Accounting and Finance BA (Hons)

Year 1

• Financial Accounting
• Global Financial Issues
• Introduction to Law
• Management Accounting
• Professional Communications
• Quantitative Methods

Year 2

• Company Law
• Decision Management
• Financial Reporting
• Management and Strategy

Plus option modules from the following indicative list:

• Business Taxation*
• Corporate Finance*
• Organisation Management**
• Accounting Standards and Theory
• Ethics for Professionals
• Business Intelligence using Excel

Year 3

• Advanced Decision Management
• Advanced Financial Reporting
• Audit and Assurance

Plus option modules from the following indicative list:

• Advanced Corporate Finance*
• Advanced Corporate Taxation*
• Forensic Accounting
• Governance and Sustainability
• International Business Taxation
• International Developments in Accounting
• Investment and Portfolio Management
• Liquidity and Financial Risk Management
• Managerial Development and Control
• Public Sector Accounting and Finance

* ACCA exemption module
** CIMA exemption module

Overview

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. Tutorials, seminars and workshops are less formal and students will be expected to contribute to the session. Lectures are formal teaching periods that provide key content and assessment material. Group work helps to embed employability skills and it provides an opportunity to learn from each other. Blackboard is used as a virtual learning environment to support study. Each module will have its own shell and will incorporate material such as; lecture slides, tutorial solutions, assessment material, announcements and pilot examination papers.

Assessment will be through a mix of coursework and examinations. Coursework will include: presentations, academic essays, professional reports, multiple-choice tests, reflective reports and numerical computations. Some assessments will be prepared by students individually and others will be prepared in groups. Assessment is typically weighted as follows in your first year:

• Exam: 42%
• Coursework: 58%

These assessment weightings are indicative only. The exact weighting may vary depending on option modules chosen by students and teaching methods deployed by the academic member of staff each year. Indicative assessment weighting and assessment type per module are shown as part of the module information. Again these are based on the current academic session. 

Contact hours

This is a full-time course and in total you should be prepared to devote approximately 38 hours a week to your studies. In the first year, you will typically have up to 14 contact hours of teaching most weeks. Teaching is through a mix of lectures, tutorials, seminars and lab sessions and the breakdown of these activity types is shown in each module description.

Other: In addition each module provides a two hour surgery each week for individual consultation with the lecturer. You will also have timetabled meetings with your personal tutor and careers and/or subject meetings scheduled throughout the year.

Self-directed study: In order to prepare for, and assimilate, the work in lectures and seminars you will be expected to use our on-line resources, participate in flipped or virtual classroom discussions on our virtual learning environment (VLE) and engage in personal study and revision for approximately 25 hours per week.

Subsequent years follow a similar pattern, however, the contact time will vary depending on your subject mix and options chosen, and the teaching methods appropriate to the module. Further details are contained in each module description.

Accreditations

You can qualify for exemptions and potentially gain a professional qualification at an accelerated rate from the following bodies:

• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
• The Institute of Financial Accountants (IFA)
• The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA)
• The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)
• The Association of International Accountants (AIA)
• The Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT)
• The Certified Practicing Accountants Australia (CPA)

The professional accounting bodies award exemptions in line with a student’s prior learning to provide the quickest possible route to qualification.  A student with exemptions gains from an employability perspective. Such students are a good option to a prospective employer as the employer will not have to cover the costs of the professional examinations or provide study leave, which may disrupt the work schedule.

The number of exemptions awarded will be dependent on the programme and modules selected.