MSc Statistics (Financial Statistics) MSc Statistics (Financial Statistics) (Research)

About the MSc programme

This programme is based in the Department of Statistics|. It provides high level training in statistics with applications in the social sciences, finance and econometrics. Students learn to analyse and critically interpret data, build statistical models of real situations, and use statistical software packages. The programme provides excellent opportunities for employment and further study. Graduates of the MSc are awarded Graduate Statistician (GradStat) status by the Royal Statistical Society.

You should have or expect to gain an upper second class honours degree, or equivalent, which includes a substantial amount of statistics and mathematics. Well qualified applicants who do not meet this requirement will be considered on merit.

Applications need to be submitted as early as possible and must include a personal statement outlining your reasons for wanting to study statistics. This should be no longer than 150 words and you are advised to be concise and clear in your statement.

Please note that the Department of Statistics does not require references to be submitted with your application form. However, you should include contact details of one person who is familiar with your academic achievements. Normally, this will be a tutor from your previous institution. The Department may contact this referee if it is deemed useful when considering your application.

Each MSc student has an academic adviser who is available for guidance and advice on academic or personal concerns. The compulsory courses consolidate students' understanding of fundamental ideas in probability and statistics and introduce advanced topics. Students can choose options to focus on statistics with applications in social science or in finance and econometrics.

Compulsory courses

(* half unit)

• Statistical Inference: Principles, Methods and Computation
• Financial Statistics*
• Time Series*
• Dissertation (research option only) 

Options

Courses to the value of two units from the following, with the proviso that the value of non-statistics and non-methodology courses cannot exceed one full unit:

• Multivariate Methods*
• Stochastic Processes*
• Generalised Linear Modelling and Survival Analysis*
• Multilevel and Longitudinal Modelling*
• Non-Linear Dynamics and the Analysis of Real Time Series*
• Developments in Statistical Methods*
• Insurance Mathematics
• Stochastic Finance
• Computational Methods in Finance and Insurance*
• Advanced Probability Theory*
• Special Topics in Quantitative Analysis*
• Survey Methodology*
• Causal Inference for Observational and Experimental Studies*

Non-statistics and non-methodology courses:

• Econometric Analysis
• Financial Risk Analysis*
• Forecasting Financial Time Series*
• Fixed Income Markets*
• Asset Markets A*
• Derivatives*
• The Mathematics of the Black and Scholes Theory*
• The Foundations of Interest Rate, Foreign Exchange, and Credit Risk Theory*
• Mathematical Programming: Theory and Algorithms*

Other courses with the permission of the programme director.

MSc Statistics (Financial Statistics) (Research)

Students have the option to register for the MSc Statistics (Financial Statistics) (Research) branch of the programme in the first few weeks of the Michaelmas term. This branch is similar to the MSc Satistics (Financial Statistics) nine month programme but involves a compulsory dissertation which replaces one unit's worth of optional courses.

Full course descriptions at: lse.ac.uk/statistics|