Accounting (With Professional Practice Year)

This accredited course provides a direct route to a professional qualification in accounting, opening the way to a range of rewarding careers. It offers a comprehensive knowledge of the main ideas and principles of accounting and finance as well as the skills to apply your knowledge. Using the latest technology, you study business practice and the business environment in which accountants operate before proceeding to corporate law; data analysis; and the advanced study of management accounting, taxation and auditing.

Professional Practice Year
Take your course over four years and include a Professional Practice Year after your second year of studies. It is an opportunity to apply your learning in the workplace while enhancing your knowledge and skills through fee-free paid practice. It also builds your CV and industry contacts with many students progressing to employment within their practice-year organisation or institution.

Course accreditation

This course is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA); Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT); The Association of International Accountants (AIA); and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

Completing relevant accredited course units makes you eligible for exemptions in ACCA, AAT, AIA and CIMA examinations.

Facilities and specialist equipment

• New business analytics suite to support data analytics, 'big-data', data mining, SEO and other management skills needed in today's workplace.

• A well-equipped London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) trading room to enhance your financial skills.

• Access to industry-standard applications and platforms to aid practical learning including Sage (via Sage Cloud), LSEG data platform and econometrics software STATA.

• Gain competencies in key digital skills such as Excel through our Microsoft Office training platform.

Career-powered links

Our students benefit from our collaboration with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

Your student experience
Completing relevant, accredited course units make you eligible for the maximum ACCA exemptions available at undergraduate level; seven out of 15 of the CIMA exams ; AIA’s Professional level 1 paper; full exemption from AAT L4.

Benefit from our connections with top finance and accounting firms, including Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, PwC, and Deloitte, along with professional bodies like the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

Our links with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) opens up opportunities to attend their networking events; representatives also visit the University as conference speakers.

With our LSEG trading room, experience what it’s like to be on the trading-room floor, reacting to live ‘stock-market’ data and building investment portfolios using data on listed companies from around the world.

Learn from masterclasses from industry experts and guest speakers, benefitting from their experience and keeping at the leading edge in the accounting and finance field.

Enhance your student experience with field trips to major financial institutions such as the Bank of England, London Stock Exchange and Lloyd's of London as well as industry networking events.

Learn from professionals and explore the latest industry thinking at our annual conference.

Working with the University’s Research and Innovation Service (RIS), get involved in solving real-life problems for businesses, from start-ups to established corporations, through our business development packages.

Companies that have benefited from our business development packages include Vauxhall; Drax Technology; the Royal Air Force; Luton and Bedford Borough Councils; a range of small businesses; and national charities.

Course modules

Year 1
Introduction to accounting and business technology – Learn accounting principles and apply financial reporting skills using tools like SAGE and Excel. Introduction to economics and finance – Explore micro-economics, macro-economics and key finance principles. Applied numeracy for business – Develop key numeracy skills vital to ensuring success for your future employability. Beginning your professional business journey – Take on business challenges and collaborate with peers in a professional environment.

Year 2
Management accounting – Identify key factors, perform complex analyses, and deliver ACCA-informed solutions. Data analysis for finance and economics – Use relevant software to analyse data and economic relationships to inform policy and business decisions. Taxation (UK) – Master UK tax rules for traders, partners and companies. Professional development and employability – Attend weekly workshops to learn future-proofed employability skills. Corporate and business law – Develop knowledge of corporate law and its legal context. Data and research methods for business – Learn research methods that will support you in sourcing and evaluating research into business issues.

Year 3
Financial management – Gain skills to maximise shareholder wealth through efficient resource allocation. Financial reporting – Learn to examine financial reporting through European and international standards. Audit and assurance – Employ International Standards on Auditing (ISA) to report on audit engagements. Independent project in Accounting – Demonstrate independent learning in group tasks and joint presentations under supervision, leading to your final project.

We make every effort to ensure the information here is accurate; however, for the most up-to-date information, visit our website.