MSc Global Central Banking & Financial Regulation: My journey so far

"Practical, enlightening and resourceful". MSc Global Central Banking & Financial Regulation participant, Elsie Yamoah, shares her experience on the programme so far.   

The first time I heard of Warwick Business School (WBS) was in the third year of my bachelor’s degree at the University of Ghana Business School. My then lecturer for Research Methods, a rather proud alumnus of WBS, would utilise every opportunity to let his students know just how great of an experience his postgraduate education with the School had been.  With that seed planted in my head and my own subsequent research into the School, I was beyond elated when I discovered in early 2019 that WBS, in partnership with the Bank of England, was going to be offering a distance learning MSc in Global Central Banking & Financial Regulation.

At that point in my life I had a bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance, passed level one of the CFA examination and had a very young career as an officer with the Banking Supervision Department of the Bank of Ghana. The structure and modules offered on the programme (which are designed with finance professionals in mind to “spread the best thought leadership in financial regulation to central and commercial bankers globally”), looked to be beneficial to my career in central banking. The fact that WBS was offering this programme in partnership with the Bank of England was evident of just how practical, evidence-led and credible the programme would be. I had very little doubt that the programme would help accelerate my career progress in the Bank of Ghana, by equipping me with a relevant top-class education while providing me the flexibility to keep building on my real-world skills in my field of work.

Almost one year and two modules later, I can attest to just how practical, enlightening and resourceful the programme has been to my career and dare I say, even my personal life. The opportunity to engage with classmates from all over the world, bringing their global experiences to bear on the knowledge and skills I have so far acquired and interacting with professors and speakers from a broad range of backgrounds has been amazing.

In all honesty, it took some weeks of adjusting to fully incorporate the programme into my daily schedule. A typical day in my life now involves an early morning reading session (yes, I’m a morning person), enjoying my lunch break with an interview video of my module instructor and an industry professional, and ending my day by reading the comments of my classmates on the various topics on the WBS online academic platform.

Being one of the youngest people in my department can be quite intimidating. However, the exposure the programme offers has truly boosted my confidence in my line of work, as I become more open minded to the rationality of my work and learn from different country experiences. One of my fears coming into this was that the online nature of the programme would feel impersonal and distant. The eagerness with which the faculty staff welcome feedback, questions, queries and complaints has created a very open line of communication which is so important in a distance learning programme and has helped alleviate this fear.

My experience with the online MSc in Global Central Banking & Financial Regulation is far from over, as I have four more modules and a dissertation to complete before I attain my MSc, but so far it’s been worth writing about.

Find out more about the MSc in Global Central Banking & Financial Regulation.