Accounting and Finance

Accounting and Finance

Accounting and finance underpin every business decision and drive progress across global industries. If you want a career that blends analytical rigour with real-world impact, this course is your gateway to opportunity.

You’ll explore how money flows through markets, how businesses stay accountable, and how ethical finance can transform lives and societies. From the rise of FinTech to the regulation of global economies, you’ll dive into the issues that matter today and tomorrow.

Our BSc Accounting and Finance degree is more than just numbers. It’s about influencing big decisions, understanding global trends, and building a career where your insights count.

At KBS, you’ll learn from expert academics and financial professionals, apply your knowledge to real data, and graduate with the skills, confidence and professional credentials to thrive in an evolving global landscape. Whether your goal is to lead in the boardroom or advise on the future of finance, your journey starts here.

Year in Industry

Taking a year in industry in the UK or abroad is the perfect way to put into practice the skills you’ve learnt, and build important industry connections.

Year Abroad

Expand your horizons and tailor your degree to suit you with a year abroad, where you'll study at one of our partner institutions for a year. Studying abroad helps you grow in confidence and enhances your employability. You'll make friends in the country you're studying in and meet other adventurous students from around the world.

Foundation Year

A course with a Foundation Year provides a pathway into degree-level study for students from a wide range of educational backgrounds and qualifications. It is the perfect option if you have school-leaving qualifications below the level required for direct entry onto a degree programme. It offers one year of full-time study prior to the start of your BSc course.

Year 0 (Foundation)

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Academic Skills Development

Unlock your potential and gain the essential skills for academic success at university. You’ll develop effective study habits, learn to manage your time, and gain strategies for independent learning. You’ll conduct academic research, by learning to find, evaluate, and use academic sources, while avoiding plagiarism. Your writing skills will be developed through extended writing activities, referencing, proofreading, and editing. You’ll also improve your communication skills by learning how to structure a presentation and use visual aids. You’ll develop your critical thinking through analysis, evaluation, and argumentation. By the end of this module, you’ll be building towards working at Level 4.

Business Decision Making

How do businesses operate today? What are their key functions and how are they organised? Most importantly, what do managers need to know in order to make sound decisions?

You’ll develop a broad understanding of essential business management and accounting models, exploring theories that are integral to how businesses work. By looking at fundamental business strategies and different tools of analysis – like break-even calculations, ratio analysis, capital appraisal models, and decision trees – you’ll develop your understanding of the basics of business and start building up your skills in Excel.

Analysing Global Dynamics with Data

Throughout the course, students actively engage in discussions and practical applications, preparing them to confront complex global economic challenges armed with a data-driven approach. By the end of the course, students emerge equipped with the necessary skills to analyse economic data effectively and contribute meaningfully to informed decision-making in the global economic landscape.

Global Business Environment

What knowledge and skills you need to succeed in a globalised economy? You'll learn about the key drivers of the global economy, the global sustainability, social, cultural, economic, international trade, investment and political environments, and how to identify and mitigate the risks associated with operating in unpredictable environment.

You'll gain important insights into the social, political, economic and technological issues related to business that are essential to pursuing a career in multinational corporations and understanding the world around you. Your understanding of the global business world will help you develop analytical skills to turn data into valuable information for business decisions and position yourself for success in international business.

Foundation Project: Research and Reflection

Dive into a project that sparks your curiosity and hones your academic skills, as you choose a topic you’re passionate about and transform your research into a compelling essay. This module allows you to develop and apply the learning from your Autumn term module ‘Academic Skills Development’.  You will improve your research and writing skills further and refine your use of sources. While you conduct your reading and research, you’ll engage in reflective practices improving your ability to assess and evaluate your learning using various reflective models.  Independence and time management are key skills you’ll develop as you navigate this module.  To maximise your experience, you are expected to prepare and actively participate in our regular tutorials.  These are designed to provide invaluable opportunities to seek guidance and develop your project.

For full details of module content, please see website for details.

Year 1

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Financial Accounting

Given the constant changes in business environments, how can financial accounting help managers create budgets, improve efficiency and develop short- and long-term strategies to stay competitive?

Quantitative Skills for Accounting and Finance

With the increasing complexity of financial securities and investment strategies in the financial market, quantitative skills are essential for people working in the Big Four accounting firms, global banks and hedge funds.

