Restricted-choice electives
    Period 5
    2

    Choose 1 out of 2 courses: Sustainable Finance or Ethics and Professional Skills in Finance.

  • Master's Thesis
    Period 4
    Period 5
    Period 6
    15

    The Master’s thesis is the final requirement for your graduation. It is your chance to dive deep into a topic in your chosen track, and to learn how to independently complete a comprehensive research project. A professor with expertise on your topic will supervise your effort. You will also receive guidance on how to manage your time, break down a long-term project into a series of manageable steps, and communicate in a clear and professional manner.

Compulsory course
Elective
Specialisation

Do you want to know more about the courses?

The course catalogue provides detailed information for each course, including subjects, assessment methods and recommended literature.

Honours programme: A Sustainable Perspective on Finance

The Honours programme is designed for students with excellent analytical and leadership abilities, and a fundamental passion to enhance the adoption of sustainability in finance. It is a challenging programme and a great way to stand out for future employers. The programme must be finished in 1.5 years, and includes 3 additional courses: Sustainable Finance, Honours Course on Impact Investing, and an elective course (Corporate Governance, Advanced Investments, or Financial Regulation).

Real-life case: Run on DSB bank in October 2009 

DSB, named for its founder Dirk Scheringa, was famous in the Netherlands for its sponsorship of football champions AZ, but mostly for its cutting-edge loans, mortgages and connected insurance policies. During the Financial Crisis, it experienced a run by depositors following a call from a consumer group to pull money out of the controversial institution. The Dutch government decided against nationalising the failing bank; it was not considered too big to fail. What was the impact of DNB’s failure on its deposit holders? Did government policy help insure clients? What was the governance structure of DNB, and did that play a role in its demise? These issues and more are discussed in class.

Vera Scholten
Copyright: EB
The lecturers are very good and try to engage with the student in every way Vera Scholten - student Read Vera's full review
Frequently asked questions