Finance and Accounting BSc (Hons) / FdSc

This degree course is accredited by the University of Birmingham.

This course is subject to validation and approval.

Overview (NV)

BSc (Hons)

Course length: 3 years full-time / 4 years full-time (including 1 year industry placement)
UCAS code: NN40
Fees (Home/EU): View tuition fees
Fees (International): View tuition fees

FdSc

Course length: 2 years full-time / 3 years full-time (including 1 year industry placement)
UCAS code: NN41
Fees (Home/EU): View tuition fees
Fees (International): View tuition fees

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Overview

Finance and accounting professionals are vital to all functions of a business. This course will enable you to apply your numerical abilities efficiently and open up a wide range of career opportunities. Working in collaboration with professional bodies such as the ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW, the course is designed to ensure you are highly skilled upon completion and that you can apply for exemptions from a range of professional exams in order to become a part or fully certified accountant.

As well as a detailed understanding of financial systems, you will gain insight into other business areas including law, marketing, strategy and leadership.

In today's dynamic digital marketplace, theoretical learning alone will not offer an advantage when competing in the job market. Early immersion into the markets through leading finance platforms will develop your practical and professional skills by exposing you to both live and simulated trading in our purpose built financial trading room. We work closely with our delivery partners including NatWest, Santander, PwC and Grant Thornton and you will be exposed to the latest technology and become familiar with the digital tools used in the industry.

You have the opportunity to complete the Bloomberg Certificate (Bloomberg Market Concept) as part of your course at no additional cost.

You will have the opportunity to go on a 12-month placement in order to validate your learning and to ensure you will gain a distinctive advantage in the finance and accounting graduate job market by developing your work-ready skills.

Students studying the FdSc will have the option of progressing onto the final year of the BSc (Hons).

Why choose this course?

Optional 12-month paid placement - You can undertake a 12-month paid placement to experience the industry first-hand and gain valuable work experience. You will not incur tuition fees during the placement
Specialise your studies - For your final project, you can research a topic that interests you and can be relevant to your interests or intended future employment
Practical application - Opportunity to work on live consultancy cases with local and international clients

Develop your knowledge - You will gain first-hand knowledge of market concepts and behaviours through simulated investing and analysis of market opportunities
Career-boosting skills - The course will provide you with various opportunities to enhance your employability skills to facilitate your career progression
Real-world experience - The course was developed, and will be delivered in partnership, with key industry players and professional bodies

UCB Financial Trading Suite

The new UCB Financial Trading Suite at McIntyre House is one of the largest among all UK universities and will provide practical training opportunities for students on courses at UCB's Business School and other finance-related modules across the University, as well as a professional development facility for industry partners.

Featuring 21 workstations, two large wall screens and a scrolling ticker providing real-time global market information, it is also the first university trading suite in the country to be powered by Infront Professional Terminal, offering unique benefits for staff and students in using and sharing data.

Kick-start scheme

As a new student studying this degree full-time, you will receive £300 per year via our Kick-Start Scheme (eligibility criteria applies). The scheme will support your studies and future career by contributing to course-related materials, uniform or selected items on campus. You might even qualify for an additional £500 per year.

Open days

Our open days are designed to give you as much information as possible about UCB and the areas you are interested in studying. Come along and we may make you an offer on the day.

Accreditations and Endorsements

Teaching & Assessment (NV)

Teaching & assessment

Modules are delivered as a combination of lectures, small group seminars, workshops, one-to-one tutorials, group projects, virtual learning environment (VLE) and self-directed study. Students are expected to participate and contribute to each session. Lectures are formal teaching sessions that provide essential content and assessment material.

Guest lectures are delivered by professionals from the finance and accounting sectors to enhance your learning and experience. Some modules may be delivered in block format by industry practitioners in order to ensure that their expertise is effectively shared.

Assessments are a mixture of exams and coursework including presentations, essays, reports, multiple choice tests and numerical computations. The Bloomberg trading room is integrated within our teaching and assessment strategy to deliver a live learning experience.

Individual study

You will be expected to commit to approximately 20 hours a week of your own study time in preparation for teaching sessions and completing assessments. Canvas, our virtual learning platform, provides 24-hour access to learning and support materials.

Entry Requirements (NV)

Entry requirements

Finance and Accounting BSc (Hons)

A Level: An A level grade profile of CCC

BTEC: A BTEC grade profile of MMM, this can be achieved from either an Extended Diploma or a combination of smaller BTEC qualifications.

Tariff: Other Level 3 qualifications are accepted at UCB for entrance, a minimum of 96 UCAS Tariff points will be required.

Access to Higher Education Diploma: 96 UCAS Tariff points including a minimum of 15 Level 3 credits at Distinction.

GCSEs:

GCSE/IGCSE maths grades A*-C or grade 9-4 or equivalent.

