Accounting and Economics BA (Hons)

Explore the nature, role and processes of accounting and examine how political choices, issues and ideas shape our lives.

Entry Criteria
Structure and assessment
Facilities and features
Opportunities and careers
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Overview

Are you interested in a rewarding and professional career? This accredited course offers the ideal platform for students to develop theoretical and practical skills valued by employers. Our close links with professional accounting bodies provide you with the opportunity to gain exemptions from some professional exams, allowing you to complete them at a faster pace and giving you a head start in the graduate jobs market.

You will study accounting modules which will give you a solid grounding in key business concepts, ideas and methodologies. The Economics modules will teach you how to analyse and measure real economic issues based on your knowledge of economic theory.

In your second and third years you can choose from a range of optional modules to tailor your learning to your interests and career ambitions.

Key features

You will have the opportunity to gain exemptions from the professional accounting body exams with the ICAEW, subject to optional module choices and any module specific criteria.
Gain access to our The Trading Room, which gives you access to industry-standard software to analyse share prices and company performance.
Placements opportunities with local, national and global companies. Previous students have landed roles with the Government Economic Service, the Department for International Trade and the NHS.
Our graduates are employed by leading brands, with recent successes including PwC, Lloyds Banking Group, IBM, KPMG and Barclays.
Enjoy an international experience through our DMU Global scheme. Previous study-enhancing trips have included New York, where students visited Wall Street and the Bloomberg headquarters, Copenhagen, Berlin, San Diego and Toronto.

Scholarships

DMU offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and bursaries to help you realise your academic ambitions.

International student scholarships

Find out about available international scholarships or visit our fees and funding page for more information.

UK
EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: NL41

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with a placement.

Fees and funding:

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Find out more about additional costs and optional extras associated with this course.

How to apply

Submit a study-related enquiry

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: NL41

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with a placement.

Fees and funding:

2024/25 tuition fees for international students: £15,750.

Find out more about available funding for international students.

Find out more about additional costs and optional extras associated with this course.

How to apply

Application guidance document

Submit a study-related enquiry

Entry criteria

Entry criteria

A typical offer is 112 UCAS points. You need to study at least two subjects at A Level or equivalent (eg BTEC)
Five GCSEs at grades A–C including English Language and Maths
Pass Access with 30 Level 3 credits at Merit (or equivalent)

English (Language or Literature) and Maths GCSE required as separate qualifications at grade C

We will normally require students to have had a break from full time education before undertaking the Access course
International Baccalaureate: 26+ Points

Mature students

We welcome applications from mature students with non-standard qualifications and recognise all other equivalent and international qualifications.

English language

If English is not your first language, an IELTS core of 6.0 (including a minimum of 5.5 in each component) or equivalent is normally required.

UCAS tariff information

Students applying for courses starting in September will be made offers based on the latest UCAS Tariff.

Contextual offer

To make sure you get fair and equal access to higher education, when looking at your application, we consider more than just your grades. So if you are eligible, you may receive a contextual offer. Find our more about contextual offers.

Structure and assessment

Year 1

Introduction to Accounting
Introduction to Law
Introduction to Macroeconomics
Introduction to Microeconomics
Quantitative Methods

Year 2

Intermediate Macroeconomics
Intermediate Microeconomics
Performance Measurement in Organisations

Plus option modules from the following indicative list:

Accounting

Business Intelligence Using Excel
Business Taxation
Corporate Finance
Global Issues in Strategic Financial Planning*

Economics

Business Research and Analysis
European Economics Issues
Economics of Financial Markets
New Directions in Economics

Year 3

Open Economy Macroeconomics OR Developments in Advanced Microeconomics

Plus option modules from the following indicative list:

Economics

Economics Development

Developments in Advanced Microeconomics
Economics Dissertation
Financial Markets and the Central Bank
International Trade
Open Economy Macroeconomics
Behavioural Economics

Accounting

Accounting Project
Advanced Corporate Finance
Advanced Taxation
Audit and Assurance
Forensic Accounting
Governance and Sustainability
International Developments in Accounting
Public Sector Accounting and Finance

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

*Please note that the module option ‘Global Issues in Strategic Financial Planning’ is not currently available for the academic year 2020/21 due to issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teaching and assessment

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (presentations, essays and reports) and usually an exam or test, which is typically weighted as follows in your first year:

Exam: 52%
Coursework: 48%

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.

Teaching contact hours

This is a full-time course. Each module is worth 30 credits. It is expected that student will spend a total of 300 hours of study for each module. You should be prepared to devote approximately 10 contact hours a week to your studies and additional independent hours of study in order to succeed. 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.

Accreditations

Leicester Castle Business School is accredited by the professional accountancy bodies Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

This Joint Honours option allows graduates to gain certain exemptions from professional accounting body exams (ACCA/CIMA/ICAEW). However, if you wish to maximize your entitlement to professional body exemptions, you should consider studying our Accounting and Finance BA (Hons) course.

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

Facilities and features

Hugh Aston Building

You will be taught in our purpose-built Hugh Aston Building equipped with lecture theatres and classrooms, break-out spaces for group work, quiet study zones for individual work, and high-spec IT labs installed with professional software.

You’ll also have access to the building’s new £5.5 million extension called The Yard, which provides more than 22,000 square metres of extra space. This is designed to facilitate your learning experience with large and airy breakout spaces, a new Student Advice Centre, and a balcony on the top floor. The Yard also features more comfortable classrooms and self-study spaces, allowing you to carry out independent study as well as group work.

Students benefit from The Trading Floor, which can provide simulation of what it is like to work in the financial industry in roles such as trading, portfolio management, investment banking, corporate finance and financial or economic analysis.

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available.

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose.

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub.

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Opportunities and careers

Placements

During this course you will have the option to complete a paid placement year, an invaluable opportunity to put the skills developed during your degree into practice. This insight into the professional world will build on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you to progress onto your chosen career.

Our careers programme DMU Works can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement.

Previous students have taken up placements in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, including some international posts, with leading companies such as The Government Economic Service, Rolls Royce, Ernst & Young, IBM, Lloyds Banking Group, Volkswagen Financial Services and the NHS.

Accounting student Luke did a placement at EY, one of London’s top four audit firms. They were so impressed, they offered him a graduate role after completing his degree.

DMU Global

Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich studies, broaden cultural horizons and develop key skills valued by employers.

Through DMU Global, we offer an exciting mix of overseas, on-campus and online international experiences, including the opportunity to study or work abroad for up to a year.

Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK-based activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

Accounting and Economics students have recently visited the financial district of New York where they learned about financial institutions and went on an exclusive tour of the Bloomberg headquarters.

Graduate careers

A degree in Accounting and Economics develops skills that are in high demand in areas such as business, finance and the civil service.

This programme allows students to tailor their modules to areas of interest and career ambition,allowing you to specialise in a discipline that you enjoyed studying on the programme.

Recent graduates have progressed to careers in positions including commercial finance analyst at Red Bull, auditor at KPMG, cost technician at PepsiCo, tax processor at Grant Thornton and financial criminal analyst at Barclays.

Accounting and Economics BA (Hons)