Durham University Business School Revamps Islamic Finance Programme To Put Sustainable Development, Fintech and Social Governance At Its Heart

Durham University Business School has adapted its MSc Islamic Finance programme, enhancing its focus on sustainable development, climate risk and fintech in the curriculum from September 2025, alongside a more concentrated emphasis on social governance and resource accessibility.

The programme, which has been running at the School since 2009 is well-established as a leader in its field. The adaptations to the curriculum will enable students to continue honing the fundamental specialist skills necessary to work in the Islamic Finance sector, as well as building the increasingly critical socio-economic knowledge needed to conduct ethical screening and enhance their decision-making, which are also critical skills to work in the finance sector at large.

The revamp, according to programme director Professor Mehmet Asutay, will enable the School to continue future-proofing students to not only navigate a rapidly evolving sector but also prepare them to lead it.

“We aim to remain on the frontline,” says Professor Asutay. “Islamic Finance is a dynamic field which, like other areas of finance, is facing the need to adapt to market evolutions and respond to the emerging global issues.”

To accomplish this, part of the programme’s revamp includes an increased focus on social issues. Islamic Social Financing will be explored through the curriculum in relation to global crises in different spheres and the support mechanism and instruments Islamic Finance can offer.

Other global priorities, such as sustainable development and climate risk, will also be addressed through an Islamic Finance lens, as well as exploring fintech, and how this relates on a social level – considering accessibility and financial inclusion.

Students joining the programme will be able to tailor their education by taking elective modules alongside the core curriculum. Modules in Islamic Political Economy, Islamic Law and Financial Transactions, Islamic Banking and Finance, and Financial Management can be complimented by modules in in Islamic Capital Markets, Risk Management Issues in Islamic Finance, Climate Finance, Private Equity and Wealth Management, among others.

An international study tour is also offered as a study option, with students set to travel to the leading European financial centres.

Students will also be supported in their learning with free access to the world renowned Durham Islamic Finance Summer School (DIFSS), with training provided by faculty as well as renowned industry experts. The programme provides students with an enhanced opportunity to extend their knowledge and build stronger connections with both industry leaders and with participants joining from Islamic Finance related sectors, including Islamic banks and financial institutions, regulatory and standards-setting bodies and public bureaucracy.

DIFSS is a flagship programme of the Durham Centre for Islamic Economics and Finance, which has trained over a thousand professionals and researchers from all over the world since 2006.

“Attending the Summer School puts our students in the kitchen of the industry,” says Professor Asutay. “They are joined by fellow attendees from the sector and get to learn from their experiences as well as the industry-leading guest lecturers and speakers. Students come away having tapped into future-focused ideas and with a global level of exposure to the industry.”

Applications to join 2025’s cohort are now open, and will be accepted until the end of August 2025.

Whilst the programme is open for new or recent graduates, those who already have some practical experience in the field of finance and wish to build their skills are also welcome to apply and those who would like to move to the Islamic Finance industry.

Further information on curriculum, eligibility, financing and details on how to apply can be found on the Durham University Business School website.

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