Finance and Accounting FdSc

A Level: An A level grade profile of DC

BTEC: A BTEC grade profile of MPP, this can be achieved from either an Extended Diploma or a combination of smaller BTEC qualifications.

Tariff: Other Level 3 qualifications are accepted at UCB for entrance, a minimum of 56 UCAS Tariff points will be required for entrance.

Access to Higher Education Diploma: 56 UCAS Tariff points

Non-tariff: Non-UCAS Tariff based Level 3 qualifications are also considered for entry please contact admissions@ucb.ac.uk to check your eligibility.

Work-based: We also give equal consideration to applicants who are currently in work and wish to apply to UCB. To apply, you must have a minimum of 3 years’ relevant work experience, demonstrating management or supervisory duties. Your application must also include a reference from your line manager supporting your entry to higher education. For further details please contact Admissions.

GCSEs:

GCSE/IGCSE maths grades A*-C or grade 9-4 or equivalent.

Find out more information on tariff entry requirements for 2019/20 entry.

EU/international students

For entry requirements for EU and international students, please visit the Country Specific Information page.

UCAS Tariff calculator

You can use our calculator below to convert your predicted/achieved grades into UCAS Tariff points.

If your total predicted/achieved points do not meet those outlined above or your qualification(s) do not appear on the UCAS Tariff please contact the admissions directly on 0121 604 1040 or email admissions@ucb.ac.uk

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Modules (NV)

Modules

FdSc students will study modules for years 1 and 2. Upon successful completion FdSc students will have the option of progressing onto the final year.

Year 1

Internal and External Communications

This module will give you understanding of the importance of effective internal and external communications in building sustainable relationships and delivering customer value. It also offers you the opportunity to understand how to harness resources for effective communication solutions to provide value for various stakeholders.

Management Accounting

Developing a high level of skill relating to management accounting procedures and techniques, this module provides you with the understanding of costing fundamentals, marginal costing, contribution theory, cost-volume-profit analysis, break-even analysis, budgetary planning control, standard costing and long term planning and decision making regarding capital appraisal. We cover the methods of payback, accounting rate of return (ARR), net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR).

Business Mathematics

This module will equip you with the skills to simplify complex business problems, with a particular focus on applications in quantitative economic modelling. It covers elementary financial mathematics, real-valued vector and matrix algebra, systems of linear algebraic equations and linear programming, as well as differential and integral calculus of real-valued functions.

Financial Accounting

This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of the methods and techniques used by financial accountants to record and present financial information to relevant stakeholders. It provides an introduction to the skills required to analyse and interpret financial statements effectively and covers the principles of double-entry book-keeping including year-end adjustments. You will learn how to prepare final accounts for sole-traders, partnerships and limited companies.

Foundations of Business Analytics

This module focuses on ensuring the fundamental building blocks of statistical, logical and mathematical reasoning are understood and can be applied in a business context. In a data-driven world, it is essential for graduates to be equipped with analytical skills to optimise the information available within the internal and external environment of a business. The module covers data visualisation, statistical measures, data modelling, decision making, options evaluation, hypothesis testing and regression analysis.

Accounting and Information Systems

In addition to having an understanding of the technical aspects of accounting, a financial business needs to understand how various sources of economic data are collected, processed manually or using computer-based systems and outputs are generated in a form suitable for the needs of a range of internal and external stakeholders. This module is the opportunity to gain practical experience with current accounting software packages.

Year 2

Organisation Management

This module provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts relating to people's behaviour within organisations. It provides an introduction to the integrated study of the key concepts and underlying theories relating to aspects of the behaviour of people within organisations, drawing on the perspectives of the employee, the work group and the organisation itself.

Advanced Business Analytics

Leading on from the foundation module delivered in year 1, the module aims to give you a thorough grasp of modern business analytic tools and their application to business management. The module will cover predictive analytics and data mining, visual analytics, forecasting, model management and monitoring, quality improvement, text Analytics and Analytics for Microsoft Office. The focus of the module is on enhancing your problem formulation and solving skills.

Business Taxation (International Perspective)

This module focuses on taxation from various countries to help you meet the requirements for your ACCA certification. On successful completion of this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge of different forms of business taxation and how they affect both unincorporated and incorporated business. You will also have the ability to critically evaluate the current structure and impact of various business tax systems to recognise best practice and appraise strategies for business tax planning.

Financial Management

This module will introduce you to the key concepts of financial management to prepare you for the more advanced study of finance, encouraging the development of a critical understanding of the main theories and models of financial management. The module provides the opportunity to access, explore and critically discuss data from the Bloomberg resource, as well as information covered by the financial press.

Corporate Finance

This module introduces the legal, procedural, regulatory and practical issues relating to public companies and in particular, the financing of companies from equity and debt finance. It will examine the substantive law and regulatory issues in a practical, commercial context, balancing the legal implications with the actual needs of a corporate client.

