New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS): With a vision to enable scholars and practitioners to explore contemporary trends at the intersection of finance, psychology, technology and consumer behaviour, O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) is launching two new courses- M.Sc. in Behaviour & Finance; and Integrated M.Sc. & Ph.D. in Behaviour and Finance. These Masters and Integrated Ph.D. programmes that focus on behavioural finance will start from August 2022.
The courses offered jointly by Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences (JIBS) and Jindal School of Banking & Finance (JSBF) aim to help students become autonomous researchers and lifelong innovators by enabling them to develop the scientific training and skills required to define, conduct and complete interdisciplinary and global research projects that advance knowledge and practices in the areas of Finance and Behavioural Sciences.
"The primary focus is to equip students and scholars with understanding behavioural finance using insights from psychology, neurosciences and experimental economics. The courses will help them in understanding how financial markets question classical understanding of economics and in what manner the gap can be filled by delving into the psychological and behavioural perspective of economics," said Prof. (Dr.) Sanjeev P. Sahni, Principal Director at JIBS.
"Behavioural Finance questions long traditional approaches to economy. We aim to equip students with a sound understanding of psychological principles underlying financial decision making and also how individual and collective biases influence the market trends," Dr. Sahni added.
The courses are designed to meet the evolving practice-based and research-oriented needs of businesses in banking, finance, financial services, insurance and allied fields. Students will not only learn traditional approaches to finance but also about the role of risk that is at the heart of all forms of financial decision making.
"Studying behaviour and finance in an integrated manner presents us with new revelations about human behaviour in finance and pushes our imagination about finance in the real world. The curriculum of both programmes combines the JSBF's finance-focused and data-intensive approach with JIBS's spirit of understanding psychological processes and human cognition. As a result, these programmes will help learners not only face the future of finance but create it," said Prof. (Dr.) Ashish Bharadwaj, Dean JSBF.
Prof. Ram B. Ramachandran, Director of Virtual Teaching and Advanced Learning (VITAL) at JGU stated, "The importance for interdisciplinary learning is even more critical in these changing times and JGU has been at the forefront for creating such experiential and innovative programs. Developing independent thinkers and researchers will help individuals and organizations to explore new ideas, products/services, markets, and customers."
For M.Sc. in Behaviour and Finance students will be selected based on their performance in the JGU Entrance Test or an equivalent (GRE/GMAT/CAT/XAT/MAT) examination, and a personal interview. Aspirants need to have an undergraduate degree in any field with minimum 50 per cent marks. The integrated M.Sc. and Ph.D. programme also targets middle to senior level finance professionals, teachers, and those who wish to make a transition to academics in the areas of Behavioural Sciences or Finance.
The courses also offer students an opportunity to undertake optional industry-relevant professional certifications offered by the National Stock Exchange (NSE), SEBI's National Institute of Securities Markets and Certificate from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.