New options for Tanaka Business School MSc Risk Management programme

Imperial College's Tanaka Business School will offer several new flexible study options for its MSc Risk Management programme, in response to demand from current and prospective students, both in the UK and from abroad. Students will now be able to choose from a variety of part-time alternatives, starting as early as this April, as well as a full-time option starting in October.

The new Masters in Risk Management programme was introduced in September 2005 by Tanaka Business School, in association with Standard & Poor's, to fill an identified gap for quantitative risk management skills. The programme was developed with input from senior risk managers at major banks, bond credit rating agencies and financial regulators to deliver highly relevant tuition on the implementation and use of leading edge risk management techniques. Students benefit from the research excellence and consultancy experience of Tanaka's finance group, as well as from Standard & Poor's extensive expertise in practical risk management.

Professor William Perrraudin, Programme Director at Imperial College's Tanaka Business School, explains the need to make the MSc Risk Management programme accessible to as many students as possible: "We knew that banks and other financial firms such as hedge funds, insurance companies and investment funds had adopted new techniques and ways of thinking about risk and that the demand for a new type of risk manager - one conversant in modern risk models and able to understand and design risk mitigation strategies - would grow.

"A few months into the programme, we realised we were on the right track for developing solid risk managers. But we also realised that today's students need as much flexibility as possible in order to juggle work and family commitments. We think our new study modes will make it possible for as many people as possible to accelerate their financial risk management careers by adding this specialist degree to their qualifications."

Arnaud de Servigny, a Managing Director at Standard & Poor's and a Visiting Professor at Imperial College, is convinced that the course programme is in tune with market aspirations: "Pricing and hedging techniques are critical to risk assessment and risk transfer. With the expansion of credit derivative markets and of structured products there is a very significant demand along the chain of acquiring, trading, stripping and repackaging credit and market risk.

"One of the current trends, for example, is to combine multiple sources of risk to create hybrids. There is no limit in market expansion. To be on top of this wave, people need to be technically robust - but also close to where things are moving. Imperial College represents the ideal blend."

Notes to editors
The MSc Risk Management programme was initially offered on a part-time basis. Students may now choose from a variety of flexible study options: a one-year, full-time programme starting in October 2006; a part-time programme starting either in April or October 2006; or a flexible modular programme over a three-year period. The programme is open to graduates with at least a 2:1 or equivalent in their first quantitative degrees.

Professor William Perraudin, Head of the Finance & Accounting Group at Imperial College's Tanaka Business School, is a leading international expert on the Basel proposals on bank capital and has acted as a consultant to a wide range of major financial institutions.

Arnaud de Servigny, Managing Director, Quantitative Analytics and Products at Standard & Poor's, has worked in senior risk management positions at a number of major banks, and is co-author of the recent benchmark publication Measuring and Managing Credit Risk.

More information
Dominique Guerin-Garnett, PR Manager, Tanaka Business School, Imperial College London 020 7594 9154; 07739 851 881

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About Imperial College and Tanaka Business School
Consistently rated in the top three UK university institutions, Imperial College London is a world leading science-based university whose reputation for excellence in teaching and research attracts students (11,000) and staff (6,000) of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that enhance the quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk

Imperial College's Tanaka Business School is a world-class provider of business education and research, focusing primarily on Imperial strengths in innovation and entrepreneurship, finance and healthcare management. The School offers full-time and executive MBAs, Masters programmes in Finance, Risk Management, International Health Management and Management; and a PhD programme. Tanaka Business School www.imperial.ac.uk/tanaka

Standard & Poor's (www.standardandpoors.com) is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research, data and valuations. Standard & Poor's Risk Solutions (www.risksolutions.standardandpoors.com) provides a variety of tools and services to help clients develop, enhance and validate their credit assessment processes, collect and analyze data, model credit risk and train staff."