Accounting and Finance with Integrated Foundation Year

Developed in collaboration with employers, our BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance with Integrated Foundation Year degree responds directly to the growing demand for qualified accountants and finance professionals across Cumbria, the North West, and beyond. You’ll gain practical, career-ready experience alongside a strong academic foundation, helping you stand out in a competitive global market.  

Your journey begins with an introductory foundation year, designed to develop your skills, confidence, and core knowledge in a supportive environment. This year helps you build strong academic foundations, ensuring you’re fully prepared to progress smoothly into the undergraduate degree.

Our course offers a flexible learning pathway with two study routes. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)-aligned route enables you to complete formal ACCA-style examinations, supporting your progression towards professional qualification. The non-ACCA route provides alternative assessments if you’re seeking broader business-focused career opportunities. 

You’ll study a balanced portfolio covering financial and management accounting, law, auditing, taxation, and strategic finance, giving you a comprehensive understanding of how organisations operate and make financial decisions. Alongside these technical areas, you’ll build digital accounting capability using leading software such as Xero, Sage, and QuickBooks, and access live company data through databases such as Orbis to support financial analysis and decision-making.  

The course integrates employer-led projects, mentoring, and compulsory industry placements developed with regional firms—ensuring you graduate workplace-ready, digitally competent, and prepared for professional progression.

Module Examples

• Business Environment

• Finance Management and Corporate Governance

• Financial Management and Performance Management

• Financial Reporting and Taxation

• Economics, Governance, and Sustainable Futures

• Personal and Professional Skills Development

• Principles of Marketing

• Personal and Professional Development

• Business Analytics and Visualisation with Artificial intelligence

https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/study/courses/undergraduate/bsc-accounting-and-finance-ify/

Assessment methods may include set exercises, time-constrained assessments and exams, reports, case study analysis, portfolios, presentations, and practical tasks using digital tools. Formative activities are built into modules to enable you to practise key skills (for example, financial analysis, academic writing, data handling, and presentation) and receive feedback before final submission.