Accounting and Finance MSc

Course modules

This is how the programme will look:

Contemporary Issues in International Financial Reporting

This module introduces the learner to broader and deeper understanding of the contemporary and important issues concerning international financial reporting regime. It discusses the increasing role of international financial reporting regulation, the politics thereof and the critical debates in different jurisdictions. As such, this module allows students to deliberate upon the important developments in international financial reporting from a historical, social, political and professional standpoint. It critically evaluates the implications which financial reporting has on businesses and societies. A further focus is on the increasing trend and importance of non-financial reporting areas such as sustainability accounting and corporate social responsibility of businesses.

An Evaluation of Management Accounting 

This module examines the application of management accounting within a coherent theoretical framework. You will analyse the fundamentals of costing within a multi-product business environment and contextualise the same through the use of case studies. Control, evaluation and performance measurement techniques will also be critiqued. During this module you will make use of contemporary research literature in the field of management accounting. The module will make use of contemporary research literature in the field of management accounting to examine the role of the management accountant and the application of management accounting techniques in practice

Applied Corporate Finance

This module provides students with a broad understanding of the ways that capital is raised to create, grow and restructure firms. The aim of the module is to guide students on the techniques used to appraise and report on investment and financing decisions. You will be shown how corporate finance decisions impact the value of the firm and impact shareholders and other stakeholders. Case Studies will be used to illustrate the impact of various corporate decisions.

Research Methods

This module provides students with a broad understanding of business and academic research methods. It is designed to help students prepare for a Dissertation or Business Research Project. Students will be guided on the selection and planning a suitable research project, the module will review research design, paradigms and ethics, including the broader ethical impact of research. The module covers a wide range of qualitative methods for data collection and analysis, including interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, observations and content analysis. Students will be guided on the financial and secondary datasets available at DMU. The module covers a subset of quantitative techniques to guide students on the use Excel and or R, including descriptive statistics, confidence intervals, one and two-sample tests, ANOVA, chi-squared test, selected non-parametric tests, and regression. The module concludes with an overview of mixed methods, and the visualisation and presentation of research results.

Portfolio Management

Taught from the portfolio manager’s perspective, issues in price formation for all the major asset classes will be explored. Markets will be investigated with particular attention to the fundamental and non-fundamental components of securities pricing. To this end you will examine the standard valuation methods in addition to concepts arising from the behavioural finance literature. Optimal portfolio allocation will also feature. The overriding objective of the module is to provide a framework for well-placed investment decisions and to become familiar with the various investment strategies, providing a knowledge base for those wishing to pursue professional qualifications in this field.

Applied Trading

This module provides students with a broad understanding of the skills needed to turn clients' investment objectives into trading strategies. It is designed to help students prepare for roles in investment firms, regulators, and clients.  

Students will be guided on the links between finance theory and trading. Students will be given a simulated portfolio to manage on behalf of a client. During the module, students will report to, and make trading recommendations on behalf of, their client. These reports and recommendations will be in response to real-time daily news, and in response to changes in the client's investment objectives.  

Students will need to apply their knowledge of finance theory, and portfolio management, in this changing situation. The module emulates many aspects of a trading floor. Students will learn how to analyse the impact of trading strategies on risk and return. Students will gain an understanding of hedging.

Each student will be assigned a sector, or situation, to follow using the news feeds in Bloomberg and Refinitiv. Students will be required to analyse the impact of proposed changes in trading strategies. Students will learn how to write Excel macros, and how to perform financial calculations to report back to the client.

Business Analytics
This module integrates accounting and financial theory with the science and art of discovering and analysing patterns, identifying anomalies, and extracting other useful information in financial and economic datasets. This module takes a practical approach to prepare you to analyse and get a grasp of the most required data structuring, modelling and visualization techniques by employers. You will gain business insights for decision making by participating in business analytics simulations and you will be able to present dynamic reports to a diverse audience.

Governance and Social responsibility

The module offers an understanding of corporate governance and social responsibility. The aim is to analyse the effects of corporate governance and social responsibility and to consider the role key stakeholders such as institutional investors play in corporate governance. You will review academic journals and make recommendations with regard to factors that influence corporate governance and social responsibility.

Behavioural Finance

The module will provide you with an understanding of behavioural finance theories. We will examine the impact on stock markets of credit conditions, behaviour (biases and heuristics), institutions, and culture. You will be shown how to use behavioural finance theories to explain financial crises and stock market bubbles. The module reviews the evidence for and against market efficiency, momentum, reversal, over-reaction, and under-reaction. You will be encouraged to think critically about the implications of behavioural finance theories for financial and regulatory decision-making.

Dissertation

You must also undertake a dissertation, providing an invaluable opportunity to work in depth on a particular aspect of accounting and/or finance (in its broadest sense) and to apply and enhance your technical knowledge and critical awareness in a subject of your choice.

Business Research Project

The Business Research Project (BRP) is an individual consultancy project that serves as a commercially and employability-relevant experience, and is an alternative to the dissertation. It requires you to compile a 10,000 word report that acts as a solution to a business research challenge. The assessment is in two phases; A. Situational brief, to ensure that you fully understand the project requirement (in a similar way that a marketing consultancy would send a proposal), and B. Main report, which includes details of the research / analysis / recommendations. Each project is summarised on a BRP brief, a one-page document that gives a succinct description of the organisation, the overall project, the specific skills you have developed, and the expected outcomes

Teaching and assessment

Modules include formal lectures, tutorials, workshops and interactive sessions.

Teaching contact hours

This is a full-time course so you should be prepared to devote approximately 38 hours a week to your studies. You will typically have up to 8 synchronous hours of teaching most weeks for semester 1 and 2. Teaching is through a mix of lecturers, tutorials, seminars and lab sessions and the breakdown of these activities is shown in each module description.

In addition each module provides a 2 hour surgery each week available for individual consultation with the lecturer. You may also have some scheduled meetings with your programme leader, personal tutor, and/or careers throughout the year to discuss your academic progress and personal development.

Self-directed study: In order to prepare for, and assimilate, the work in lectures and seminars you will be expected to make regular use of our on-line resources, participate in classroom discussions including on our virtual learning environment (VLE) and engage in personal study, revision and reflection for approximately 24 hours per work during semester 1 and 2.

In semester 3, you will undertake independent research for your dissertation (or In-company project), and again should typically allow around 38 hours per week for this. You will be allocated a dedicated academic supervisor to support you, who you will be able to contact on a regular basis.

Accreditation

This programme qualifies successful students for the CIMA Masters Gateway accelerated entry route.