Master's Programs

International Master's in Finance

The Program

International Master's in Finance at Nova SBE

It is a highly selective 3- Semester Master’s Program that provides students with the tools, concepts, and training to succeed in an international context:

About the program:

  • In Year 1 (first and second semester), students follow the Master’s in Finance Curriculum and benefit from exclusive and personalized support from a dedicated Nova SBE Career team to prepare their career abroad. Exclusive language Courses of Portuguese and Spanish are also offered (limited slots).
  • In Year 2 (third Semester), students complete their Master’s Thesis by developing a Work Project (Field Lab) with an international scope.
  • The International Master’s in Finance includes a compulsory internationalization requirement that students can complete either through an international internship* or through a study abroad experience during the Master's program**.
     

*International Internship: 8-week international internship outside of Portugal & outside country of origin. It must be completed after the Bachelor's degree and until end of the Master's. Students may carry out their 8-week internship as follows: 8 weeks at company or through the accumulation of two  4-week international internships.

** Study abroad experience can be completed through the following options: CEMS MIM Exchange Semester (for students simultaneously enrolled in the CEMS MIM Program); Partner School Master’s (for students simultaneously enrolled in one of the Double Degree Programs); Exchange Semester, during the IMF program, outside Portugal and outside the country where the Bachelor’s degree was obtained.

The International Master’s in Finance (IMF) is designed for bachelor’s students who want to have an international career after their Master’s program and ambition a fast career progression in the financial area

Program Overall Structure

Find out what this Master’s degree will offer you during the 3 semesters at Nova SBE!

You will have mandatory courses, but you will also be able to choose from a wide range of electives, allowing you to tailor-make your curriculum according to your own goals.

  • Master’s in Finance Curriculum
  • Exclusive language Course**
  • Exclusive Career Accelerating Program provided by a dedicated team from the Careers @ Nova SBE Team
  • Students must carry out a Work Project (thesis) in their final semester. Check the formats available below.

Please note that students pursuing the CEMS MIM or a Double Degreeare required to complete the Work Project within the format, deadlines and offer of those programs.

Applications Fall Intake 2024/25

Applications to the International Master's in Finance are open until March 22, 2024.

The International Master's in Finance is a selective program with a limited number of slots. Nova SBE recommends that applicants include the Master's in Finance as their second option in their application, in case they are not accepted into the International Master's in Finance.

For more information, please contact us by emailing leadyourfuture@novasbe.pt, booking a meeting (here) or calling +351 213 801 699.

Get to know the Mandatory courses and Electives

Candidates’ fluency in several languages is valued by multinational companies. Therefore, we expect the International Master’s in Finance (IMF) students to reach the following language levels upon graduation:

  • Language 1: English C1
  • Language 2: Mother Tongue or B1 (if English is the mother tongue)
  • Language 3: A2


To reach these objectives, applicants must meet the following requisites at application:

  • Language 1: English language certificate minimum C1 (or English mother tongue)
  • Language 2: Mother Tongue or any language B1 level (if mother tongue is English)
  • Language 3: A1 level certificate
     

**Nova SBE provides exclusive courses of Portuguese or Spanish to International Master’s in Finance (IMF) students. These are intensive courses, taking place twice per week, with mandatory attendance. Slots are limited.

  • Corporate Finance
  • Empirical Methods for Finance
  • Financial Modelling
  • Investments

* Please note that for the academic year of 2024/2025 this information may be subject to changes.

Sustainability

“Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987).

To ensure global sustainability over time, the green transition focuses on responding to the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation but also to the need to work for an economic and societal transformation, integrating all three pillars of sustainable development – economic, social, and environmental.

That is the goal of this Area of Expertise, which is  taught in partnership with Nova’s School of Science and Technology (FCT). This area of expertise is common to the Master's programs in Management, Economics and Finance.

  • Energy and Climate Change
  • Energy Finance
  • Finance and the Transition to Net Zero
  • Fundamentals on Environment and Sustainability
  • Impact Investments
  • Sustainability Evaluation of Policies, Plans and Projects
  • Sustainable Finance

Banking

Recommended for students looking to pursue a career in central banks and regulatory bodies,  in retail banking, or in the consulting and auditing of financial institutions.

  • Asset Management
  • Banking
  • Corporate Valuation
  • Credit Risk
  • Derivatives
  • Finance and the Transition to Net Zero
  • Financial Distress, Bankruptcy and Restructuring
  • Financial Intermediation
  • Financial Reporting
  • Financial Statement Analysis
  • Fixed Income
  • Futures and Options
  • Hedge Funds
  • Islamic Finance
  • Macroeconomics of Financial Markets
  • Real Estate Finance
  • Risk Management


Corporate Finance

Designed to help students build up the required analytical and practical tools to pursue a career in Investment banking, retail banking, private equity, venture capital or consulting and auditing.

  • Applied Corporate Finance
  • Auditing
  • Behavioral Finance
  • Corporate Valuation
  • Entrepreneurial Finance & Venture Capital
  • Finance and the Transition to Net Zero
  • Financial Distress, Bankruptcy and Restructuring
  • Financial Reporting
  • Financial Statement Analysis
  • Impact Investments
  • Mergers, Acquisitions, Restructuring
  • Private Equity
  • Real Estate Finance
  • Strategic Costing
  • Strategic Planning and Control


Business and Data Analytics

The Data and Business Analytics area of expertise is designed for students who  want to use technology to solve business problems . A strong background in mathematics and applied statistics is required so that students will be able to analyze large data sets and translate them to support data grounded strategic decisions.

