To help you best prepare for your MSc, your Programme Director has identified some pre-reading materials which will give you a head start on your programme.

For this programme, we select students with experience in differing disciplines, primarily accounting and/or finance, or economics. As such, you will need to strengthen your knowledge in certain fields before the programme starts; in other fields you would derive some real benefits from engaging in some background reading before the programme starts.

With this in mind, we have created a useful reading list. Experience teaches us that successful students generally have familiarity with the specialist language of accounting and finance before the programme starts, as well as confidence with undertaking financial calculations. We strongly recommend that you work through this reading list prior to starting the programme.

The following are some of the books which will be used during the programme and which you may find helpful to read in advance.

Please note: You are not required to purchase any of the listed books. If you do wish to purchase any, please check with the Business School beforehand.

Semester One

Advanced International Financial Reporting (CMSE11289)

Students will be allocated specific (and compulsory) research papers per IFRS issue to be discussed. These papers form the basis of the group presentations and discussion, and have to be read by all students. Students will, where appropriate, be provided with YouTube Links to IFRSbox videos, which need to be watched during the semester. These videos illustrate the technical aspects of the IFRS issues to be discussed. These videos represent an easily accessible, didactically well-presented, and technically state-of-the-art resource for flipped learning purposes.

Helpful but not mandatory textbooks are:

  • Alexander, Britton and Jorissen. International Reporting and Analysis (5th edition).
  • Kieso, Weygandt and Warfield. Intermediate Accounting: IFRS Edition (2nd edition).
  • Stolowy/Ding. Financial Accounting and Reporting - A Global Perspective (5th edition).

Foundations of Finance Theory (CMSE11081)

  • Elton, E., Gruber, M., Brown, S. and Goetzmann, W. (2014). Modern Portfolio Theory and Investment Analysis (9th edition). Wiley.
  • Brealey, R.A., Myers, S.C. and Allen, F. (2010). Principles of Corporate Finance (10th edition). McGraw-Hill. This text is only to be used for 4 lectures, therefore we do not require students to buy it.

It will be very useful to familiarise yourself with Excel. A very good book is:

  • Benniga, Simon. Financial Modelling Using Excel.

Statistics for Finance (CMSE11086)

  • Lind, Douglas A., Marchal, Williams G., and Wathen, Samuel A. (2012). Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics (15th edition). McGraw-Hill.
  • Wooldridge, J. (2015). Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach (6th edition). Thomson.
  • Wooldridge, J. (2013). Introduction to Econometrics. Europe, Middle East and Africa edition. Cengage Learning.

Although the main text of this course is Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics, the text Introductory Econometrics is an excellent reference for regression analysis and an invaluable text for carrying out econometrics applications and writing your dissertation. This is the main text for Research Methods (compulsory course for some Masters programmes in semester 2).

Please note that both books by Wooldridge are practically the same textbook but the European version is less expensive.

Advanced Management Accounting (CMSE11101)

There is no required text. Students will be directed to journal articles. Relevant specialist journals are Management Accounting Research and Journal of Management Accounting Research. The website of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) is also a useful source of relevant information.

Recommended text:

  • Horngren, C.T., Datar, S., Foster, G. (2015). Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis (15th global edition). Prentice Hall.

Semester 2: Core Courses

Current Issues in Accounting (CMSE11324)

Prescribed readings for individual sessions will be indicated at the start of the course. It is expected that students will read specified in advance of each session. Students are expected to read accounting journals widely.

General works on accounting research methods include:

  • Humphrey, C. and Lee, B. (2004). The Real Life Guide to Accounting Research. Elsevier. Also available in paperback (2008).
  • Ryan, B., Scapens, R., and Theobald, M. (2002). Research Method and Methodology in Finance and Accounting. Thomson Learning.
  • Smith, M. (2003). Research Methods in Accounting. Sage.
  • Baker, C.R. and Bettner, M.S. (1997). 'Interpretive and Critical Research in Accounting: A Commentary on its Absence from Mainstream Accounting Research'. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 293-310.

Advanced Corporate Finance (CMSE11083)

Most readings in the programme are journal papers available in the Library via the electronic journal service DiscoverED, through which students can download full-text copies of papers:

DiscoverED Website

A full list of readings will be provided separately.

The course is not based on a particular text but reference is made to the following texts where possible. Do not worry too much about obtaining the most up-to-date edition; they do not change much from one edition to the next.

  • Brealey, R.A., Myers, S.C. and Allen, F. (2017). Principles of Corporate Finance. McGraw Hill.
  • Berk, J. and DeMarzo, P. (2014). Corporate Finance. Pearson.

These texts cover similar ground and are very good, but there are other good texts.

Another useful resource is the website of Aswath Damodaran.

He writes papers on specific aspects of corporate finance, aimed at students and practitioners.

Semester 2: Elective Courses

Behavioural Finance (CMSE11203)

  • Nofsinger, John R. (2014). The Psychology of Investing (5th edition). Pearson. ISBN: 0133382877.
  • Shefrin, H. (2007). Behavioural Corporate Finance (1st edition). McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 0072848650.

Corporate Governance (CMSE11279)

  • Mallin, Christine A. (2010). Corporate Governance (4th edition). Oxford University Press.

Credit Risk Management (CMSE11122)

  • Thomas, L., Edelman, D. and Crook, J. (2002). Credit Scoring and its Applications. SIAM: Philadelphia.

Equity Valuation (CMSE11096)

  • Palepu, K.G., Healy, P.M and Peek, E. (2016). Business Analysis and Valuation: IFRS Edition. Thomson South-Western.

Financial Engineering (CMSE11290)

  • Hull, John. Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (6th edition). Pearson/Prentice Hall: Hull.
  • Kolb, Robert and Overdahl, James. Futures, Options and Swaps (5th edition). Blackwell: K&O.
  • Chance, Don and Brooks, Robert. An Introduction to Derivatives and Risk Management. Cengage Learning: C&B. NB: Chance and Brooks is the textbook version of the CFA text for derivatives.
  • Kosowski, Robert and Neftci, Salih. Principles of Financial Engineering (3rd edition). Academic Press: K&N.
  • Neftci, Salih. Principles of Financial Engineering. Academic Press. NB: The 2nd edition version appears to be available as a free PDF download.

Fixed Income (CMSE11212)

Required reading:

  • Fabozzi, F.J. (2016). Bond Markets: Analysis and Strategies (9th edition). Pearson.

Additional reading:

  • Choudhry, M. (2010). An Introduction to Bond Markets (4th edition). Wiley.

Investment Management (CMSE11124)

  • Maginn, Tuttle, Pinto and McLeavey. (2007). Managing Investment Portfolios: A Dynamic Process. CFA Institute and Wiley (provisional). ISBN: 0470080140.

Quantitative Research Methods in Finance (CMSE11339)

  • Wooldridge, J. Introduction to Econometrics. Europe, Middle East and Africa Edition. Cengage Learning.