For many students, the rewards and prestige offered by a career in money management make it an attractive path to pursue. A degree in Accounting & Finance is a major step towards achieving that goal. It is a popular choice with students who want to move directly into a career in accountancy as well as those who recognise the value of an accounting degree in a wider business management context.

The Accounting & Finance programme provides comprehensive education in the quantitative, computational and analytical skills required in the business world. Students learn about the role and operation of accounting in a range of contexts, informed by current thinking and research in the discipline. The course also offers exceptional exemptions from professional bodies' examinations and is a major stepping-stone towards an ACCA or CIMA qualification.

As the course progresses, the emphasis shifts from foundation knowledge to in-depth study of particular areas of the major accounting, business and finance disciplines. There is also greater emphasis on independent work and on the development of a critical and analytical approach to the subject matter, which gives students the confidence to critically evaluate information, ideas and opinions.

Structure and Content

Year 1

Six mandatory subjects provide foundation knowledge in core business and accounting disciplines

Year 2

Four core subjects further develop student knowledge in the key accounting, finance and information disciplines. One further option subject gives students the choice of adding law to their studies or, alternatively, extending their knowledge of general management.

Year 3

At final year, four core financial subjects allow students to learn about, and critically examine, current practice and developments in specialist financial fields. Students choose one further subject that allows them either to further extend their specialist finance knowledge or to round it off with advanced study of general business strategy and management.

Transfer Students

Career Opportunities

Graduates from this programme often use it as a fast track to professional accountancy qualifications, availing of their entitlement to exceptional exemptions from ACCA, CIMA, etc. Those graduates who enter employment immediately usually find well-paid jobs very quickly. Former students from this programme are employed worldwide in a range of business, accounting and finance positions. They work in tax, audit and general accounting firms as well as multinational blue-chip companies and small and medium-sized enterprises across a range of industry sectors.

Teaching & Assessment

The BA (Hons) in Accounting & Finance is taught mainly through lectures and tutorials, with students taking responsibility for a significant amount of study outside scheduled class contact times. Assessed work may consist of a practical accounting solution, a report (perhaps based on a case study), a spreadsheet model, an essay, or a piece of extended research. The majority of subjects are assessed through a combination of coursework and examination.

Programme Content