  • Algorithmic Governance
  • Blockchain Fundamentals
  • Computational Thinking and Data Science (includes Applied Statistics)
  • Data Analytics for Finance
  • Data Curation
  • Data Visualization
  • Fintech Ventures
  • Introduction to Programming
  • Machine Learning  
  • Marketing Analytics
  • Network Analytics
  • Web 3 a New Frontier in Business and Finance
  • Web and Cloud Computing


Financial Markets

Aims to provide in-depth knowledge for all students seeking a career in Investment banking, Investment management, or portfolio risk management.

  • Asset Management
  • Behavioral Finance
  • Corporate Valuation
  • Credit Risk
  • Data Analytics for Finance
  • Derivatives
  • Energy Finance
  • Finance and the Transition to Net Zero
  • Financial Reporting
  • Financial Statement Analysis
  • Fixed Income
  • Futures and Options
  • Hedge Funds
  • Islamic Finance
  • Macroeconomics of Financial Markets
  • Nova Students Portfolio
  • Real Estate Finance
  • Risk Management
  • Sustainable Finance


*Please take note of the following:

— Students can qualify for only one area of expertise, but it is not mandatory for students to choose one.
— Areas of Expertise and respective courses might be subject to change from one academic year to the next.
— Some courses might not be offered every academic year.
— Students may attend elective courses from other Masters programs, subject to availability.
— Please note that for the academic year of 2024/2025 this information may be subject to changes.

  • Algorithmic Governance
  • Applied Corporate Finance
  • Asset Management
  • Auditing
  • Banking
  • Behavioral Finance
  • Blockchain Fundamentals
  • Computational Thinking and Data Science (includes Applied Statistics)
  • Corporate Governance
  • Corporate Valuation
  • Credit Risk
  • Data Analytics for Finance
  • Data Curation
  • Data Visualization
  • Decentralized Finance
  • Derivatives
  • Doing Business in Emerging Markets
  • Energy and Climate Change
  • Energy Finance
  • Entrepreneurial Finance & Venture Capital
  • Finance and the Transition to Net Zero
  • Financial Crises in History
  • Financial Distress, Bankruptcy and Restructuring
  • Financial Intermediation
  • Financial Reporting
  • Financial Statement Analysis
  • Fintech Ventures
  • Fixed Income
  • Fundamentals on Environment and Sustainability
  • Futures and Options
  • Game Theory
  • Hedge Funds
  • Impact Investments
  • International Financial Management
  • Introduction to Programming
  • Islamic Finance
  • Machine Learning  
  • Macroeconometrics
  • Macroeconomics of Financial Markets
  • Marketing Analytics
  • Mergers, Acquisitions, Restructuring
  • Microeconometrics
  • Network Analytics
  • Nova Students Portfolio
  • Private Equity
  • Real Estate Finance
  • Risk Management
  • Sovereign Advisory
  • Strategic Costing
  • Strategic Planning and Control
  • Sustainability Evaluation of Policies, Plans and Projects
  • Sustainable Finance
  • Systematic Investment
  • Web 3 a New Frontier in Business and Finance
  • Web and Cloud Computing

* Please note that for the academic year of 2024/25 this information may be subject to changes.

The Skills Accelerator program is composed of four areas and students must complete one module in each area.

  • Digital

Technology for business: concepts, tools, and software.

  • Ethics

The concept of ethics and its importance in life (personal and professional). Exposure to ethical challenges and practical discussions on how to address them.

  • Market Links

 Career and job market related activities organized by the Careers office, student clubs, or faculty. Depending on the module selected, corporate partners and other companies are invited to participate. Competencies you might acquire and/or accelerate self-awareness, collaboration, teamwork effectiveness, critical thinking and problem-solving, job market knowledge, Alumni networking.

  • Leadership

Leadership concepts and tips: self-leadership and leading others.

* Please note that for the academic year of 2024/2025 this information may be subject to changes.

As part of the degree requirement, students must carry out a Work Project (thesis) in their final semester. There are four  formats available:

Field Lab
Students address real business challenge with an international scope in a group setting.

Internship Field Lab
Students carry out a work project within the context of an internship with an international scope.

Business in Practice Simulation and Thesis
One-month intensive Program (June 2024) based on a business simulation and immersive Role Plays, followed by an individual reflective Thesis.

Directed Research*
Students showcase their knowledge and expertise by investigating a research problem of scientific nature in a relevant area of interest.

* This format is generally reserved for those intending on pursuing their studies. With, for example, a PhD.

Please note that students pursuing the CEMS MIMor a Double Degree are required to complete the Work Project within the deadlines, format and offer of those programs.

Grading is based upon the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), a grading scale developed to facilitate the understanding and comparison of grades given according to different national systems. The awarding of ECTS grades per curriculum component breaks down as follows:

21 ECTS
Mandatory Courses

2 ECTS
Career Program – IMF & IMM

35 ECTS
Elective Courses (minimum)

2 ECTS
Skills Accelerator Modules

0 ECTS
MS Excel Certification

30 ECTS
Thesis/Work Project

90 ECTS (minimum) in total to graduate
You need a minimum of 90 ECTS to complete your Master’s, but if you need 120 ECTS to proceed with your studies, you can extend your Master's by completing one extra semester with courses (28 ECTS) and modules (2 ECTS).

Q&A Sessions

Q&A Sessions

Watch the IMF Video and attend one of our live Q&A sessions to learn more  about the IMF  program, and clear any doubts you may have.