As the world enters an era of digital transformation, now is the perfect time to advance your career in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (or STEM, for short). Himali Wadhwa, 45, a computer science graduate working for a global bank in India, did just that. As vice president for bulge bracket bank, she saw the major changes reshaping both the tech and banking sectors. Although she held a senior position, these changes pointed out to Himali the urgent need for her to upskill.
“London, as a hub of financial innovation, and City St George’s, University of London, located at its heart, provided the ideal environment for me to use my sabbatical year to enhance my skills,” she says.
The School of Science & Technology has been ahead of the curve, standing at the forefront of research and teaching in emerging fields such as cybersecurity, machine learning, and biomedical engineering. Himali knew of the reputation of the school, as well as its business and law counterparts.
“The MSc in Financial Technology and Systems is uniquely designed to incorporate elements from all these top departments. We benefited from the expertise of Business School faculty while also covering legal, compliance, and intellectual property topics with faculty from the Law School,” she says. “The program is crafted to provide a comprehensive introduction, bringing together the best of what anyone aspiring to enter the FinTech industry would need.”
Himali’s chosen degree is only one of the School’s many master’s degrees. The Executive MSc in Aviation Management and are new additions to the long list of degreesacross specialised subjects. Other programmes include Data Science, Human-Computer Interaction Design, Cyber Security, Project management, finance and risk, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering with Cloud Computing, and Robotics, AI and Autonomous Systems to name a few. The two new degrees are also accepting applications for the January 2025 intake now.
Industry projects, internships, and industrial year-long placements are embedded in the curriculum. Depending on the programme, some offer industry projects as a direct link to your thesis, while others have internships where you can work full-time between three to six months with pay.
City St George’s, University of London’s Corporate Relations & Employability Unit will support you throughout the entire process of undertaking these placements and internships. Alongside sourcing internships and placements, the CREU also enrich programme content with industry input, organises specialist events, and connects academia with industry. These will promote your professional development, boost your understanding of the professional, legal, and ethical issues of your chosen field, and help you build a portfolio of skills and experiences.
Thanks to a partnership with the Student Circus platform, international students can find pre-filtered visa-sponsored jobs in the UK and their home countries. There are workshops that cover all the key issues regarding permits enabling you to work in the UK post-graduation, CV applications, and interview support.
Himali had the opportunity to complete three internships – two with startups and one focused on a market trends research report. “Despite my extensive industry experience, working with these startups was a real eye-opener,” she says. “These internships gave me access to some of the brightest minds in the field, which I believe will translate into better opportunities upon completing my course.”
To Himali, the most beneficial career service and resource during her time at City St George’s were the talks from FinTech startups, a visit to Barclay’s Rise Start-Up Academy, and a tour of the Bloomberg office. “These experiences provided valuable insights into the job market while we were still students, enabling us to better navigate market resources by the time we completed the course,” she says.
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City, University of London and St George’s, University of London merged on 1 August 2024. We are now ‘City St George’s, University of London’. You may still see us referred to by our previous institutional names. Our websites will use our legacy names and branding until our new combined website is launched in March 2025. Find out more about the merger.
(https://www.city.ac.uk/about/merger-st-georges or https://www.sgul.ac.uk/news/st-georges-and-city-formally-and-legally-merged-to-form-city-st-georges-university-of-london)