Master of Applied Finance

The Master of Applied Finance provides you with the skills for a wide range of financial fields. It’s designed for professionals with an unrelated degree who want to gain the specialised skills for a career in the finance industry.

These skills include concepts and techniques related to corporate finance, investment and financial risk analysis, restructuring and governance, an understanding of current issues in international investment, and the development of portfolio management strategies.

The AUT Business School is part of the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program. The Master of Applied Finance curriculum is based on the Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK) from the CFA Program and this degree will position you well to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst designation – a globally respected and recognised investment credential.

CFA Institute website

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Download programme guides

Minimum entry requirements

If you have New Zealand qualifications

  • Must have completed a bachelor’s degree (in any discipline) with a B- grade average or higher in courses at level 7 or equivalent

If you have qualifications from another country

See entry requirements for students from other countries. Select your country from the dropdown menu.

Accepted qualification:
Bachelor's degree
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
Minimum 3 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a

Minimum scores

Percentage:
minimum 65% (final year)
Degree classification:
n/a
Letter criteria:
B- (in final year)
GPA 10 point scale:
6.5 (in final year)

Accepted qualification:
1. Diploma IV-Sarjana sains terapan AND / OR
2. Sarjana (SI)
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
4 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a

Minimum scores

Percentage:
65-69 (final year)
Degree classification:
n/a
Letter criteria:
B- (final year)
GPA 4 point scale:
2,70 (final year)

Accepted qualification:
Bachelor's degree
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
Minimum 3 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a

Minimum scores

Percentage:
65 (final year)
Letter criteria:
B- (final year)
GPA 4 point scale:
2.6 (final year)

Accepted qualification:
1. Bachelor’s degree from prestigious university awarded up to 2022 AND / OR
2. Bachelor’s degree awarded from 2022 with an entry qual of Year 12 AND / OR
3. Bachelor’s degree from Section 1 institute as per NOOSR AND / OR
4. Doctor of Medicine/Juris Doctor/Bachelor of Laws AND / OR
5. Doctor of Dentistry/Optometry/Veterinary Medicine
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
4 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a

Minimum scores

GPA 4 point scale:
2.6 (final year)
GPA 1 (Excellent)-5 point scale:
2 (final year)

Accepted qualification:
Bachelor's degree
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
Minimum 4 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a

Minimum scores

Percentage:
77% (final year)
Letter criteria:
B- (final year)
GPA 4 point scale:
2.7

Accepted qualification:
Bachelor's degree
Accepted undergraduate qualification duration:
4 years
Accepted subject majors:
n/a

Minimum scores

GPA 10 point scale:
6.5 (final year)
GPA 4 point scale:
2.6 (final year)

If your country is not listed, view our general entry requirements for postgraduate programmes

English language requirements

  • IELTS (Academic) 6.5 overall with a minimum score of 6.0 in each band.

English language requirements

IELTS may be waived (at the discretion of the Programme Director)

  • For a student who has completed a qualification, the language of instruction for which was English, and which was awarded within the last 3 years
  • For a student who has lived and/or worked in an English speaking environment for 3 years

Contact us to find out more about the Master of Applied Finance

Email business.postgrad@aut.ac.nz
Phone +64 9 921 9906

The Master of Applied Finance is taught over three 10-week trimesters. Each trimester includes 10 weeks of teaching with exams scheduled in weeks 11 and 12.

You must successfully complete 180 points. All courses are 15 points unless stated otherwise. As part of the Master of Applied Finance you complete an applied project that addresses a finance issue or opportunity.

You can choose how many courses you take to fit around work demands and personal commitments, provided you complete the qualification within four years. You can continue working full-time while completing your Master of Applied Finance part-time.

Courses you study

Study planners for this programme

Download our study planners to see what your studies will look like in the Master of Applied Finance, depending on when you’ve started your studies at AUT:

Ready to enrol in your courses?

Find out how you can enrol in the courses and classes for your programme, whether you’ve just joined AUT as a new student or you’re already studying with us. If you’re looking for more info on a specific course use our course search.

Enrol now

Skills you will develop

The outcomes for graduates of the Master of Applied Finance are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.

Graduate Profile

  • Corporate finance
  • Commercial banking
  • Investment banking
  • Stock market trading
  • Managed funds
  • Management consulting

Other professional programmes

Pathway to a PhD

High-achieving professional master’s degree students with at least an A- grade average over the 120 points in level 8 professional master’s degree courses can qualify to apply to the Doctor of Philosophy by completing the Master of Business with a B+ grade average or higher. You'll receive 60 points of credit towards the Master of Business, and will need to complete another 120 points.

Quick facts
Programme code:
AK1055
Level:
9
Points:
180
Duration:
1 to 1.5 years full-time / part-time available
*The programme duration is determined by the number of courses you enrol in each trimester.
Campus:
City Campus
Starts:
3 Mar 2025
28 Oct 2025

Key semester dates
Fees
Domestic
$22,715 (for 120 points)
($21,523 tuition fees + $1,192 student services levy)
International
2024 fee: $54,819 (for 180 points)
($53,100 tuition fees + $1,719 student services levy)

2025 fee: $57,587 (for 180 points)
($55,800 tuition fees + $1,787 student services levy)
  • Fees shown are based on a full-time workload for the points indicated next to the fee. The exact fee charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment.
  • Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for study beyond the current year, fees may vary from those stated.
  • There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay.
  • International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.

Scholarships

The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.