Audit and Company Law

Audit and Company Law gives you the opportunity to understand the critical elements of the external audit process and the relevant ethical and regulatory framework in which auditors operate. Using the UK Corporate Governance Code as the appropriate source of regulation, this module will provide an understanding of best practice concerning corporate governance. It discusses the key aspects of company law, including the director's duties and corporate criminal behaviour.

Year 3

Optional Work Placement

Work Placement

Year 4

International Financial Reporting

This module will expose you to critical issues in international financial reporting and financial analysis. It covers the fundamentals required by managers and analysts to understand, interpret and use financial information and help you understand the financial reporting challenges of multinational companies. It will give you the tools and skills to compare and contrast accounting regulatory frameworks around the world to prepare and interpret consolidated financial statements.

Advanced Corporate Taxation

Expanding on Business Taxation (year 2), this module will introduce you to advanced issues related to the effects of public tax policies in investment and financial decision making, advanced topics in capital taxes, the international implications of taxation for groups of companies, tax avoidance, tax havens, double taxation and the use of short-term or long-term tax policies to sustain economic stability.

Advanced Audit and Risk

Expanding on Audit and Company Law (year 2), Advanced Audit and Risk provides a body of knowledge for you to understand the nature and diversity of audit and assurance engagements. This module provides insight into audit and assurance processes and the methodologies and procedures. The environment within which the auditor or assurance practitioner operates, and the respective roles of private and public sector auditors and internal audit, are also discussed.

Finance and Accounting Case (Capstone Project)

Plus, one option from:

Enterprise Reputation Management

This module explores the importance of corporate reputation (and corporate communications), how it affects the organisation’s performance, and how it may be perceived by an often complex group of internal and external stakeholders, including the media. The module discusses how a strong corporate reputation could represent a competitive advantage for a company. You will have the opportunity to understand and effectively manage the corporate reputation of a company.

Leadership and Enterprise Strategy

Leadership and Enterprise Strategy provides an understanding of strategic analysis, strategic decision making and strategic processes within organisations. The module content comprises two complementary components. The first involves the understanding and learning of the main strategic management concepts and theories. The second explores its application in organisations.

International Marketing

This module aims to develop your skills enabling you to apply marketing principles in an international setting. To this end, concepts and analytical frameworks, which can be used in practice, will be presented to you when taking this module. During the module, it is hoped you will develop cultural sensitivity in addition to enhancing your analytical and creative skills, while also developing an appreciation of ethical challenges faced when making international marketing-related decisions.

Please note

The modules listed on the website for this course are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by industry as well as the latest teaching methods. Unless otherwise stated, the modules listed above for this course are for students starting in the academic year 2020/21. On occasion, we may need to make unexpected changes to modules and if this occurs, we will contact all offer holders as soon as possible.

Placements (NV)

Work placement

You will gain valuable work experience on an optional paid 12-month work placement. This is an exciting opportunity to put what you have learned into practice, broaden your experience and demonstrate your abilities to potential employer. You will not incur tuition fees during the 12-month placement.

If you are looking for further work experience opportunities, our highly-experienced hired@UCB staff members have a diverse mix of advisers with experience in a wide variety of areas.

What our employers say

At UCB, we understand the importance of work placements within your studies, and our employer contacts say they give preference to students with qualifications who also have experience within the field.

There are additional opportunities available too, including a recommendation for industry-supported mentoring schemes to guide you through your future career.

Employability (NV)

Graduate careers

This course provides an excellent platform for those seeking a career working in finance and accounting.

Graduating with this degree will enable you to work in any organisation, covering roles such as:

Financial auditor
Financial analyst
Payroll outsourcer
Chartered accountant
Chartered certified accountant
Chartered management accountant
Chartered public finance accountant
Company secretary
Forensic accountant
Stockbroker

Your degree would also be useful for the following roles:

Actuary
Business development manager
Data analyst
Economist
Licensed conveyancer
Management consultant
Mortgage adviser
Purchasing manager
Retail banker
Tax adviser
Financial consultant

Graduates who wish to continue their studies can apply to progress to postgraduate courses at UCB such as our MSc in Enterprise Management, MSc in Finance and Accounting or complete the remaining papers with the professional bodies (ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW) to achieve the status of part-qualified accountant or certified accountant. You may be eligible for a postgraduate loan.

hired@UCB

hired@UCB is our student and alumni support service designed to provide a single reference point for information, advice and guidance regarding opportunities to develop and demonstrate employability and enterprise skills. Based on the 7th floor of our Summer Row campus, the hired@UCB team comprises specialist and qualified staff with knowledge and experience of:

Careers advice and guidance
Placements, work experience and volunteering
Employer engagement
Part-time and seasonal work
Internships and apprenticeships
Graduate schemes and alumni support
Unitemps - UCB's recruitment agency

Find out more about hired@UCB services.

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