Professor Jim Allen (Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Communications and Institutional Development and Provost of the Magee campus) celebrates the introduction of the new MSc with Derry City mayor Alderman Drew Thompson

Plans for a new professional development course aimed specifically at people working in the financial services sector have been unveiled at the University of Ulster’s Magee Campus.

Derry City Council has agreed to fund civic bursaries totalling £10,000 for three full-time students on the programme, strengthening the partnership between the Council and the University, and confirming their ongoing commitment to regional economic development.

The Information Technology Professional Master’s Degree course in Computing for Financial Services is being offered by the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems.

Dr Liam Maguire, Head of the School of Computing and Intelligent Systems says the emphasis will be on practical, industry-led project work.

He said that the MSc is being introduced by the University in direct response to approaches from a number of stakeholders in the Northern Ireland financial services sector.

“This is a growing sector in Northern Ireland generally, and specifically in the Derry City Council area. It requires appropriately trained undergraduates and postgraduates of a high calibre who will be able to contribute to the implementation of computerised and automated commercial and business processes

"At a time when banking and financial market organisations are facing increasing regulation and constant market change, we feel that this type of course will be needed to continue to attract and retain high value employment in the financial services sector. It also aligns with the University’s aim to increase the number of students on the Magee campus and contribute to the economic development of this region,” he said.

The Master's programme in Computing for Financial Services focuses on the development of money and investment-related information technology services to meet the demands of the regulators and the marketplace. It includes the development of application software, and the deployment of strategic consulting, systems integration, business process and IT services to banks, investment banks, insurance companies, credit card companies, government-sponsored enterprises, and stock brokerages

Subjects on the course include information technology and financial services; database technologies; knowledge management; advanced human-computer interaction; mobile and pervasive computing; object-oriented information systems; interoperability and legacy systems; and network management. These subjects are taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, practical sessions, project preparation and implementation.

For further information on the MSc Computing for Financial Services go to http://www.infm.ulst.ac.uk/~scis/courses/e209pm.htm

For further information, please contact:

David Young
Telephone: 028 90366074
Email: David Young