Business Economics

Business Economics explores the constantly evolving economic world within which actuaries work, providing context and developing economic insights that can inform real-world business decisions.

Professional Ethics in Accounting and Finance

Practitioners in accounting and finance fields currently face many challenges around environmental, social, and governance (ESG) decisions. Ethical conduct is essential to maintaining the integrity of financial information, promoting investors' confidence and upholding the standards of the profession.

Management Accounting

Management accounts act as a constant for businesses in a dynamic and rapidly changing environment, making them crucial for success and valuable to organisations. You'll apply management accounting tools and techniques to assist managers in making profit planning decisions, controlling company performance, and evaluating long-term investments to grow.

For full details of module content, please see website for details.

Year 2

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Principles of Finance

Finance is at the centre of everyone's decisions. In a world of tricky economic conditions and volatile financial markets, how can companies and investors apply the main principles of finance when undertaking investment and funding decisions?

Financial Reporting

Almost all listed companies in the European Union and the United Kingdom have to prepare financial statements that comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). With a thorough understanding of how financial statements are prepared under IFRSs, managers of mid-sized companies will have the skills needed to identify trends and potential threats, and actively track their financial performance in real-time.

Strategic Management

Strategic management helps guide the smallest start-ups through turbulent markets, empowering them to navigate complexities and innovate. It can also steer the largest corporations towards sustainable success by optimising resources, envisioning the future, and charting a course towards growth and sustainable global impact.

Intermediate Management Accounting

Management accountants are the strategic business partners who can help companies thrive and succeed. How do they do so, and with what tools?

Corporate Finance

Corporate finance is concerned with the way companies can efficiently manage financial resources. Managers are concerned about provision of resources (capital funding decisions) and allocation of scarce resources (investment decisions). What factors do they consider when deciding how to fund their operations and where to invest?

Business Law

What are the legal responsibilities of businesses and individuals towards customers, suppliers, the environment, the workforce, and the public? This module covers key aspects of contract, negligence, company, and employment law. It looks at the formation, control, and performance of legally compliant contracts, organisational structures, employee treatment, and duty of care.

For full details of module content, please see website for details.

Year 3

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

Advanced Financial Accounting

Many large companies operate as groups and are required to prepare consolidated financial statements.

Investments and Portfolio Management

In an ever-changing financial world offering a wide variety of investment opportunities, investors and portfolio managers face the challenging task of identifying securities and allocating assets optimally to earn risk-adjusted returns.

Optional modules may include the following:

Risk Management

Effectively assessing and managing risk is essential for corporate survival and growth. The risk management module provides a comprehensive overview of effective oversight and value generation principles, focusing on financial risk dynamics.

Data Intelligence and Predictive Analytics

In today's business context there is a wealth of data available. Many businesses currently struggle to transform that data into useable information that they can use to make meaningful decisions.

Sustainable Finance and Reporting

More businesses are incorporating sustainability as a core corporate strategy. Sustainability issues are becoming increasingly important to customers and investors. Navigate through ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) regulation and industry initiatives which are designed to improve transparency and accountability, encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices and protect investors from greenwashing.

Taxation

For centuries taxation has been an important fact of national life. Without tax it would be impossible to pay for the country's defence services, its health, welfare and social services, its schools and universities and its transport systems. In addition, taxation is a means for government to influence our everyday activities.

Advanced Management Accounting

Gain the knowledge and skills required for meeting the strategic needs of businesses in the digital age.

Research Project in Accounting and Finance

Apply your learning, experience, skills and curiosity to varied contemporary accounting and finance issues.

Assurance and Auditing

Auditing of companies' financial accounts help increase transparency as it assures stakeholders and potential investors that companies' accounts are reliable, unbiased, and faithful representations of companies' financial performance.

Fintech

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the rapidly evolving financial technology landscape. Topics may include but are not limited to: decentralized finance, disruptors in the industry, blockchain, cryptocurrencies and cybersecurity.

Decision Analysis

Making decisions is crucial for managers and businesses, as they shape our lives and impact outcomes at work. However, making smart decisions in the face of complexity and uncertainty can be challenging. How can data support our decisions in such uncertain contexts?

For full details of module content, please see website for details.

https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/2027/235/accounting-and-finance

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
• Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales