Financial and Bank Management and Marketing
FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS AND ADMINISTRATION
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ECONOMICS
PROFESSIONAL AREA: ECONOMICS
Major: Finance
Master’s Degree Programme: Financial and Bank Management and Marketing
Professional qualification: Master in Finance and Banks
Level of qualification: Educational-and-qualification Degree “Master”
Duration of programme: a year /a year and a half
Number of credits: 60 credits/ 90 credits
Field of study (ISCED-F): 0412: Finance, banking and insurance (343)
Admission requirements: Bachelor’s Degree, average performance and passed State exam with not less than Good 3.50; successful entrance examination – a discussion; secondary education diploma and successful entrance examinations.
Specific arrangements for recognition of prior learning:
- 2 semesters for Bachelors or Masters in Economics. In order to be awarded the qualification 60 credits are necessary. 33 of the credits come from compulsory courses, 9 credits from elective courses; 5 credits from optional courses and 15 credits from Master’s thesis/Diploma work.
- 3 semesters for Bachelors or Masters from other professional areas. In order to be awarded the qualification 90 credits are necessary. 55.5 of the credits come from compulsory courses, 13.5 credits from elective courses; 6 credits from optional courses and 15 credits from Master’s thesis/Diploma work.
Profile of the programme: The Master Degree programme Finance and Bank Management and Marketing offers specialized training in current issues of the financial and banking activities and marketing in accordance with the international, European and national criteria and requirements and practice. The curriculum of the course includes fundamental and specialized courses, developing knowledge and skills of students in the field of corporate finance, banking and insurance, marketing and management of company activity and banking, financial markets and stock exchanges, international economy and financial institutions, e-business and internet banking, analysis of financial instruments, international financial centers, leadership, international business, competitive and financial intelligence, etc. in national and international aspect. This education is a sound basis for a successful career in the financial, banking, insurance business, national and international companies, etc.
Key learning outcomes:
As a result of the training students should master and demonstrate particular knowledge and skills of the banking financial activities, international financial and banking institutions and organizations, financial and stock markets, national and international marketing of the company and bank level, e-business and Internet banking, international finance, forms and methods of payment in international business, management and management of companies, banks and financial institutions, regulations of commercial banks at national and international level, corporate financial management, investment assessment, portfolio assessment, branding and advertising of company and banking products and services, organization of international business of company and financial institutions, leadership styles of management, impact of globalization on businesses and economies in general, financial intelligence etc.
Successful graduates should be: competent; analytical; creative, open to new developments; possessing the desire for self-development and lifelong learning; able to take up leadership positions in business locally and internationally in the financial and banking sectors; able to work in Bulgarian and international corporate, banking and financial institutions.
Professional realization of the graduates: Graduates may realize themselves as: corporate financial managers, financial analysts, specialists in financial planning, investment and restructuring of capital in national and international companies, insurance and pension insurance companies, non-bank institutions, tax and public administration, specialists in operations management in commercial banks, financial houses and investment funds, account managers, consultants in the fields of Retail Banking, Private Banking and Corporate Banking, portfolio and risk managers, loan officers, analysts in the field of monetary policy and monetary interventions, as sales representatives and intermediaries or business consultants in the departments in marketing, advertising, finance, management, etc. in national and international corporations and bank institutions, research fellows and lecturers, etc.
