Accounting and Finance (with Professional Practice Year)

The business world requires accounting and finance professionals capable of making informed, strategic choices that empower businesses in a competitive market. This course equips you with the skills to make such decisions across a range of business environments. You gain the understanding and skills to record, interpret and communicate financial information, applying the latest International Financial Reporting standards. In a simulated business environment, you explore aspects of business practice, from regulatory and risk management to the operation and vulnerabilities of financial markets.

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).

We also have links with finance and accounting's 'big four' - Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, PwC and Deloitte.

Your student experience

Completing relevant, accredited course make you eligible for exemptions from 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.

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 state-of-the-art 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, 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.

Acquire transferable, professional skills in communication, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership.

Our annual conference gives you the opportunity to learn from professionals and explore the latest industry thinking.

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; and a range of national charities.

Course Modules

Year 1 
Introduction to accounting and finance – Learn principles for accounting and finance record keeping in organisations. Introduction to economics and finance – Explore micro-economics, macro-economics and development of market models. 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 and to inform policy and business decisions. Professional development and employability – Develop key employability skills like efficient communication, effective networking and successful teamwork. Corporate governance and ethics – Explore how effective corporate governance and ethical approaches can improve corporate performance.

You can also choose from two optional modules:

• Taxation (UK)

• Financial theory and practice

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. Business project – Complete a practical project in accounting, finance and economics using a range of analytical and technical skills.

Every effort is made to ensure this information is accurate at the point of publication on the UCAS website. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to our website.

The assessment strategy on this course is bounded to a large degree by PSRB requirements thus unseen tests and examinations dominate the types of assessment employed on the course. However their format and type vary from online objective tests to written multi-task examinations. Compulsory and objective questions will be used to encourage you to study across the breadth of the syllabus whereas the multi-task questions will assess your ability to simultaneously assimilate a wide range of information apply and justify your choice of several ideas and concepts to make informed decisions or recommendations.

Accounting and finance is not only about numbers and the manipulation of numbers rather it is a systematic way of preparing reporting presenting and analysing financial data to inform business or investment decisions. You will develop a number of transferable skills including the ability to present your findings both verbally and in writing in a professional clear and concise manner. Written reports are designed in a way that promotes critical thinking as you move up the stages of the course; from knowledge comprehension and simple explanations in the early stages to application analysis appraisal and synthesis as you get closer to graduation. In your final capstone (specialist project) unit you will be required to produce an individual and independent piece of work which will place demands on your academic judgement and integrity whilst being the most challenging but yet enjoyable and rewarding experience you will encounter.