Structural diagram of the courses with credits*:
| No | ECTS Codeculum for twoegic Alliancesicynceout of nine | Course | Lectures and seminars | Out-of-work workload | Credits |
| 1 | MAN3385 | Financial and Bank Management | 45 | 90 | 4,5 |
| 2 | FIN3296 | Insurance | 45 | 90 | 4,5 |
| 3 | FIN3254 | Geo-economic Aspects of the Trans-nationalization in the Banking Sector | 45 | 90 | 4,5 |
| 4 | FIN3274 | International Finance Centers | 45 | 90 | 4,5 |
| 5 | MAR3177 | Bank Marketing | 45 | 90 | 4,5 |
| 6 | Elective course | 45 | 90 | 4,5 | |
| 7. | Optional course | 30 | 60 | 3 | |
| Total for semester I | 300 | 600 | 30 | ||
| 1 | FIN 3337 | Taxation and control | 45 | 90 | 4,5 |
| 2 | MAN3391 | International Mergers and Takeovers | 60 | 120 | 6 |
| 3 | PSY 3284 | Social Interactions and Teamwork | 60 | 120 | 6 |
| 4 | FIN 1012 | Banking | 60 | 120 | 6 |
| 5 | Elective course | 45 | 90 | 4,5 | |
| 6 | Optional course | 30 | 60 | 3 | |
| Total for semester II | 300 | 600 | 30 | ||
| 1 | MAR1166 | Prices and pricing policy | 60 | 120 | 6 |
| 2 | ACC3121 | Financial statements of banks | 45 | 90 | 4,5 |
| 3 | Elective course | 45 | 90 | 4,5 | |
| Total for semester III | 150 | 300 | 15 | ||
| Graduation requirement: Preparation and defense of Diploma work/Master’s thesis | 30 | 420 | 15 | ||
| Total for the entire course of training: | 780 | 1920 | 90 | ||
| Elective courses (students choose three out of nine) | |||||
| 1 | INF3010 | E-business and Internet Banking | 15 | 30 | 4,5 |
| 2 | FIN 3278 | Finance Dimensions of Corporate Business | 15 | 30 | 4,5 |
| 3 | MAN3399 | Managing Competitiveness | 15 | 30 | 4,5 |
| 4 | FIN 3288 | Financial Intermediation | 15 | 30 | 4,5 |
| 5 | International payments | 15 | 30 | 4,5 | |
| 6 | FIN 3261 | Foreign Trade Operations | 15 | 30 | 4,5 |
| 7 | ECO3215 | Global Problems of the Present Days | 15 | 30 | 4,5 |
| 8 | FIN3299 | International Trade Finance | 15 | 30 | 4,5 |
| Optional courses (students choose one two of twelve) | |||||
| 1 | PSY 3288 | Team Interaction | 15 | 15 | 3 |
| 2 | ECO3228 | International Economics | 15 | 15 | 3 |
| 3 | FIN3310 | Local Finance and Investment Policy | 15 | 15 | 3 |
| 4 | MAN3389 | Leadership at the Financial Markets | 15 | 15 | 3 |
| 5 | MAN3291 | Management and Strategic Analyses in the Business Sector | 15 | 15 | 3 |
| 6 | FIN3298 | Competitive and financial scouting | 15 | 15 | 3 |
| 7 | FIN 3284 | Financial investments of banks | 15 | 15 | 3 |
| 8 | FIN3223 | Bankruptcy | 15 | 15 | 3 |
| 9 | MAN 3231 | Master class | 15 | 15 | 3 |
| 10 | AMG 3001 | Practicum | 15 | 15 | 3 |
* At Varna Free University Chernorizets Hrabar” one credit corresponds to 30 hours student workload, which includes 10 hours of lectures and seminars and 20 hours out-of-class workload.
Mode of training – full-time; part-time/ distance learning.
Examination regulations, assessment and grading: Specific for each discipline (defence of project assignments, course projects, tasks or essays, sitting tests, participation in of team tasks, case studies, etc.). Students are familiar with the evaluation criteria for each course.
General requirements to the students:
Optional or compulsory mobility: None
Internship: Internships, practices, participation in master classes and workshops, participation in student conferences, round tables, etc. are considered for each academic year. The internships can be national or international, related to the training in the Master's degree programme – in banks, investment agencies, insurance companies, national and international companies, municipalities, ministries and various departments related to the training of Master’s degree students, etc.
Apprenticeship programmes: When the discipline allows students can serve an apprenticeship or an expert from practice can be made part of the training along with the lecturer.
Professional profile of the graduates: The Master's Degree programme Financial and Bank Management and Marketing trains specialists in Economics who can realize themselves in various areas of business and economy as: corporate financial managers, financial analysts, specialists in financial planning, investment and restructuring of capital, in national and international companies, commercial banks, insurance and pension insurance companies, non-bank institutions, tax and public administration, specialists in operations management in commercial banks, financial houses and investment funds, account managers, consultants in the fields of Retail Banking, Private Banking and Corporate Banking, portfolio and risk managers, loan officers, analysts in the field of monetary policy and monetary interventions, as sales representatives and intermediaries or business consultants in the departments of marketing, advertising, finance, management, etc. in national and international corporations and bank institutions, as research fellows and lecturers, etc.
Access to further studies:
Graduates can enter PhD programmes. The priority PhD programmes in the professional area 3.8. Economics аre:
- Global Leadership and International Economic Relations;
- Political Economy;
Programme Director:
Assoc. Prof. Virzhiniya Ivanova, PhD
Phone numbers: +359 899365118
e-mail: virjinia_ivanova@abv.bg
+359 052 355 106 | info@vfu.bg